SM79 wrote:
Spice wrote:
The Impala's as other fighter in our air force operated at extreme low-level (at times down to 50 ft AGL), this allowed for an element of surprise, with an aircraft that low, flying at 360kts +(180m/s), it was very difficult to first of all detect it, let alone track it and shoot at it.
Yes, but at such altitude how the pilot could see the target? It's already difficult to fly so low without crashing in every slight herror made. Or being destroyed by the own armament if employed.
Good intelligence (Human Intelligence, Image Intelligence, Communications Intelligence and Electronic Intelligenece means), good Forward Air Controllers, good pilots, good command and control, good LL operational training and procedures..... weapons are not released from that altitude, you'd conduct either at Pitch and Fan (typical for the Imp: 30mm cannon and 68mm Rockets), Long-Toss, Gatup or Nagup and other profiles as the target necessitated, e.g. the Canberra would do it straight and level as well. During the weapons effort planning phase of a mission one plans ingress profiles, release profiles/parameters, etc and match the best suitable target to weapon match...
BTW the Mirage F1's done this at 540kts plus
I'll post some info on our Combat Losses and how we managed surface threats in a later post, on what we lost, and some statistics on what was reported as fired against us vs the success that FAPA/DAA had.
We had pilots form other air forces visit, and they were surpirsied at what we were doing and how we were operating.