Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Short Rounds
Abstract
The term "short round," of artillery inception, described a shell which fell short of its target. In Air Force employment, this term is somewhat altered: "A short round incident is defined as the air delivery of ordnance which results in injury or death to friendly military forces or noncombatants." This CHECO report depicts those short rounds delivered by fixed-wing aircraft, specifically those under the operational control of the Seventh Air Force Tactical Air Control Center (TACC). This report encompasses "short round" incidents reported from January through December 1971. It emphasizes a narrative of each incident with the factors leading up to the incident, the investigating officer's conclusions and recommendations, and the efforts made by commanders to minimize the recurrence of the accidental release of air-delivered ordnance on friendly military forces or noncombatants. A review of the authenticated "short rounds" in CHECO reports of previous years revealed that these incidents basically followed a general pattern of primary and contributing causes: pilot error, poor weather conditions, troop location unknown, weapon system malfunction, wrong target hit due to ground personnel error, poor communications, change in the ground situation, and inaccurate target marking. However, it was also noted that in a troops-in-contact situation the chance of a short round must be weighed against the possibility of heavy losses if close air support is not provided.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 15, 1972
- Accession Number
- ADA489303
Entities
People
- Frank J. Adamcik
Organizations
- Pacific Air Forces