The Basics of Air Combat

Welcome to the first installment of "How to Live and Die in the Virtual Sky". The intent of this series is to teach the fundamentals of BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) and then address specific circumstances about which you have questions. The ONLY way to understand these lessons will be to practice them.

These lessons will center primarily on JET air combat. Many of the maneuvers will apply equally as well to propeller driven aircraft. The fundamentals will apply to both.

This information applies to both computer run opponents as well as Human opponents. Many recent simulations have very good AI (Artificial Intelligence) and can actually perform very close to how a textbook flying human would react. However, when fighting against a human opponent, the element of surprise is much more likely. Human opponents will execute maneuvers and try tricks at all costs in an effort to survive. You must stay on your toes when fighting a human.

At the end of each lesson, I will answer any questions I have received that may be answered by the current or previous lessons. The series will be broken into 5 different lessons; Fundamentals, Offensive BFM, Defensive BFM, Head On BFM, and BVR (Beyond Visual Range). At the end of these 5 lessons, the series will be dedicated to answering questions from you.

If at any time you have a question about a particular situation, maneuver or lesson, (ie: What do I do when a bandit is on my 6? , I still do not understand XYZ, can you re-explain it? etc,) e-mail them using this LINK. I will try to answer the most frequently asked questions. Personal e-mail replies will be difficult, so I will try to answer as many questions as possible in the series.

There is a Glossary of Terms on the COMBATSIM site that you may want to refer to from time to time as well as a listing of Pilot Talk. I will try to keep as much of the content as possible in "plain English". You may also want to read my Article on Wingman Tactics available on this site as well.

I am not a real fighter pilot. I am the DCO (Deputy Commanding Officer) of the 209th VFS Delta Hawks Virtual Air Combat Squadron. I am involved in, or have been involved in testing for various flight sims for DiD, SSI, MicroProse as well as some others. I have been flying flight sims for many years, and have done a great deal of research and study on how to fight in a fighter jet.

My knowledge of the subject comes from many sources; the most notable are books, Air Force and Naval Aviation documentation, practice and incessant bantering and testing of theories with other knowledgeable Virtual and Real Fighter Pilots. I would be more than happy to field any questions or corrections to this information.

Lesson 1: Fundamentals of BFM

While the basic fundamentals and geometry of BFM is not very exciting to read or learn, it is critical to understand these basics. Without a basic knowledge and understanding of these very basic concepts, the remainder of these lessons will seem like so much jibberish. These basics are listed in pretty much the same order and at about the same level of dryness in all of my sources, so dig in and hang on, it will all be worth it in the long run.

Positional Geometry

"Angle Off", "Range", and " Aspect Angle" are the common terms used when describing the relative positions as well as the advantage or disadvantage of one aircraft vs. another.

Angle Off:

Angle Off is the difference between your heading and that of the bandit. This difference is measured in Degrees. If you and your bandit are heading in the same direction, you would be at an Angle Off of 0(. At 90( angle off, you would be perpendicular to the bandit (see Figure 1 for details). Angle Off is also known as HCA (Heading Crossing Angle). This is the basic, root form of other, more specific geometry’s (Angle Off Tail - AOT, and Angle Off Nose - AON).

Click to continue . . .

Range:

"Range" is simply the distance between your aircraft and the Bandit. This can be displayed in feet or miles. Most modern Western military aircraft HUD systems (Heads Up Display) read in Nautical miles and tenths of miles unless you are less than one mile from the target, then the display will read in feet. (Some European/Soviet aircraft use the Metric system in a similar fashion) A Nautical Mile is 6000 feet. A Bandit at a 3000 foot range would display as "3000", a Bandit at a 6000 foot range would display as "1" mile, a bandit at a 9000 foot range would display "1.5" miles.

Aspect Angle:

Aspect Angle is the number of degrees, measured from the tail of the bandit, to your aircraft. Aspect Angle indicates your relative position to the bandits 6 o’clock position. Aspect Angle has absolutely NOTHING to do with the heading of your aircraft. Your Aspect Angel will remain the same regardless of your Angle Off.

Aspect Angle is determined from the tail of the opposing aircraft. The tail, 6 o’clock position, is 0(. The nose of the Bandit is 180(. If you are on the right side of the bandit, that is right aspect. If you are on the left side, this is left aspect.

The 2 F-16’s in the lower right corner are both at 45 Right Aspect. The 2 F-16’s in the upper left are at 135 Left Aspect.

Aspect Angle is very important in assisting in determining your position from the bandit. By using Aspect Angle and Range, you can determine the "lateral displacement", or turning room available.

ATTACK GEOMETRY

Attack Geometry describes your Offensive aircraft’s flight path to its target. Very simply, if you are pointing behind your target aircraft, you are in "Lag Pursuit". If you are "Nose On" the target, you are in "Pure Pursuit". And if your nose is pointing in front of the target, you are in "Lead Pursuit".

Lag Pursuit:

Lag Pursuit is primarily used for approaching the target. It can also be used when a bandit pulls out of plane. That is, when the bandit pulls out of the same plane of flight, or motion, as the attacking aircraft (See Figure 5). To fly Lag Pursuit for any extended length of time, you must be able to out turn the target. In a 1V1 fight with like aircraft, you would not want to maintain a Lag Pursuit for very long. You must be able to out turn the target in order to pull your nose out of lag to shoot guns or a missile. If the target is able to out turn you, or at least match your turn rate, he will be able to keep you in lag and prevent you from getting a shot.

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