In Part 1 of Air Combat Maneuver (ACM) Training we discovered how to get on Jane's Combat.net and then discussed several missions a new sim pilot could use as a step toward understanding ACM and being successful in combat. This second part covers training missions as part of an element (a 2-ship).

By now we'll assume you have completed the first four missions in the training syllabus outlined in Part 1. These missions were/are designed to get you familiar with the area you are flying in, the aircraft you are flying, and initial combat maneuvering against a single opponent using established guidelines. Successful accomplishment of 1v1 ACM builds experience in maneuvering against a bandit and either killing, escaping, or remaining neutral with the single bandit till he gives up and "bugs out" or makes a mistake.

While 1v1 ACM builds confidence and experience for the fighter pilot, rarely will you enter a fight as a "single ship." Universally, western fighter tactics are built upon the employment of a 2-ship as the standard fighting element. All other formations and even tactical training use this 2-ship element as the basis for employment. While there may be occasions that a "single ship" is used, (air defense against bombers or possibly cruise missile defense), it is a rarity and not the preferred way to employ fighter assets.

To understand 2-ship employment you must first know and be able to fly basic 2-ship formations. The formation you fly is determined first by where you are (point in time) during the fight. We will cover three basic formations used by the 2-ship element during ACM training.

Offensive ACM Set-up: 2v1

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2 Ship Formations

There are three basic formations you can use as a 2-ship element to begin the fight. The first and most offensive of these is the echelon formation. Echelon is a highly offensive and maneuverable formation with the #2 fighter positioned 35-45 degrees angle off #1's tail. #2 is separated from #1 by 2000-2500 feet horizontally and either stacked high or low in altitude.

The altitude stack is dependent upon whether the bandit is high or low. Stack high if the bandit is low and low if it is high. This allows #2 to look through # 1 to visually acquire the target.

The trail formation can be used at night or in poor weather, or when you wish to simply gain additional horizontal separation from #1. In trail formation #2 is 1-2 nautical miles back and either level or stacked. Caution must be exercised when using this formation since if #1 becomes engaged it leaves him fighting as a single ship for a longer period of time until you can arrive on the scene.

Finally, the line abreast formation can be used as either an offensive or defensive formation. Offensively, the line abreast offers both aircraft the room to use their on-board radars to effectively sanitize the area as they ingress into the area. Additionally, whoever sees the bandit can now easily take the lead and become the engaged fighter with the other providing support.

Defensively, line abreast offers the "best" defensive formation for neutralizing a bandit attack from the rear or for exiting the area. It offers excellent visual checks of the 6 o'clock area of each fighter and can be used with RWR to tell who the bandit is attacking.

In addition to practicing ACM with a 2-ship element, 2v1 training allows the training pilot to practice "comm" or communications with the leader. Effective maneuvering and effective communications are two key elements to a successful ACM engagement.

IAF F15

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