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TOPIC: Fire Support Considerations.

DISCUSSION: During operations to support the withdrawal of peacekeepers, the primary fire support mission is counterfire operations. Counterfire in mountainous terrain has the same basic considerations as any other operation. There are some specific considerations because of the terrain and likely threat.

LESSON(s): Fire support considerations for withdrawal operations are:

• Select sites for the firefinder radars that are on prominent terrain. This is necessary to get the screening crest as low as possible. If the Q-36 radar needs to be placed in a city or town, it may have to be air-lifted onto the top of a building to gain coverage of the surrounding area.

• Redundant overlap coverage of firefinder systems may be required. It is difficult to obtain a low and consistent screening crest in mountainous terrain. Too low of a screening crest drives the search beam into the ground. Too high of a screening crest allows the belligerents to fire under the beam and avoid detection. The Q-36 system will not accept more than a 30-mil variance in the screening crest. The Q-37 radar system will not accept more than a 54-mil variance.

• Ensure that firefinder radars in the area do not face one another and radiate at the same time. This causes interference and emissions burnout, resulting in equipment failure. If radars need to face one another to accomplish the mission, coordinate to ensure they do not radiate at the same time.

• Use digital radar maps to minimize the time required for height correction of the weapon system. Digital maps allow the firefinder systems to initially locate weapon systems to within 250 meters. This allows the operator to make only two or three visual altitude adjustments to accurately locate the weapon system.

• Mountainous areas have unique weather conditions that affect ballistics drastically. Wind speed and direction can vary considerably depending on datum plane and which side of the mountain you occupy. Frequent meteorological (MET) messages are essential, and the FDO should consider registering to improve accuracy.

• Consider angle of fall in each fire mission to determine the best method of engagement and unit to fire. When firing against the opposite slope of a ridge or mountain, angle of fall can be critical to successful target engagement. When shooting low angle, large-range probable errors may be caused by the terrain.

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Suppression of Artillery