Military Operations

New York ARTCC

Military Operations

Rev. 5 — Revised: 2025-02-17

Introduction

Purpose

Military aircraft are often involved in specialized training and high performance or close proximity operations that are not encountered with civilian aircraft, and pose unique challenges to controllers. As a result, military operations maintain their own procedures to govern these operations, and employ specialized phraseology not found in civilian air traffic control. The purpose of this document is to provide controllers with information and procedures to be used when controlling aircraft involved in military operations. The guidance herein is to be used as specified for controllers across all facilities within ZNY. The procedures described herein are supplemental to the New York ARTCC Standard Operating Procedures and FAA Order JO 7110.65.

Distribution

This order is distributed to all New York ARTCC personnel.

Procedural Deviations

Exceptional or unusual requirements may dictate procedural deviations or supplementary procedures to this order. A situation may arise that is not adequately covered herein; in such an event use good judgment to adequately resolve the problem.

General

Military procedures involve specialized terminology that will be used throughout this document. This list contains all common military aviation terms for ATC that are used here.

• ADIZ - Air Defense Identification Zone
• ALERT TREE - Strategic Air Command base structure of angled ramps for rapid departure to one runway. Described in Marching Order section.
• ANGELS - Altitude in thousands (Angels 4-2 = FL420)
• ATCAA - Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace, pronounced "ATKA". Airspace defined by vertical/lateral limits, assigned by ATC, for the purpose of providing air traffic segregation between the specified activities being conducted within the assigned airspace and other IFR air traffic. Typically only found in Class A airspace.
• BINGO - Minimum fuel situation. Non-emergency, but requires rapid return to base
• BREAK - Military VFR arrival procedure, described below
• CHERUBS - Altitude in hundreds, for use under 1,000 feet
• CLEAN UP - Gear and flaps raised to flight status
• DIRTY UP - Gear and flaps lowered to landing status
• DIVISION - Two sections of formation aircraft
• FLIGHT - Group of aircraft operating in coordination and proximity
• I-P - Initial Point, the final pre-maneuver point of a military maneuver
• MARCHING ORDER - Announcement term indicating aircraft has been activated and launched per an Emergency War Order.
• MARSA - Military Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft. Absolves civil ATC of responsibility for separation when accepted/declared.
• MITO - Minimum Interval Take-Off, a procedure for rapid departure of multiple heavy military aircraft.
• MOA - Military Operating Area, pronounced "M-O-A". Airspace established outside of Class A airspace area to separate or segregate certain non-hazardous military activities from IFR traffic and to identify for VFR traffic where these activities are conducted.
• PARROT - Transponder / Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)
• PROWORD - Procedure Word, a procedural abbreviation (most of the actions in this glossary are prowords)
• RECYCLE - Instruction to turn transponder off and back on to reset
• RESTRICTED AREA (RA) - Airspace designated under 14 CFR Part 73, within which the flight of aircraft, while not wholly prohibited, is subject to restriction.
• SCRAMBLE - Request/notification term for immediate from-the-ramp departure of military fighter aircraft for national defense intercept.
• SECTION - Lead and Wingman aircraft: basic formation unit
• SPILL IN - Unauthorized penetration of Special Use Airspace.
• SPILL OUT - Un-coordinated accidental departure from Special Use Airspace by an operating unit.
• STATE - Fuel state in thousands of pounds fuel: State 2.2 is 2200 pounds, State .5 is 500 pounds.
• STRANGLE - Instruction to squawk standby: "Strangle parrot"
• SUBSET - Transponder code of first two assigned digits with the last two as zeros. Example: Assigned 4322, Subset 4300.
• SWEET COMMS - Positive radio contact with an air traffic control station
• SWEET LOCK - Signal capture on VOR/NDB/VORTAC/TACAN signal
• SUA - Special Use Airspace, described below (MOA/ATCAA/RA/WA)
• TALLY - Visual contact, may be a response to a traffic advisory/warning
• WARNING AREA (WA) - A warning area is airspace of defined dimensions extending from 3 nautical miles outward from the coast of the United States, that contains activity hazardous to nonparticipating aircraft. The purpose of warning areas is to warn nonparticipating pilots of the potential danger. A warning area may be located over domestic and/or international waters. Typically seen as WA123 in flight plans.
• WHISKEY ALERT - ATC notification term to indicate a SPILL IN condition to operating units within an SUA.

Several special transponder codes exist for military operations. These may be requested by pilots and approved or assigned at controller discretion.

4000 Military VFR/MARSA. may be issued to military aircraft conducting operations with military special use airspace or operating VFR.

4001-4077 Military IFR Operations.

7777 Military aircraft on active intercept, only when assigned by ATC.

Military Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft is a procedure to be used only with military aircraft, and indicates delegation for the safe separation of participating aircraft from civil Air Traffic Control to a military facility or to the military aircraft themselves. Military aircraft may request MARSA via flight plans for air refueling, formation flying, and training, or may request it by voice from the controller for those situations and for intercept/escort activities when applicable. Military aircraft must declare (self-initiated) or accept (controller-prompted) MARSA with other aircraft before engaging in formation, refueling, escort, or Special Use Airspace operations. ATC must ensure standard separation until pilots declare/accept MARSA. ATC shall advise termination of MARSA when flights depart and close warning areas using normal separation or break away from refueling/formation maneuvers into normal separation.

