During EMCON, COD aircraft will attempt to establish communications enroute prior to arriving on station. If no radio contact is made the COD will ____.

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In EMCON, the aim is to minimize emissions and rely on preplanned procedures and recovery options when communications are lost. For a COD aircraft enroute to a carrier, if radio contact cannot be established before arrival, the safest and most appropriate action is to return to base. This allows the aircrew to be recovered, reestablish communications under safe conditions, and reattempt the mission with updated information, without lingering in uncertain airspace or risking detection on extended flight without coordination. Increasing transmitter power would breach EMCON and defeat the stealth intent. Going to an alternate station requires coordination that isn’t possible without contact, and aborting to land at the nearest base, while possible in emergencies, is not the standard recovery action when the protocol calls for returning to base.