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The Piggyback Technique -- An Interim Solution

Stingers are normally attached to company teams in offensive battles at the NTC. When attached to company teams, they are normally "piggy-backed" on armored vehicles which increases the Stinger's survivability and mobility. With the Soviet's large indirect fire threat, the need to provide Stinger teams protected mobility using the "piggy-back" method is imperative. The Stinger gunner rides with either the FIST or the infantry company XO. The assistant gunner normally follows with the remainder of the team's basic load of missiles in his 1/4 ton (HMMWV) at the company or task force combat trains. Disadvantages of the "piggy-back" technique are:

• Company team vehicles don't stop until after the unit begins taking casualties from enemy air.

• The two-man Stinger team is separated.

• Difficulty in getting early warning down to gunners.

• Leaves the Stinger gunner with limited or no dedicated communications.

• Unable to see when "button-up" in a track.

• Lack of flexibility for positioning which contributes to degraded effectiveness.

In the defense, Stinger crews must get out of the tracks and into firing positions away from company teams. This concept applies unless the sector is very deep and maneuver across large distances is required. In such cases, the better use of Stinger, as in offensive operations, is in a track. The best defenses are seen when the task force ADA officer centralizes ADA under his control and sets up "zone" coverages. Class V must be prestocked and dug in.

Early Warning

The piggy-back technique improves Stinger team effectiveness by:

• adequate early warning

• dedicated ADA C3I

• effective TSOPs

Timely early warning to all weapon systems in the company team, including Stinger, improves:

• target detection

• identification and engagement of enemy air

• warnings that friendly air is in the area

The section sergeant can provide early warning to the Stinger gunners over the task force command net through the company team commander (see figure 3).

Figure 3. Stinger Early Warning

Early warning to teams and platoons utilizing the "Cardinal Direction" method is simple and fast. For example, "Enemy air coming in from the East" is sufficient.

Air defense and operational flexibility can be enhanced by effective standardized TSOPs which establish:

• Engagement dismount cues

  • When infantry dismounts, take up firing position.

  • When early warning is received and the tracked vehicle stops.

• Engagement termination cues

  • All targets destroyed.

  • Departure of enemy aircraft by early warning net.

  • Ground tactical situation requires the vehicle to fire and maneuver.

  • The infantry remounts to move.

The ADA Section Sergeant's MSCS overlay includes two early warning concentric circles which indicate to the Section Sergeant when targets present themselves as a potential threat to the task force. One alert line will be approximately 15 kilometers from center of mass of the task force and be utilized for high performance aircraft (i.e., MIG 23 and SU 25); the other, for rotary wing aircraft (i.e., MI 24 and MI 28), is approximately 10 kilometers from center of mass. An example is illustrated below.

Figure 4. MSCS Overlay

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Mobility/Countermobility/Survivability

Combat Service Support