Military Departure Procedures

An unrestricted climb departure is a procedure originally designed for high performance intercept aircraft, allowing them to rapidly gain altitude for speed and fuel efficiency. Aircraft approved for unrestricted climb departures will climb nearly or actually vertical to their initial altitude (which may be their cruise altitude) and either pitch forward to runway heading or continue pitching over upside down to a downwind heading before rolling upright. Unrestricted climb procedures may be approved if the following requirements are met:

• No conflict with ongoing IFR or VFR operations
• Coordination with and approval from overlying control positions whose airspace the aircraft will enter on climb

Unrestricted climb clearances are delivered upon request and approval like departure headings. However, tower controllers shall instruct aircraft climbing unrestricted out of their airspace to contact departure control once airborne in the initial takeoff clearance as below:
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 short of runway 24 ready to go, request unrestricted climb Angels 1-5.
COSMIC 1, McGuire Tower, unrestricted climb to 15,000 approved, Contact McGuire Approach 124.15 airborne. Wind 250 at 12, Runway 24 cleared for takeoff.

Unrestricted to Angels 1-5, departure airborne, Runway 24 cleared for takeoff, COSMIC 1.

The Spiral Up departure is a USAF Tactical Approach/Departure (TAD) procedure for egress from an airstrip in hostile conditions. This is facilitated by performing a rapid spiraling ascent directly from the runway, mostly within the confines of the airport's boundaries, up to a safe initial altitude. Spiral Up procedures may be approved if the following requirements are met:

• Visual Meteorological Conditions (not necessarily VFR flight plan)
• No conflict with ongoing IFR or VFR operations
• Lack of other prohibiting factors determined by ATC

Spiral Up departures are treated as with flying an unrestricted climb, but may include specific egress altitude and direction information as necessary
Example:
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 short of runway 24 ready to go, request Spiral Up.
COSMIC 1, McGuire Tower, Spiral Up approved, level off heading 030 and 5,000, Contact McGuire Approach 124.15 airborne. Wind 250 at 12, Runway 24 cleared for takeoff.
Spiral Up to 030 and 5,000, departure airborne, Runway 24 cleared for takeoff, COSMIC 1.

Controllers should ensure prior to Spiral Up approval that adequate separation with any traffic in their departure path will be maintained throughout the typically rapid maneuver. Upon being cleared to takeoff, the aircraft will conduct a generally short field takeoff and rapidly begin a tight spiral while climbing, eventually leveling out at initial altitude and heading if assigned. Aircraft may be directed to contact a departure frequency either on the runway (in the takeoff clearance as above), in the spiral, or upon leveling off. However, if aircraft are instructed to switch in the spiral, departure controllers should expect a delay due to the work-intensive nature of the maneuver.

Military Arrival Procedures

The Overhead is a Navy pattern arrival procedure for VFR conditions. It involves several components that mimic civilian pattern procedure for towered airports, but happen at different times with different information. Each will be described step by step.

Entry and Break

Entering aircraft will approach straight in parallel to the landing runway at approximately 800 feet and 250 knots, and call:
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 at the initial inbound for the overhead runway 18.
COSMIC 1, McGuire Tower, enter the break.

The 'Break' itself happens at the departure end of the runway: the aircraft will extend spoilers and conduct a high angle turn to enter downwind at approximately 600 feet and ~150 knots (speed may be higher depending on aircraft type).

Abeam and Landing

Once level and passing abeam downwind, the aircraft will call with their type, intentions, and fuel state.
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1, F-18 abeam to land, state 1.1.

At 1-2 miles from the landing runway, the aircraft will conduct another fairly high angle turn to final and descend to the glideslope (300-400 feet typically at 1NM). At 3/4NM, the aircraft will call final, and may confirm intentions and state again. If the aircraft rolls out on an approach that is too far out of correctable parameters, they will call waving off as in the second example, and rejoin the 600 foot close pattern.
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 short final to land runway 18, state 1.>
COSMIC 1, wind 190 at 7, runway 18 cleared to land.
IF WAVING OFF:
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 waving off.
COSMIC 1, roger.

Spin and Extend

As a controller, a break offers you two tools to aid in separating aircraft. The first is to instruct the pilot to 'spin it': to abort any current approach, fly overhead the field at 1200 feet and orbit no further than three miles away from the airfield abeam the runway. This is designed to aid in separation from traffic on the runway or otherwise in the way of an approach. The spin must be read back by aircraft on approach to acknowledge aborting the approach.
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 short final to land runway 18, state 1.
COSMIC 1, McGuire Tower, spin it, traffic departing the runway.
COSMIC 1, spinning.

The second tool is to ask the aircraft to extend, much like the standard VFR call, typically for spacing in trail of traffic in the pattern. This may be called in the same way, but is typically given on upwind/entry with military aircraft.

File:SpiralDown.png

The Spiral Down approach is a USAF Tactical Approach/Departure (TAD) procedure for ingress to an airstrip in hostile conditions. This is facilitated by performing a rapid descent from high altitude, mostly within the confines of the airport's boundaries. Spiral Down procedures may be approved if the following requirements are met:

• Visual Meteorological Conditions (not necessarily VFR flight plan)
• No conflict with ongoing IFR or VFR operations
• Lack of other prohibiting factors determined by ATC

Spiral Down approaches are cleared in a similar way to any other approach:
McGuire Tower, COSMIC 1 inbound to land, request Spiral Down.
COSMIC 1, McGuire Tower, Spiral Down, runway 24.
Spiral Down runway 24, COSMIC 1.

The aircraft will overfly the field at any altitude (typically) up to 6'000. No specific heading is required for approach entry: aircraft will maintain runway direction reference by HSI and visual cues. Overhead midfield, the aircraft will begin a tight downward spiral towards the approach end of the runway, and will continue to spiral until outbound on the spiral passing approximately 400 feet, making a short base and final directly onto the runway. As a Spiral Down is a work-intensive maneuver, aircraft should be cleared to land upon entering overhead the field with the field in sight. Controllers should ensure prior to such clearance that adequate separation with any traffic on or near the runway will be maintained throughout the approach and landing, which can be rapid.