Friendly Fire from aircraft

kevin · #1 July 1st, 2005, 11:32 AM

I meant that as a % of overall fatricide casualties, airstrikes have gone down. Fatricide still exists in the form of bad arty coordinates, panic fire from troops, etc.

BigJim · #2 July 5th, 2005, 06:06 PM

Ok I take it then that the pilot was American and fired on Canadian troops because they either had different IFF's or none at all??? You must admit tho that this is RARE situation. I live in Tucson, right near the A-10 Base those guys fly "hot" training missions all the time and I have yet to hear of a "blue on blue" situation out here. Anyhow I guess the point is moot, the game allows it to happen and it's not a big enough deal to warrant the work it would take to program it out.

Thanks for you input tho, I was taken a back by your reports and I have no doubt that they are correct.

junk2drive · #3 July 5th, 2005, 06:15 PM

I have become so leery of FF from the air in all the wargames that I won't use it unless I have a large enemy unit in LOS. Even then in SP the aircraft my target an ammo dump instead of a tank or apc.

Pyros · #4 July 5th, 2005, 06:57 PM

Hi,
Lately I am testing the use of air strikes (Korea era) and my advice would be to always be cautious when assigning air-strikes near areas with a lot of smoke.
In clear areas the pilots may efficiently choose their targets (priority to armored units).

Shadowcougar · #5 July 5th, 2005, 07:02 PM

It is an uncommon occurrence. It has happen since the first aircraft attacked the ground target. It also happens in ground combat and well as naval operations.

In Operation Cobra the USAAF destroyed Panzer Lear and a US Inf battalion that was dropped on.

Remember that most pilots don't like CAS. Only in the USMC and the Warthog community is it an everyday mission.

Also� there is no such thing as friendly fire. Bombs and rockets have no friends... only those who use them and those who get hit by them.

PlasmaKrab · #6 July 6th, 2005, 02:59 AM

IFF are meant to be standard. Otherwise what is the point of NATO? And why would all the Eastern Europe countries spending big bucks to upgrade their frces to NATO standard, among else by fitting the standard IFF on their aircrafts.

And once more, to this day no ground unit apart from AADs have IFF transponder/reciever. That is why pilots have recognition classes, and that is why human error and info gaps lead to (fatal) errors. A patrolling pilot seeing soldiers and armor fighting in some forelorn desert corner will rather distrust his IFF, or admit that the bad guys got hands on some transponders anyhow, than assume some fellows if his are exercising and he wasn't told. I don't know the details of this canadian business but I guess that was something similar (except for the non-existent IFF).

So here you are, Jim! Anyway in the game you can lower your friendly fire rae by picking carefully your entry routes, strike points and aircraft loadouts: don't take a Maverick-armed tank buster when you're the only one with tanks, and don't send a CBU or napalm drop two hexes from your forward line.

That should keep you from too much unwanted damage!
But I have to reassure you, the subject pops up quite regularly!

Regards

Shadowcougar · #7 July 6th, 2005, 08:47 AM

I also try to make sure the airstrike comes acrross the front of my forces and more than 6 hexes away. I have noticed that artt wil drift at most 6 hexes and I hope that the aircraft do the same.

Only had to have a cell of B-52's hit my front lines once to adapt the 6 hex rule.