Guns Defense
ACM Training: Guns DefenseThis is an article written by “Sensei” Rapier for the Fighter Ace Combat Manual, on the topic of Guns Defense. It is a review of possible maneuvers and tactics to use when in an opponent’s crosshairs. Reprinted by permission of the author (Rapier) and Microsoft Corporation, publishers.
Guns Defense or, What To Do When “Ruh roh!” Happens.
By Rapier, Fighter Ace Content Manager–
Being under fire is bad for the nervous system.”
Captain Willy Coppens, Belgian Air Force
37 victories
“A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all.”
Unknown
The guy you don’t see will kill you.
Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF
9.5 victories
Look around — what you see won’t hurt you. Keep your head out and use it.
Captain Thomas J. Lynch, USAAF
20 victories
The only thing worse for your nervous system than being under fire is the sound of lead hitting your virtual airframe. Continued application of bullets can ruin your entire flight. Proper guns defense is a broad topic, and indeed entire books have been written about it. Like most ACM topics, each segment of guns defense is related to the others. You cannot fixate on just one aspect and be successful. We will try to cover the main points here.
Situational Awareness
The first aspect of guns defense is what is known in the fighter pilot community as situational awareness, or SA for short. SA is the ability of the pilot to keep track of all the planes in the sky, both friendlies and bad guys. Each individual has a greater or lesser amount of SA, and SA can change as conditions change. Pilots’ can have their SA overloaded when there are too many targets and friendlies in the air to track. Pilots who can handle three targets simultaneously may find themselves overloaded by the sudden arrival of a fourth, particularly if that fourth is moving in a radically different plane of maneuver from the other three. SA is also a function of learning. A pilot can learn to increase SA through repetition and thinking about the typical movement of planes in a battle. Fatigue and mental state are also factors that can positively or negatively affect SA.
As a virtual fighter pilot, you should be working to increase your situational awareness every time you fly. Look around all the time. When taking off, immediately ascertain where planes are all around you. Continue to track them once you are off the ground, and try to predict where they will be in a few seconds. Keep in mind the physics of flight. Planes can only move forward, and can’t go in reverse. This limits the places they can be N seconds into the future. Planes also find it easier to move downward than upward. If you lose sight of a bogey, unless it was moving fast when you last saw it, it’s more likely to have dived than climbed. Knowledge of how a plane flies will help your SA.
Stop Thinking Like a Target!
The battle is over when swords cross.”
Principle of Tai Chi Chuan
In nearly every kill that occurs in the arenas, the pilots of destroyed planes knowingly or unknowingly put themselves in a vulnerable position. While it is a lot of fun to dive into the center of a large melee, doing so will probably not extend your virtual life span. If you want to achieve Ace status, then a more thoughtful approach is going to be required.
Many of the key factors in a fight are determined before you engage: what plane you chose to fly; its strengths and weaknesses compared to those of other planes in the arena; the altitude you chose to join battle at; the speed you had accumulated before engaging; and the existing damage to your plane. Consider all of these before engaging.
A top World War II ace once said that fighter pilots fall into two broad categories: those who go out to kill and those who, secretly, desperately, know they are going to get killed — the hunters and the hunted.”
General Nathan F. Twining, USAF
There are only two types of aircraft — fighters and targets.”
Major Doyle “Wahoo” Nicholson, USMC
The pilot who just blindly enters a melee is a target and not a hunter. Think about what hunters do. They prepare themselves, know and ready their weapons, know and study their prey, then carefully stalk it to a successful conclusion. Hunters of the sky carefully evaluate the situation before entering, and only choose to engage when the conditions are to their advantage. So think like a hunter and not a target!
How Shooting Actually Works
Take a look at the related gunnery article. The main point to keep in mind in this discussion is that the most difficult shot to make is a high angle of deflection (as close to 90 degrees as you can get), moving at high speed at a high rate of closure. This becomes even more difficult when the target is constantly changing its heading and perceived flight path. If you have to give your opponent a shot, make it this kind of shot.
The easiest shots are those from a dead six position, with little or no deflection, at a slow rate of closure. If you’ve given one of these shots to your opponent, it means you were flying straight, at a low rate of speed. Avoid this condition at all costs!
What to Do When You Get Shot At
The great thing is never to let the enemy’s machine get behind you, or ‘on your tail.’ Once he reaches there it is very hard to get him off, as every turn and every move you make, he makes with you. By the same token it is exactly the position into which you wish to get, and once there you must constantly strive for a shot as well as look out for attacks from other machines that may be near.”
Lt. Colonel W. A. “Billy” Bishop, RAF
72 victories
Hopefully this does not come as a surprise to you. With your newfound understanding of SA, you should have been tracking the incoming plane and have your strategy worked out.
Any action is better than none at all.
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