AIR ASSAULT

THE LOADING PLAN

 

 

“It is better to see and communicate the difficulties and dangers of an enterprise, and to endeavor to overcome them, than to be blind to everything but success till the moment of difficulty comes, and to despond.”

The Duke of Wellington

 

 

LAST MONTH

In our last article, we focused on the air movement plan. Our discussion was part science and part art. Along the way we provided sections on terminology, control measures and left you with some keys to success as they relate to air movement planning. In summary: It is during air movement that the Air Assault Task Force is most vulnerable and visible—it’s a sitting duck if caught. A well-executed air movement will achieve surprise and rapid victory. When planned and executed wrong, the ground forces may well end up fighting for their lives as it applied to air movement.

THIS MONTH

Our article this month will focus on the fourth sub-plan of the air assault—the loading plan. As with the other sub-plans, the Loading Plan is critical to the overall success of the Air Assault. You can relate the air assault load plan to packing your vehicle for a trip. In the case of the trip, you want to make sure you have everything you need (although you always forget something) you want to pack it safely so you do not break anything, and you want to pack it in an order so you can get to everything you need when you need it.

In this article we will focus on packing the bird, packing it safely and packing it in an order that facilitates further operations. We will key on the various tasks and personnel that enable us to achieve this. Let’s get this class started!

THE LOADING PLAN

As with all air assault planning, the loading plan builds on the previous three plans: the ground tactical plan, the landing plan, and the air movement plan. The loading plan is specifically based on the air movement plan. The purpose of the loading plan is straight forward — guarantee that troops, equipment, and supplies are loaded on the right birds thus preserving unit integrity. A detailed load plan sets the conditions so the Air Assault Task Force arrives at the Landing Zone (LZ) ready to execute the ground tactical plan.

The loading plan has several functions. These include establishing the priority of loads, a bump plan, and how troops and equipment are cross-loaded so that command and control, combat power, and weapons are distributed and thus won’t all be lost in a single aircraft or group of aircraft. Load planning covers the organization and operation of the pick-up zone (PZ), including load positions, markings, and communications. The load plan also addresses the mixing of internal and external loads and mixing aircraft types such as troop and heavy lift—each requires a different size LZ. We will discuss each of these in detail below.

Loading plans are coordinated with the Air Mission Commander (AMC) or the Aviation Liaison Officer (ALO). Copies go to the ALO, command and control elements, the AMC, and the PZ control officer. Battalion or larger operations cover the movement of troops, supplies, and equipment to the PZ, designate unit-loading sites, and dictate timing for arrival, loading, and departing of aircraft. Detailed standing operating procedures (SOPs) reduce the length and detail required in written plans, but regardless, the loading phase demands command attention to ensure smooth execution. A well-planned loading operation is the first step to overall air assault success while a botched loading plan can derail the entire mission.

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