OneShot
06-01-2005, 04:47 PM
The original report can be found here (http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/p3cvskiloexercise.html)
Background
The mission brief states that a kilo class submarine would be snorkelling for the first five minutes of the exercise in a random start 100nm by 100nm box. I was tasked to locate, track and attack the kilo.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_1.jpg
Detection
I performed two sweeps with the radar. There were two returns which I marked as tracks 1002 and 1003.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_2.jpg http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_3.jpg
1003 is outside the exercise area, so I assume that 1002 must be the kilo because we're still within the first 5 minutes of the exercise, so I turn on the ESM gear to make sure.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1001.jpg
I get nothing on ESM after 1 minute; I wouldn't expect the Kilo to be emitting so this further reinforces the theory that 1002 is the Kilo.
I order a fly-to waypoint over the first radar return…
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1002.jpg
I continue to monitor RADAR and ESM and after a couple of minutes a new radar return appears to the North, which i mark as track 1004.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1004.jpg
Meanwhile I decide to continue and get a visual on 1002…
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1005.jpg
I order a descent to 600ft to get below the cloud layer and approach track 1002... I get a read on infrared and close for a visual.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1009.jpg
OK then, track 1002 is a freighter, so I decide to go and check out track 1004 off to the North.
As I approach track 1004 I lose the radar return… so there's a good chance that 1004 is the Kilo and she just went deep again. I order an approach and circle around the last position I got from radar.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1018.jpg
Prosecution
There is still no sign on radar or visual infrared as I start circling the radar return so I decide to drop a VLAD shallow, assuming that the kilo won't have gone too deep yet.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1021.jpg
I get nothing from the VLAD, so I figure maybe she's gone deep, so I drop a VLAD deep next.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1023.jpg http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1029.jpg
I get nothing from either the VLAD shallow or VLAD deep so I drop a DIFAR shallow halfway between these two buoys to get a directional fix.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1033.jpg
I still get nothing from these buoys so I decide to drop a DICASS and go active.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1037.jpg
With four buoys of different types in the water I'm still getting nothing in passive mode.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1042.jpg
But my active DICASS gives me a return!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1044.jpg
So I head in for a MAD pass… and again, I get a return!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1046.jpg
So I set up a Mk. 50 torpedo in circular search mode and open the bomb bay doors...
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1048.jpg
Weapon away and I score a direct hit!
Conclusion
The Kilo Class is quiet!! Once I got my MAD fix I measured the distance from the sonabuoys... she was 600yds from a VLAD and 4000yds from my DICASS and DIFAR, yet all those buoys could not detect her in passive mode, only the active DICASS had a chance!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1047.jpg
A radar contact which appears or disappears out of nowhere is likely a submerged submarine either surfacing or raising a periscope or mast.
Background
The mission brief states that a kilo class submarine would be snorkelling for the first five minutes of the exercise in a random start 100nm by 100nm box. I was tasked to locate, track and attack the kilo.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_1.jpg
Detection
I performed two sweeps with the radar. There were two returns which I marked as tracks 1002 and 1003.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_2.jpg http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1000_3.jpg
1003 is outside the exercise area, so I assume that 1002 must be the kilo because we're still within the first 5 minutes of the exercise, so I turn on the ESM gear to make sure.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1001.jpg
I get nothing on ESM after 1 minute; I wouldn't expect the Kilo to be emitting so this further reinforces the theory that 1002 is the Kilo.
I order a fly-to waypoint over the first radar return…
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1002.jpg
I continue to monitor RADAR and ESM and after a couple of minutes a new radar return appears to the North, which i mark as track 1004.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1004.jpg
Meanwhile I decide to continue and get a visual on 1002…
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1005.jpg
I order a descent to 600ft to get below the cloud layer and approach track 1002... I get a read on infrared and close for a visual.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1009.jpg
OK then, track 1002 is a freighter, so I decide to go and check out track 1004 off to the North.
As I approach track 1004 I lose the radar return… so there's a good chance that 1004 is the Kilo and she just went deep again. I order an approach and circle around the last position I got from radar.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1018.jpg
Prosecution
There is still no sign on radar or visual infrared as I start circling the radar return so I decide to drop a VLAD shallow, assuming that the kilo won't have gone too deep yet.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1021.jpg
I get nothing from the VLAD, so I figure maybe she's gone deep, so I drop a VLAD deep next.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1023.jpg http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1029.jpg
I get nothing from either the VLAD shallow or VLAD deep so I drop a DIFAR shallow halfway between these two buoys to get a directional fix.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1033.jpg
I still get nothing from these buoys so I decide to drop a DICASS and go active.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1037.jpg
With four buoys of different types in the water I'm still getting nothing in passive mode.
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1042.jpg
But my active DICASS gives me a return!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1044.jpg
So I head in for a MAD pass… and again, I get a return!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1046.jpg
So I set up a Mk. 50 torpedo in circular search mode and open the bomb bay doors...
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1048.jpg
Weapon away and I score a direct hit!
Conclusion
The Kilo Class is quiet!! Once I got my MAD fix I measured the distance from the sonabuoys... she was 600yds from a VLAD and 4000yds from my DICASS and DIFAR, yet all those buoys could not detect her in passive mode, only the active DICASS had a chance!
http://www.sunim.plus.com/afteraction/p3versuskiloexercise/images/1047.jpg
A radar contact which appears or disappears out of nowhere is likely a submerged submarine either surfacing or raising a periscope or mast.