NOTE
Planning a Kill Box in real life is incommensurably different from DCS. The security and safety of the personnel, logistics, and other factors are, in fact, not a concern for the majority of the virtual groups. Moreover, since this chapter is written from the perspective of the crew, I did not go too much into the details.
As usual, the objective is to introduce sometimes complex concepts, then the reader can go as deep as they want.
Planning a Kill Box in real life is incommensurably different from DCS. The security and safety of the personnel, logistics, and other factors are, in fact, not a concern for the majority of the virtual groups. Moreover, since this chapter is written from the perspective of the crew, I did not go too much into the details.
As usual, the objective is to introduce sometimes complex concepts, then the reader can go as deep as they want.
Key points:
- A Kill Box will not be established for Close Air Support missions. If a CAS mission within an established Kill Box is required, that portion of the Kill Box should be closed;
- Considerations for using a Kill Box of a determined size, with specific location and timing, are based on the situation and the concept of operations (see box below). Other factors include:
- disposition of enemy/friendly forces;
- anticipated rates of movement;
- surface-to-surface indirect weapons capabilities;
- concept and tempo of the operation.
- A Kill Box can contain further measures within its boundaries, such as no-fire areas (NFA), restricted operations areas/zones, or airspace coordination areas.
- Optimally, there should be no friendly ground forces within or manoeuvring into an established Kill Box. If circumstances require otherwise, an NFA should be established to cover those areas, or the Kill Box should be cancelled.
- A Kill Box Coordinator (KBC) should be assigned. Its role is to:
- deconflict aircraft;
- manage/direct effective target engagement;
- provide BDA.
- Aircraft not assigned to an active Kill Box are restricted from flying through or delivering air-to-surface munitions into the Kill Box, unless coordinated with the KBC.
- Authority to engage is not automatically granted by the establishment of a Kill Box.
- Integration of air-to-surface fires and surface-to-surface indirect fires requires application of appropriate restrictions: altitude, time or lateral separation.
- Surface-to-surface direct fires are not restricted by the establishment of a Kill Box. However, certain direct-fire weapons may be employed from high terrain, and their gun-target line (GTL) should be considered.
Concept of Operations
CONOPS – a means to clearly and briefly express what the commander intends to achieve, and how the available resources will be used.
CONOPS – a means to clearly and briefly express what the commander intends to achieve, and how the available resources will be used.
Kill Box Terminology
A brief recap of the lexicon used when discussing or describing a Kill Box.
Kill Box Status
The Kill Box is a Fire Control Coordination Measure (FSCM), and the terminology common to
the fire support is applied.
- Established: a Kill Box is in effect;
- On-Order: a Kill Box is planned, but does not have an effective time.
Additional information and coordination are required for the Kill Box to be Established. Typically, on-order measures are event-triggered (e.g. target time of appearance in the operational area is unknown during planning); - Cancelled: the Kill Box is no longer Established.
The Kill Box status is either Open or Closed:
- Open: a Kill Box (or a portion) is open to fires without further coordination or deconfliction required. An Established Kill Box is inherently open until closed or cancelled.
Within an open Kill Box, the airspace is either active or cold.- Active: a Kill Box that has aircraft operating within the confines of the Kill Box (UAS included – Unmanned Aircraft System);
- Cold: a Kill Box with no operating aircraft within the confines of the Kill Box (UAS included).
- Closed: a Kill Box or a portion of the Kill Box where fires or effects of fires are not allowed without further coordination. Unless specified, a closed Kill Box does not restrict the airspace
Kill Box Genesis: Planned vs Immediate
A Kill Box can be Planned or Immediate.
- Planned Kill Box: the kill box is planned as a support to an operation. Once the requirement for a kill box is determined, the initial attributes (priority, location, airspace and time) are developed and coordinated; the latter includes the determination of target and effect priorities, assets, authority, integration, deconfliction and so on.
When the kill box is approved, it is distributed and validated to re-determine whether the planned targets still contribute to objectives, their location and how the planned actions affect friendly operations. - Immediate Kill Box: the kill box is established if it is deemed helpful to air interdiction onto targets of opportunity. An immediate kill box is one identified too late or not requested in time to be included during deliberate targeting. Immediate kill boxes are developed and established using dynamic targeting.
FlyAndWire 