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AA-6 Advanced Maneuvering

2.0 Hrs

1. Canned BFM versus “Dogfight”
2. Flight spectrum / air-to-air game plans
3. Game plan tools
4. Offensive / defensive game plans
5. No sight game plans

 

Objectives
1.    Discuss canned BFM versus “dogfight” operations.
2.    Understand the fight spectrum.
3.    Discuss air–to–air game plans.
4.    Discuss game plan tools.
5.    Describe offensive game plans.
6.    Describe defensive game plans.
7.    Describe no–sight game plans.

Assignment
1.    Review Lesson AA-6 in the Basic Fighter Maneuvers Student Guide, B/F-V5A-K-AA-SG.
2.    Read MCMAN 11-238, Vol 2, Chapter 7.
3.    Read selected Fighter Weapons Review articles.

Information
Canned BFM Versus “Dogfight”
Objective 1 — Discuss canned BFM versus “dogfight” operations.
1.    Predictable training aid — NOT!
a.    An opponent won’t come to your local flying area, check in on frequency and establish a 5–G, Mil power 350 KCAS defensive turn for you.
b.    “Knife fight in a phone booth” — What to do against a bandit that wants to live and kill you.
c.    Bottom line — You must know your enemy, their strengths and weaknesses. Fight the person not the aircraft. Early in your fighter career is the time to be in the classified safe. Fighter Weapons Review articles also expand your understanding of fighter operations.

Fight Spectrum
Objective 2 — Understand the fight spectrum (Figure 6-1).
1.    Air–to–air — Very fluid and dynamic regime
a.    Where you start — Largely determined by you.
b.    Two things — Always try to improve your situation or get off the spectrum.

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Air–to–Air Game Plans
Objective 3 — Discuss air–to–air game plans.
1.    Importance of game plans
a.    Anticipate what’s LIKELY to happen.
(1)    Be in position to ACT — not REACT.
(2)    Very little or no delay in execution —for example, single ship RTB, get jumped by MiG–29 at joker.
(3)    Indecision — even for a few seconds will cost you your life!
2.    Game plan considerations
a.    Your mission
b.    Capabilities and limitations
c.    Intelligence
3.    Your mission — Everything depends on this.
a.    OCA — Offensive Counter Air
b.    DCA — Defensive Counter Air
c.    CAS — Close Air Support
d.    Strike
e.    Interdiction
f.    Your mission today (training scenario)
4.    Capabilities and limitations
a.    You must know your own.
(1)    Aircraft — Max performance characteristics, turn radius / rate abilities, acceleration, Gs, energy bleed– off, etc.
(2)    Weapons — Ranges, PK, susceptibility to ECM, other limitations
(3)    Self — Experience level, knowledge, psychological / physiological factors
(4)    Wingmen (how many, experience)
b.    You must know the bandit’s aircraft, weapons and tactics!!
5.    Intelligence
a.    Expected threat aircraft capabilities and limitations (in training, bandit limits)
b.    Pilot proficiency experience
c.    Weather expected — high / low show contingency (different threat rings)
d.    Environment — visibility, altitude, time of day / night, sun angle, etc.

Game Plan Tools
Objective 4 — Discuss game plan tools.
1.    Tactics based on:
a.    Tactics manuals
b.    Squadron / wing policy — squadron, wing weapons will develop the plan.
c.    Experience — lessons learned from day one, etc.
 

d.    Other squadron / wing / individual pilot experiences
e.    Contingency plans thought up in advance
2.    Overall game plan objective — maximize advantages, minimize disadvantages Capitalize on bandit’s mistakes.
Offensive Game Plans
Objective 5 — Describe offensive game plans.
1.    Expeditious kill
a.    Time — Minimize. The more time you spend in the fight increases the possibility of other bandits engaging.
b.    Turns — Minimize. The more turning you do, increases the possibility of other bandits engaging.
c.    Fuel — Run the bandit out of gas but not yourself.
d.    Weapons — Don’t ever fly through a WEZ without employing weapons.
2.    Control the bandit / fight (control zone BFM).
a.    Pressure — Nose within 20 – 30° of bandit. Test position by looking for shots.
b.    Small BFM — Lots of little BFM near bandit’s POM.
(1)    Does not give up turning room.
(2)    Keeps nose closer / pressure higher.
c.    Patience — The bandit may be capable too.
(1)    Force mistakes.
(2)    Let your BFM work.
(3)    Don’t put the bandit in the HUD unless you’re ready to shoot.
3.    Energy management
a.    Start the fight with energy advantage!
b.    Instantaneous corner versus sustained corner varies depending on aircraft weight, and altitude.
(1)    1,400 lbs fuel instantaneous corner (limit load factor 7–G) at 395 knots
(2)    Sustained corner same fuel is 460 knots and 5.5–Gs
c.    Usually won’t fly around at these G / airspeeds
(1)    Too easy to over–G at / near max–G
(2)    Turn radius is huge at 460 knots
d.    Know jet’s performance capabilities COLD.
(1)    Become familiar with the E–M diagram to know what airspeed / G and corresponding turn radius / rates the jet is capable of.
(2)    Know what your aircraft is saying to you through buffet indications.
4.    Energy management tools
a.    Lift vector (LV)
(1)    Up usually bleeds energy (PS dependent).
(2)    Down usually gains / sustains energy.
 

