Air Combat Maneuvering
Flight Procedures
In the first scenario, the counterflow exercise, the bogey will attack from behind and between the section.
As shown in the top section of Figure 31, the tactical lead, whether lead or wingman, calls for the
threatened section
member to break or hard
turn. The tactical lead
becomes the free fighter
2
and maneuvers in the
opposite direction using
an uncalled cross turn to
achieve counterflow with a
2
Crane
Sage
Start
Start
vertical split. The
engaged fighter calls his
2
role, gets the tally, and
Bogey
Start
fights the best possible 1
v 1 defense. If the
START
engaged fighter can
generate high AOT, the
fight may develop into
lufbery, which would serve
Sage
to prevent the bogey from
2 Cont.
maneuvering for a shot
while forcing him into a
Bogey
predictable flight path.
2 Cont.
Meanwhile, the free
Crane
fighter calls his role and
2 Cont.
maintains sight, as in the
bottom section of Figure
31, while he begins an
extension maneuver to
gain weapons separation,
CONTINUED
ensuring that he keeps
the fight at his 7 or 5
o’clock position. During
Figure 31: COUNTERFLOW EXERCISE
his extension, he will
ensure that his nose is below the horizon to quickly achieve maximum acceleration. He then turns back
into the fight when the bogey is 90 degrees off the free fighter’s heading. He then adjusts his turn to arrive
nose on the bogey’s belly after approximately 180 degrees of turn, achieving a 90-degree cold-side shot.
If the IR missile-shot opportunity is missed, the free fighter maintains counterflow and extends to
maneuver for another shot opportunity.
After the Fox-2 call, the bogey knocks off the fight and all fighters acknowledge. The aircraft with the best
situational awareness (usually the free fighter) calls the appropriate heading to place the section back in
combat spread. All engagements will be concluded this way.
The first scenario provides an example of the voice comm that would occur as the section employs the
counterflow tactic during a rear-quarter no-switch engagement:
Tactical lead: “Crane, break left, bogey left 7.”
Engaged fighter: “Tally, Crane’s engaged.”
Free fighter: “Sage’s free. Bogey’s staying with you. Sage’s setting the counter.”
Engaged fighter: “Roger counter.”
Free fighter: “Sage’s turning in. Talley, visual, Fox-2, bogey on the in-trail.”
T-45C Revision 1
Page 45
Previous Page
