EFFECT OF WEATHER ON AIR OPERATIONS

1. EFFECT OF WEATHER ON AIR OPERATIONS

2. ACT 3, SCENE 2. Location: 3d Army HQ, European Theater of Operations, Germany. Date: December 1944. Players: General George Patton and Army Chaplain Colonel James H. O’Neill. Patton speaks . . . “Chaplain, write me a weather prayer.” This prayer was subsequently issued, along with a Christmas card, to all 3d Army troops on December 22, 1944. In part, it read: “Almighty and merciful Father . . . restrain these immoderate rains . . . grant us fair weather for battle . . . ”

3. And, of course, as history has so well recorded, “December 23 dawned bright and sunny. ” A miraculous 5-day break of clear weather followed, which permitted the Allied forces to take maximum advantage of their air superiority. This tremendously successful air support effort was one of the key factors that led to the German failure to attain its major objectives in the Battle of the Bulge. This dramatic acknowledgment of the importance of weather on military operations is from the book Lucky Forward - The History of Patton’s Third U.S. Army by Colonel Robert S. Allen (Vanguard Press, New York, 1947).

4. WEATHER & AIR OPERATIONS • A half century later the same urgent concern about weather remain same and always reflected in battlefield operations. • To fight effectively, Cdrs must acquire weather information of areas of operations (AO) and areas of interest (AI). As Met Offr, that is your job to provide the same. • You cannot count on a weather prayer to always supply this essential information to the commander, you would need procedures that will provide accurate, timely, and tailored weather data to the Cdr. • Develop a thorough understanding of weather effects and their impact on friendly and threat military operations.

5. AIR OPERATIONS SCENARIO • Conflicts characterized by dispersed operations employing sophisticated, longer range, and more lethal weapons systems • Scope of ops has dramatically increased because of these systems and results in improved battlefield surveillance, more effective target acquisition sensors, and flexible communications links. Command and control (C2) is critical to success. • Combat power depends on more than troops and weapon systems.

6. AIR OPERATIONS SCENARIO … • No ac or air ops spared by weather. • It requires the Integration of communications, intelligence, and other types of combat support. • These factors may be decisive, since commanders can manipulate and control them to achieve a tactical advantage. • Weather is the single decisive factor over which commanders have little or no control.

7. Weather Effects “Mud to Space” Solar Flare Winds Turbulence Clouds Thunder/Lightening Rain/Icing Dust/Haze Visibility/Illumination No aircraft, system, strategies and tactics are immune to weather.

8. EFFECT OF WEATHER ON AIR OPERATIONS • Weather may be the most significant factor considered in all combat operations. • Adverse weather conditions:- • Affect mobility. • Decrease the ability to see and attack deep. • Degrade electro-optical (E-0) systems. • Increase the requirement for thoroughly integrated air and ground operations. • Slow the movement of supplies and reinforcements.

9. EFFECT OF WEATHER ON AIR OPERATIONS • Leadership must be made aware of and prepare for general and specific effects of weather on enemy and friendly major weapons systems and operations. • Plans must be evaluated to minnnize the adverse weather effects on friendly forces and to maximize the effects on the enemy. • Sophisticated weather support allows leadership to employ their forces to maximum effectiveness according to the major tenets of the air operations.

10. WEATHER SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES Initiative.Changing wx conditions provide both sides windows of opportunity and vulnerability. Defenders/attackers use them to defeat the opposition attack, and seize the initiative. Depth. As ops extended in space and time it becomes more likely that wx will vary largely and effect continuation of ops. Knowledge of wx will provide options for ops. Agility. If Cdrs are knowledgeable of wx effects then timely and accurate wx sp will enable them to respond to changing conditions more rapidly than the enemy. Synchronization. Combat power is made up of many components, each with its own unique weather sensitivities. In order to employ them for max effect, Cdr must know weather effects on the components.

11. WEATHER SUPPORT ESSENTIALS • Weather support for tactical operations is based on the following principles:- • Wx effects must be considered by all concerned during planning and operational phases, including deployment and employment. (Roles, responsibility, procedures and products). • Cdrs must consider favorable and unfavorable weather conditions to determine the best course of action to accomplish the mission (Critical Values)

12. WEATHER SUPPORT ESSENTIALS …. • Accuracy of wx forecasts is dependent on the density and timeliness of wxobs ( Obs network ). • All wxobs, including non conventional, must have high priority and transmitted rapidly for use. • Timely, reliable primary and alternate communications must be provided. • Because of continually changing atmospheric conditions, weather information is highly perishable. Weather observations and forecasts must be monitored and updated continually.

13. VISIBILITY • The lack of good visibility affects • Landings and take-offs • Visual reconnaissance • Target acquisition • E-O target designation • Terminally guided munitions • Ability to distribute scatterable mines.

