What is a target description and what details should it include?

• A. A narrative of the target's size, activity, movement, and threat
• B. A list of numbers
• C. The weather forecast
• D. The pilot's opinion

Answer: (A)

A target description is a concise, descriptive summary of a target’s observable characteristics that helps aircrew understand what they’re encountering and plan a safe, effective engagement. It should flesh out four key aspects: the target’s size, what the target is doing (activity), how the target is moving or likely to move (movement), and how dangerous the target appears (threat). This combination gives a clear picture of the target’s scale, posture, and potential impact on the mission, so the pilot and TAC command can assess potential damage, timing, and risk to civilians or own forces.

The other options don’t fit because a list of numbers lacks the contextual detail required for decision-making; a weather forecast has no bearing on the target’s combat characteristics; and a pilot’s opinion is subjective and not a factual description of the target.