b.    Gs
(1)    High–Gs bleed energy (PS dependent).
(2)    Low–Gs gain / sustain energy (PS dependent).
(3)    Jet FEEL tells you your energy state and Gs.
c.    Airspeed
(1)    Knots IS energy in a turning fight.
(2)    Power modulation is critical.
5.    Energy versus nose position
a.    Always a trade–off
b.    When not shooting — think energy.
c.    Near / in a WEZ — think nose position.
6.    Out–of–plane / use of vertical
a.    Using vertical on offense
(1)    To gain turning room, avoid “square corner”
(2)    Very important when engaging as a two–ship
(3)    Use radial G to increase turn rate and decrease turn radius
b.    Must also use proper pursuit curve.
c.    OOP maneuvering is a COMBINATION of pursuit curves / vertical turning room.
d.    Must be done close to defender’s POM to keep bandit pressure.
7.    Offensive separations
a.    With weapons if able, snapshot
b.    When losing advantage / not controlling the fight
c.    Low fuel, weapons
d.    Loss of mutual support
e.    Loss of SA
Defensive Game Plans
Objective 6 — Describe defensive game plans.
1.    Survive! Negate the attack.
a.    Two rules to live by
(1)    Mindset — Never give up.
(2)    Flexibility — If it isn’t working, change it / be unpredictable.
2.    Gain / Maintain sight.
a.    Mindset also
b.    Defensive maneuvers most effective with a “tally”
c.    May have to sacrifice energy / nose position
d.    Know when to look away from bandit
 

3.    Improve situation.
a.    Increase range, aspect, HCA, closure
b.    Decrease bandit’s ability to threaten
c.    Gain / conserve energy to deny bandit turn rate / nose advantage
4.    Control the fight.
a.    Force bandit to react to you
b.    Tools — LV, Gs, airspeed, power, “tally”, and ATTITUDE
5.    Energy management on defense
a.    Know jet’s capabilities
b.    Start fight with desired energy
c.    Instantaneous corner versus sustained corner
d.    Energy versus bandit’s nose position (spend it to deny it)
6.    Vertical / OOP maneuvering
a.    Take away attacker’s turning room (what attacker wants or has).
b.    Use radial–G to increase turn rate, decrease turn radius, gain / sustain knots.
c.    OOP to defeat gunshots
d.    Use vertical turning room (depends on energy / opportunity). Vertical turning room is discussed further in
High Aspect Maneuvering.
7.    Defensive separation
a.    Recognize opportunities (mindset). What is bandit’s weapons capability?
b.    Separate with high aspect / HCA — if able.
c.    Separate with weapons — if able.
No–Sight Game Plans
Objective 7 — Describe no–sight game plans.
1.    No–sight game plans — “Lose sight, Lose fight!”
2.    “No joy” on offense
a.    Not common
b.    TR requirement (lag–off defender)
c.    Do not keep turning blindly. “No joy” on offense could occur during a large scale multi–aircraft exercise.
d.    Techniques to maintain “tally” — belly check, altitude changes, SA on where to look.
3.    “No joy” on defense
a.    Very common — It will happen!
b.    With SA — No training rule restrictions
c.    Know why “tally” was lost (bandit maneuver versus your own fault)
d.    When the bandit is “small” stay padlocked. Only look away when the bandit is predictable.
e.    How to regain “tally” (belly checks, slice, isolate threat, etc.).
 


Review Exercise 6
Complete the following review exercise. Answers are in the back of the SG.

1.    During air combat, you must know enemy strengths and weaknesses; fight the      not the aircraft.

2.    Air–to–air game plans should consider:
a.    your mission.
b.    capabilities and limitations.
c.    intelligence.
d.    All of the above are correct.

3.    True or False: Destroying enemy airfields is an example of offensive counter air.

4.    The more time you spend or      you do during an engagement increases the possibility of other bandit’s engaging.

5.    With an offensive advantage, you shouldn’t put the bandit in the      unless you’re ready to shoot.

6.    Which of the following statements concerning energy versus nose position is correct:
a.    An energy fight is more fluid than a nose position fight.
b.    There is always a trade–off between energy and nose position.
c.    When not shooting— think nose position.
d.    Both A and B are correct.

7.    Offensive separations should be accomplished with weapons if able; in all cases they should be accomplished prior to
a.    losing your advantage.
b.    low fuel or low weapons.
c.    loss of mutual support or situational awareness.
d.    All of the above are correct.

8.    Which of the following defensive considerations do you feel is most important and why?
a.    Keeping sight
b.    Controlling the fight
c.    Negating the initial attack
d.    Separation