Bay loadouts, stores management, target designation, release criteria and safe
escape. Phase 3 material — this is what Surface Attack Certification is graded on.
💣
What this qualification covers
The B-1B carries the largest internal payload in the inventory across three
weapons bays. This guide covers configuring the stores management system,
designating a target, meeting release criteria, and flying a safe escape.
Surface Attack Certification is graded on time-on-target accuracy — the
weapon has to arrive inside a thirty-second window.
Grading standard: TOT ±30 seconds, safe escape flown
Awards: SAT CERT toward B-1B CMR
Before anything else: weapons behaviour differs between B-1B
add-ons and between MSFS 2020 and 2024. Confirm which build your squadron is
flying before a weapons sortie — half of all "the bombs didn't release" reports
trace back to a version mismatch, not a procedure error.
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The three weapons bays
Forward bay
Ahead of the wing box. Often carries the auxiliary fuel tank on long-range profiles instead of stores.
Intermediate bay
Between the forward bay and the wing carry-through. Standard rotary launcher position.
Aft bay
Behind the wing box. Watch the CG effect as this one empties.
Each bay takes a rotary launcher. Release order matters for centre of gravity —
dropping an entire bay in one pass shifts the CG noticeably.
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Typical stores
Weapon
Type
Guidance
Typical use
Mk-82
500 lb GP
Unguided
Area targets, sticks
Mk-84
2,000 lb GP
Unguided
Hardened point targets
GBU-38
500 lb JDAM
GPS/INS
Precision, multiple targets per pass
GBU-31
2,000 lb JDAM
GPS/INS
Precision, hardened targets
Mk-62
Quickstrike mine
Unguided
Maritime mining
Unguided weapons need an accurate release solution from the aircraft. JDAMs need
accurate target coordinates loaded before release — after that the weapon flies itself.
⌨️
Stores management setup
Confirm the loadout. Check what's actually in each bay before you plan the attack, not on the run-in.
Select the bay. Choose which bay you're releasing from this pass.
Select the station. Pick individual stations or the full rotary depending on your release plan.
Set release mode. Single, pairs, or ripple. Ripple needs an interval set as well.
Set the interval. For sticks, the spacing between weapons determines your impact pattern length.
Load target coordinates. For JDAMs, enter target lat/long and elevation. An error here puts the weapon exactly where you told it to go, which is the problem.
Arm the system. Master arm on, and confirm you have a ready indication before the IP.
Do this before the initial point, never after. The run-in from IP to
target is not the time to be paging through stores management. Have it configured,
armed and checked with several minutes to spare.
▶
IP to target
Cross the initial point on time. Your TOT is built from this. Cross late and you are already fighting the clock.
Check timing. Compare planned versus actual. Correct with small speed changes now — not with a large one at the end.
Confirm the target designation. Verify the coordinates or the designation one last time.
Verify master arm and ready. Last chance to catch a configuration problem.
Open the bay doors. Doors take time to travel — do this before you need them, not at release.
Hold the release parameters. Wings level, altitude and speed stable through release.
Release. Confirm the weapons actually left — check the stores count, don't assume.
Close the doors and fly the safe escape. Immediately.
⏱
Time on target
TOT is the graded element. Check your timing at every route point, not just at
the IP. A five-second drift caught early is a two-knot correction; the same
drift caught at the IP is a scramble you probably lose.
Early: reduce speed, or extend with a small dogleg if you have room
Late: increase speed within limits — check you have the fuel for it
Badly late: call it. A missed TOT briefed honestly beats a rushed unsafe run.
Safe escape: after release, turn away from the target and accelerate.
Fragmentation from your own weapons is a real hazard at low level. Brief the escape
heading and the turn direction before the flight — the run-in is not the time to
decide which way you're going.
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Reference numbers
TOT window (Grade 3)
±30 sec
TOT window (unqualified)
> ±60 sec
Low-level run-in altitude
500 ft AGL ±100
Low-level altitude floor
400 ft AGL
Typical run-in speed
480–540 KTAS
Weapons bays
3 internal
Wing sweep — low level
55–67.5°
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Grade 3 standards
Event
Grade 3 standard (Q)
Unqualified
SMS configuration
Complete and verified before the IP
Configured during the run-in
IP crossing
On planned time ±15 sec
Beyond ±30 sec with no correction attempted
Run-in altitude
500 ft AGL ±100 ft
Below 400 ft, or above 700 ft sustained
Release parameters
Wings level, stable altitude and speed
Released in a turn or unstable
TOT accuracy
±30 seconds
Greater than ±60 seconds
Safe escape
Correct turn and acceleration immediately after release
Not flown, or flown toward the target
Bay doors
Opened before release, closed after
Left open through the escape
!
Common student errors
Configuring stores on the run-in. Coach: "Set it before the IP or you're not ready to fly this."
Late timing correction. Coach: "Check your time now — at every point, not just the IP."
Doors opened at release. Coach: "Doors take time. Open them early."
Assuming release worked. Coach: "Check your stores count. Did they actually go?"
Escape flown toward the target. Coach: "Which way are you turning? Say it before we launch."
Bad JDAM coordinates. Coach: "Read the target coordinates back to me before the IP."
Descending below the floor to fix timing. Coach: "Speed fixes timing. Altitude is a hard floor."
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IP pre-brief checklist
Confirm the add-on and sim version before any weapons event
Student reads back target coordinates and elevation before stepping to the aircraft
Student states the TOT window and their time-check plan
Safe escape heading and turn direction briefed and understood