Air Combat Maneuvering
Flight Procedures
What kind of strategies can you use to make a 2 v 1 situation successful? Consider these: 1) Use a
common set of guidelines and tactics to conduct the engagement. 2) Force the bandit to commit
early. 3) Above all, attempt to achieve a quick-kill. A quick-kill seizes the initial offensive posture
before the enemy implements his game plan. It also allows less time for the enemy to gain an
offensive position. To achieve a quick-kill, simply press for the most immediate shot in your first
maneuver.
Maneuvering so that your section is out-of-plane and out-of-phase with the enemy will improve your
tactical posture. When you were maneuvering from high cover vs low cover in TacForm, you were
maneuvering out-of-plane. A cross turn is an example of out-of-phase maneuvering. Regardless of
the plane of maneuvering, however, the guidelines as well as your roles and responsibilities remain
unchanged. Flying out-of-phase/out-of-plane forces an early commitment by the bandit and makes it
difficult for the bandit to track both fighters at the same time. With the free fighter in the area,
whether or not he is able to achieve a firing solution on the bandit, his presence will limit the time the
bandit can spend with the engaged fighter. However, when the bandit positions himself for a quick-
kill, the free fighter must immediately attempt to achieve a firing solution of his own. Being out-of-
phase increases the free fighters flexibility to maneuver for the shot and allows him both to maintain
a high-energy state and to perform belly checks during a straight path extension.
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