If the USAF is looking at SDBs for the A-10, I believe they should also look at carrying HARMs on the A-10.
Orbit would be 50nm behind the FEBA, 300ft AGL, waiting for target coordinates from a ground FAC.
Once target coordinates are confirmed, put the target on the nose, throttles to MIL and ingress at 100ft AGL.
At the appropriate range to target (20nm to 30nm from the target), 4G pull to 20 to 30 degrees pitch (climb angle).
Weapons computer releases the SDB.
If RWR indicates a SHORAD lock-on...release a HARM.
After weapon is released, 6g descending turn to egress heading.
Egress at 100ft AGL.
“Is there a profile where it could pop up and launch, without getting hit?”
It sounds so exciting when you lay it out... its kind of like watching Top Gun again.
“Weapons computer releases the SDB.”
Do you think that they could release 16 of them on one run, like a swarm?
It would seem like largely a software problem, with a little more hang time in the release phase, so they can all stay out of each other’s way. But 16 seems to me like a big mess to launch.
Conversely, it would be a much bigger mess for the enemy on the ground to have 16 250lb bombs precisely hitting targets in a matter of seconds. My thought was having a few sorties plow out the Russian trench line for a mile, in the space of a few minutes or an hour, before the tanks charge through.