14. VISIBILITY • Ac need to see tgt to be able to engage it. • Vis in terms of atmospheric transparency and visual bubble play an important role. • Adverse vis delays detection, identification and tracking of tgt systems. • Current high speeds of ac provide little time thereafter to put in an accurate attack.

15. VISIBILITY • It may bring ac into the lethal envelop of AD Wpn Sys. • In CAS Missions, it provides less time for identifying friend or foe and may result in increasing chances of fratricide. • Degrades capability to carry out meaningful surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

16. CLOUDING • Always a major consideration for aviation operations. • Low overcast clouds will limit the effectiveness of aerial illumination devices. • Overcasts tend to limit heating of inactive targets and lower target detection range for thermal sights.

17. CLOUDING • NVD are limited by clouds blocking natural illumination from the moon or the stars. • CAS and aerial resupply missions are degraded by low clouds • Flying in clouds could lead to disorientation and fatigue. • Cloud free line of sight required for delivery of PGMs.

18. THUNDERSTORMS

19. MATURE STAGE • This stage is most dangerous. • Ac entering such clouds is likely to be subjected to extreme turbulence, hail, icing and heavy precipitation. It could also cause severe damage to ac.

20. TURBULENCE Severe weather and clear air turbulence is a critical condition affecting all aviation assets and missions. It may cause aircraft structural damage or even crashes during take-offs and landings. Severe turbulence may cancel all operations

21. PRECIPITATION • Precipitation is an inherent ingredient of thunderstorms. • It reduces visibility, degrades visual acquisition, tracking and photographic and infrared equipment, weakens radar signals, evens out temperature between surroundings and objects, thereby limiting use of infra red systems and also affects flight safety.

22. HAIL • Strikes from hailstones can severely damage wings, tail, radome etc. • If ingested into a jet engine, it can cause internal damage.

23. LIGHTNING • Lightning is an imp element of thunderstorms. • Magnetic compasses of ac are likely to indicate incorrect readings and pilot’s flying instruments could be temporarily blinded if encountering effects of lightning.

24. LIGHTNING • Lightning not dangerous to occupants of metal ac. • Electrical storms also interfere with radio and wire communications and may disrupt synchronisation of data communications.

25. ICING • Icing could affect pitot tubes and in turn Air Speed Indicators and other pressure instruments. • It could cause sluggishness in control response and may damage cable lines and antennae.

26. TORNADOES • Tornadoes are usually accompanied with extremely hi wind speeds. • Flying close to Tornadoes is absolutely prohibited. • Severe turbulence caused could result in losing control of the ac or in severe damage.

27. EFFECT OF WINDS • Orientation of air fields. • Cross wind limitations of ac stringent for take offs and landings. • High wind speeds can damage materials and structures on ground. • Give anomalous radar returns. • Restrict visibility by blowing sand, dust and other materials. • Smoke indicators ineffective at wind speeds greater than seven nautical miles per hour.

28. WIND ALOFT • Wind aloft notably different and cause significant wind shears resulting in difficulty in tracking the tgt especially in steep dive attacks. • At high altitudes, jet streams cause significant head/tail winds.

29. TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY • Air density decreases as temperature or humidity increase. • Efficiency of ac propulsion is reduced in areas of high temperatures or high humidity. • Necessitates reduction in ac payloads in terms of fuel, weapons or personnel. • Degrades personnel and equipment capabilities. • Higher altitudes affect lift characteristics and engine performance.

30. TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY • Cold temp increase maint requirements and need for protective equipment. • Temp also adversely affect electronic circuits and extreme cold may snap cable lines. • Extreme temperatures and humidity severely affects ac and UAV combat ranges. • Temperatures of tgts and objects at night important for use of thermal sights and FLIR devices.

31. ILLUMINATION. NVD are most efficient with about a quarter (23 percent) of the moon, 30 degrees above the horizon, scattered clouds, and the sun more than 5 degrees below the horizon

32. EFFECT OF ILLUMINATION • Illumination and obstructions to vision affects visibility required and ability to detect tgts by visual, night vision devices or electro-optical means. • Too much light too degrades effectiveness of night vision devices by causing blooming effect.

33. EFFECT ON WEAPON SYSTEMS

34. WEAPON PERFORMANCE • Pressure changes and relative humidity affect barometric fusing, arming and wpn delivery calculations. • Winds too affect non precision guided munitions and rocket projectiles. • Line of sight wpns using laser/electro-optical guidance systems get severely degraded by adverse visibility, cloud cover and atmospheric conditions.

35. DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS • Beams scatter when they strike clouds, fog, dust or smoke. • Absorption occurs for almost similar reasons. • Blooming occurs when heated air expands beams. • Turbulence occurs when up/down, cross currents or heat waves disrupt beams.