Air Combat Maneuvering
Flight Procedures
SNAP GUNS DEFENSE EXERCISE
The purpose of the snap guns exercise (from the defensive perspective) is to practice defending
against a high angle-off guns attack while maintaining sufficient energy to counter the next attack.
Figure 20 shows the same
exercise that you read about in
the offensive section, except that
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5
you are now the defensive aircraft
against the instructor acting as
the bandit. From level combat
spread, the lead acting as the
bandit transmits, “In as the
shooter,” and executes a hard
turn into you. You respond by
transmitting, “In as the target,”
and turning with 45-60 degrees
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AOB into the attack. The bandit
reverses as the fighter ap-
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proaches 10/2 o’clock to achieve
a snap guns solution of 60-90
degrees AOT. Maneuver
aggressively out-of-plane prior to
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3
the bandit’s nose coming on you.
Anticipate his move, and depend-
ing upon the bandit’s position
relative to your aircraft, minimize
your cross section (make yourself
1. Combat Spread
a smaller target) by putting your
wingtip on the bandit and pull out-
2. Snap Guns
of-plane. Pulling in the same
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3. Combat Spread
plane as the bandit allows him
greater tracking opportunities by
4. Snap Guns
2
providing him with a larger target
5. Combat Spread
with minimal relative maneuver-
ing. Lastly, when you hear,
“Trigger down...snap!”, burn that
image into your brain. If you ever
see it again, react! Following the
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1
bandit’s overshoot, both you and
the bandit return to the original
heading in combat spread ready
to initiate subsequent attempts.
Figure 20: SNAP GUNS DEFENSE
(10-98) Original
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