Tactical Engagement is Falcon4's incredible mission designer. With it, the sim pilot can build endless missions, engagements, and complex multi-objective scenarios using ground forces and air assets. Novice and expert pilots alike can use the detailed yet intuitive interface.

This article details a "Redflag" engagement, based on training methods used by the U.S.A.F DACT training program.

Setup for this mission was simple: take-off, fly to steerpoint2, fly defensive counter air, and maintain local air superiority. My two-ship would not be alone; 4 more F-16C's would be circling in a CAP 20 miles east of my patrol points. We were 'Blue flight' and we had to stop 'Red Flight' from attacking Kunsan airbase.

The Red force would consist of: 4 F-111 "Varks" intent on cratering our runway to uselessness and 2 A-10's attacking our air defences down low. And of course, the Red escort flight: 4 F-15 Charlies trying to crash our party.

Three quarters of the way to steerpoint2, Sentry (Awacs) called out multiply groups, nearest bandits bearing 310, 15 miles, 1000. OK, I thought, they must be the strikers flying low hoping to avoid detection. I leaned my 2-ship into the vector and began a search. Scanning between mid to low altitudes, I picked up the other viper flight intercepting the eagles, at my 11 o'clock, at 25 miles. Scanning further down to the deck, I picked up a large contact that had to be the Varks. They had turned in to the airfields direction so I kicked in the after burner, and called my wingman to engage my bandit.

"Falcon2, this is Falcon1, engage F-111's, 4-ship, bearing 290, 10 miles."

"Falcon1, falcon2 engaging."

As I ate up the distance between our offset I locked up the right F-111 with an Aim120 and fired. He immediately broke out of the loose line abreast formation, dropped chaff and tried to beam me by putting the missile in his 3/9 line. The slammer arced overhead. As the motor burned out and the smoke trail ceased, it dropped onto his plane like a starving dog on a bone.

Good kill! I saw the impact and the following black smoke trail. Ok, 6 miles now and closing. The remaining F-111's turned away from me, heading for a ridge a few miles off. I locked up the lead and fired my last Aim 120. "Fox3!"

The missile didn't even burnout as it cut the Vark in half.... Falcon2 was intent on Vark3, and I switched to boresight, and pointed myself at the last unscathed F-111, running for all he was worth. I had the angles on him, and Betty responded, "lock-lock"

I decided to switch to guns, as the aim9's may be needed to wrestle with the "bear" still out there. I worked the target into my EEG funnel, and squeezed off a burst as I closed to 700m. Smoke and debris belched from his fuselage.

Click to continue . . .

Situation: 2 F-111's down, 2 smoking.... this is when things started to go bad. My wingman called out that he was hit. I immediately broke off the pursuit of the wounded Ardvaarks, who were as good as finished. Panning my head around, I tallied 2 Eagles at my 8 o'clock, closing. "Looks like a 'wounded' bear," I thought. They had eaten the 4-ship flight of F-16's and were looking to make my flight their dessert.

I put my lift vector on them and pulled up into them hard, my speed was still around 480 knots, so my turn would be a little wide. Flicking my dogfight switch on, dropping flares and chaff, I pulled until the lead Eagle was in my HUD. At 900 kts closure, and only seconds till we passed head-on, I locked him and fired.

The sidewinder drilled him, and a split second later I flew past the debris and fireball.

Extending, I panned left, craning my neck as far as I could. I padlocked the last Eagle and pulled hard left in a nose low slice, as my speed was bleeding down to 350 kts. He was slow and must have lost site of me, because he turned right, giving me a a perfect angle. I drove behind him as he started to pull into the vertical and rolled, hoping to tally me. I locked him up as he caught sight of me and pulled down, with a hard 7 g turn.

His turn was working as I once again had too much smash on my jet, and my line of sight rate was quickly increasing.... as he broke from my HUD, I launched my last sidewinder, which found it's mark. Although he has dropping flares, my missile ripped into his tail. Smoking, the Eagle was then engulfed in flames as he plummeted to earth.

"Sentry, this is Falcon1, request picture." Awacs responded with a picture clear, as I turned out and headed for home.

Situation: Blue flight killed all of the Eagles, and seriously mauled the F-111 flight causing them to abort. The A-10's did hit the airfield's defensive positions though, and escaped unhurt.

With only myself in Falcon flight surviving, and 1 other F-16 that separated from the other fight, the victory condition of protecting the Kunsan runway from the F-111's was met.... although at high cost.