In a surface-to-surface engagement, what is the purpose of the cue step?

In a surface-to-surface engagement, what is the purpose of the cue step?

• A. To visually inspect the target.
• B. To launch decoys.
• C. To confirm kill.
• D. To assign the target to the weapon system and begin the firing solution.

Answer: (D)

In a surface-to-surface fight, the cue step is the moment you hand the target off to a specific weapon and start the fire-control calculations. It links the tracked target data (range, speed, course, aspect) to the chosen weapon’s constraints (mount, projectile, ballistic limits) and begins computing the firing solution—lead, elevation, deflection, and time of flight. Once the target is cued to a weapon system, the fire control can generate an intercept solution and prepare the gun for firing. Without this step, you’d have a target being tracked but no assigned weapon or calculated aim, so no shot would be properly timed or aimed.

In a surface-to-surface fight, the cue step is the moment you hand the target off to a specific weapon and start the fire-control calculations. It links the tracked target data (range, speed, course, aspect) to the chosen weapon’s constraints (mount, projectile, ballistic limits) and begins computing the firing solution—lead, elevation, deflection, and time of flight. Once the target is cued to a weapon system, the fire control can generate an intercept solution and prepare the gun for firing. Without this step, you’d have a target being tracked but no assigned weapon or calculated aim, so no shot would be properly timed or aimed.