Aircaft Mission Planning and Aircraft Launching

In anticipation of running Dave Schueler's "Send In The Marines" from HNR2003, I am trying to get up to speed on LHA/VSTOL Flight Operations. I am using the

AV-8B II data found in the HNR2003 and I would truely appreciate it if someone took a look at my numbers and planning process. Here it goes:

Conditions: It is 1200 Local; Sea State 2; Winds 5kts 100 degrees True; Visibility 75%; Two layers of clouds - Intermittent @ 1,000m, 2,000m thick, and Scattered @ 12,000m, 1,000 thick.

Intent: From USS TARAWA a section of AV-8B II will take off on a strike mission on a non-descript target 300nm away. The AV-8B II has a cruise range of 965nm and a maximum payload of 6,000kg. I will fly the first 200nm at High Altitude, the next 100nm at Low Alititude (attack run), and return back 300nm to Tarawa at High Altitude.

Form 5

1. AV-8B

2. Turbo Fan Engine Type

3. 6,000kg Max Payload

4. 964nm Basic Range (600nm for mission)

5. Strike

6. UnderWing1 3xMk82 500lb GP Bombs @ 241kg each (6x 241= 1,446kg);

UnderWing2 1x 300USG Drop Tank (+265nm each);

UnderWing3 1x AIM-9L/M @ 85kg each (2x85=170kg).

Centerline hardpoint - empty

7. 2,196kg Loadout Weight = LOAD1

Speeds Cruise Full Military Afterburner

V/Low 460 (1.9) 580 (2.4) -

Med 460 (1.9) 550 (2.3) -

High 460 (1.9) 520 (2.2) -

Ceiling 15,240m

Leg1: Turbo Fan 200nm @ High Alt with LOAD1 = 200/0.8 = 250nm

Leg2: Turbo Fan 100nm @ Low Alt with LOAD1 = 100/0.4 = 250nm

Leg3: Turbo Fan 300nm @ High Alt CLEAN = 300/1.0 = 300nm

Real Range = 800nm

10 minutes of Low Altitude Combat = ((10/60)x460)x3.5 = 273.7nm

800nm + 273.7nm = 1,073.7nm

965nm +265nm+265nm = 1,495nm which is greater than 1,073.7nm by 412.3nm

412nm is 24.8% of 1,495nm so 15% customary reserve is met.

Launching Aircraft:

Per 3.3.5.4.3 Pad Launch - One Aircraft per Spot, per Three Minute Tactical Turn. If using Engagement Turns, at end of Second Movement Phase, Aircraft is moving into the wind, at 25% max speed, at 100m.

Question, if using Tactical Turns are the Harriers moving from a hover/roll to 460kts within that first three minutes and is it abstracted to the point that the Aircraft has travelled the full movement of 23nm (460/20=23nm) from Tarawa on the heading to the target within that first three minutes since liftoff?

Thanks,

Pete