Fire support planning - UNITAF Force Manual (FM)
By Chapter
Index
About the Force Manual (FM)
Introduction to UNITAF
Universal Concepts
Communications
Tactics
Leadership
Equipment
Medical Operations
Vehicles
Logistics
Reconnaissance
Planning and Execution
By Roles
Search


Group

Fire support planning
This group is not in a published chapter and should not be relied upon.



FM/G160 - Fire support planning
Guide
FM/BG-1167 - Structure of fire support elements
Guide

Fire support elements follow a three-tier hierarchy to enable scalable and organized delivery of indirect fire.

  • Battery: Coordinates up to three Sections; highest level of fire support control.
  • Section: Controls two to three Gun Teams; operates semi-independently within the Battery.
  • Gun Team: Operates a single mortar or artillery piece; composed of a Gunner and Assistant.

This structure supports scaling from squad-level support to full Batteries. The highest level of commander present takes command, Battery -> Section -> Gunner.

Guide
FM/BG-1168 - Fire mission pre-planning
Guide

Pre-planning fire missions during the mission design or briefing phase helps ensure that indirect fire support can be delivered rapidly and accurately once operations are underway. It also enhances coordination with manoeuvre elements by reducing the time needed to identify, communicate, and engage targets.

Common components of fire mission pre-planning include:

  • Pre-Planned Targets (PPT): Plotting likely enemy positions, chokepoints, or objectives ahead of time allows for quicker engagement during execution. These targets should be labelled using standard MTO formats (see FM/BS-726) to streamline communication and avoid confusion.
  • Target Reference Points (TRPs): TRPs serve as shared map references that observers and gun crews can use to orient fire missions. They are typically placed on prominent terrain features and labelled in accordance with FM/BS-802. This practice simplifies communication and improves accuracy, particularly for on-call missions.
  • Fire Support Standards: Establishing default parameters for suppression, smoke, and general-purpose fire missions ensures consistency and saves time under pressure. These may include:
  • Fire Mission Types:
    • Pre-Planned: Coordinated before the operation and often linked to a PPT or TRP. Enables faster delivery due to known parameters.
    • On-Call: Requested dynamically during the mission. Often relies on TRPs or observer data to establish target locations quickly.

Pre-planning these elements helps ensure fire support is available when and where it’s needed, without delaying the momentum of the operation.

Skill
FM/BS-802 - Establish target reference points (TRP)
Skill

Plot target reference points, TRP, on prominent map and terrain features for the purposes of shared known points.

Label TRPs in the format "TRP [group identifier] [number 01–10]", where the distinct group identifier broadly summarises an area of operations, phase, or cardinal direction relative to friendly positions or movements. 

Examples: “TRP N01” or “TRP SE03”.

Skill
FM/BS-804 - Set standard fire-support parameters
Skill

Set the following parameters prior to mission start:

  • Rounds used, volume and rate of fire for a IMMEDIATE SUPPRESSION mission
  • Rounds used, volume and rate of fire for a IMMEDIATE SMOKE mission
  • Rounds used, volume and rate of fire for a SUPPRESSION mission
  • Preferred method used for target location
This page generated 1.09MB in 0.1289 seconds.