Air Combat 6 How to Live and Die in the Virtual Sky by Dan "Crash" Crenshaw, www.deltahawks.org
	Chapter Six: Beyond Visual Range Fight   So far we have looked at close up and personal air combat. Those techniques and practices are the fundamental roots of air combat. All air combat is based on BFM, the modern day "joust" between knights of the sky in visual range.   Once a pilot is trained how to handle a dogfight where the aircraft are in visual range, he must be taught how to avoid getting this close in the first place. He must learn how to maneuver against an aircraft that is BVR (beyond visual range).   The amount of information in this area is vast. The next chapter (Wingman Tactics) will go into a great deal more detail on how to set up for a BVR missile shot. In this chapter I will go into the basic steps of BVR combat and how to prep for a shot.   Modern simulations present different levels of realism in the RADAR avionics. As a result of developers desire to present balanced game play, many of these RADAR models are overly powerful and extra accurate in order to compensate for the lack of real world situational awareness you would have if you were actually in the aircraft.   Because of this, they are rarely realistic and give away entirely too much information. There are a handful of simulations out, or due out, that have incredibly well modeled avionics packages that actually act as a real aircraft avionics package would. The key here is to also have the enemy AI RADAR function in a similar fashion. It is not a lot of fun to go up against an enemy fitted with KLINGON technology in a fighter of the late 20th century, especially when your own radar functions in a realistic manner.   Based on all of this, you have probably figured out that the RADAR is the primary sensor for detecting bogeys BVR. It may also be possible to get data from air borne sensor platforms such as an AWACS. Regardless of where this data comes from initially, you must act upon the information and begin to take measures to put yourself at a tactical advantage. To accomplish this, there are 6 basic steps that must be set into motion: 1. Detection 2. Sorting 3. Targeting 4. Intercept 5. Engage 6. Separate   These are not different items you can execute; they are steps that must all be executed in this order to avoid a breakdown of the tactical plan. You must understand and be familiar with each step. Detection   Until you know the bandit is there, you can do anything. It is quite possible, and does happen, that flights of opposing sides may fly right by each other. "But I have my RADAR on," you are thinking. Well, that is great, but real RADAR, and thus a well-modeled RADAR package, is not the all seeing "RADAR of GOD". There are parameters you must meet to be able to even get another aircraft to show up on your scope.   RADARS have what are called "search volumes", or "areas of scan". Modern fighters have a "sweep" or side to side scan of 120° . This single sweep is called a bar. There are normally between 4 to 6 bars that you have the ability to adjust. Figure 6-1 shows a 1 bar scan and a 4 bar scan pattern. Figure 6-1   So if one bar is so limited, why not always use 4 bar scans? A one bar scan allows the RADAR to get back to a detected object 4 times faster than a 4 bar scan, thus updating your screen that much faster. In the period of time RADAR scans 4 bars, a bandit could easily move out of the RADAR scan area. Remember, most modern aircraft have on board sensors to alert them if they are "pinged" or "painted" by RADAR. ("ping" and "paint" are terms used to denote being scanned and/or detected by RADAR.)   As a result, once you detect a bandit, he may have enough time to move out of scan range. Also, a smaller scan elevation (number of bars), thus more frequent updates, usually increase the odds that you will be able to "Lock" onto the bandit.   A 4 bar scan is useful when you are "sweeping" (generally scanning) an area for unknown aircraft. Once you have a general fix on the bearing and altitude of the bogeys, you would want to go to a smaller scan. In addition to the selection of number of scan bars, you are generally able to point the RADAR cone up or down as well.   RAAF F/A-18 Hornets © Neville Dawson Click to continue . . .		If you are searching for bogeys you believe or close to the ground, you can crank down the RADAR scan cone and use 1 bar, giving you faster and more accurate updates. Figure 6-2 shows the difference in scan areas of a RADAR cone depending on where it is pointed. Figure 6-2.   You do not want all aircraft in your flight to search the same area with RADAR. AWACS or GCI may vector you towards a group of bogeys. If you have their bearing and altitude, you can use a small RADAR search pattern. Otherwise, you generally want to search the greatest volume of air space possible. You should work out search patterns with your flight so that you cover the widest are with as little overlap as possible.   Figures 6-3 and 6-4 show examples of search patterns for flights. Figure 6-3 shows a flight of 4 using the "Finger Four" formation which allows each aircraft to search a different area of airspace and also allows good visual coverage of the other aircraft in the flights "6" position. Figure 6-4 shows a 2-ship flight flying "Line Abreast" and the area they would sweep their RADAR cones in to get maximum coverage. F-16 formation © Neville Dawson The difference in scan areas of a RADAR cone depending on where it is pointed. Figure 6-3 Figure 6-4 Sorting   Once you have detected bogeys, you need to sort them. To sort them is to answer 4 primary questions: 1. Are they Friend or Foe? 2. How many are there? 3. What formation are they in? 4. What are they doing?   The first thing you must do when you detect a bogey is to alert the other aircraft in your flight. This is first, foremost, and paramount. You want to let everyone with you know what you see, where you see it, and make sure they all see it too. You can then confirm or deny each other's findings and insure you really know what is out there.   "Hawk11, Hawk12 …2 bogeys at 10 o'clock, low aspect, line astern, range 23 miles, angels' 20"   "Hawk12, Hawk11 confirming 2 bogeys, 10 0'clock, low aspect, line astern, 23 miles, angels 20"   Hawk 11, lead, has just confirmed he sees the same aircraft on his RADAR scope as you do. Now you both know where the bogeys are, how many there are, and what they are doing (heading straight for you). While you are doing this, you can be checking them with IFF or NCTR (devices to identify if an aircraft is friendly or not).   "Hawk11, Hawk12 …2 bogeys at 10 o'clock, nose on, line astern, range 23 miles, angles 20"   "Hawk12, Hawk11 confirming 2 bogeys, 10 0'clock, nose on, line astern, 23 miles, angles 20"   "Hawk11, Hawk12, bogeys are not responding to NCTR"   "Hawk12, Hawk11 confirms bogeys are probably hostile"   Hawk11 is checking IFF/NCTR as well. The odds that these are bandits has just increased since you both got negative readings. This last line would probably be followed by an order for a maneuver to align the newly determined bandits up for a shot. See Chapter 7 for more detail. Go to Part II Back to MENU
This material is copyrighted and may not be reprinted in any form without permission of the publisher. Last Updated December 8th, 1998 This article was originally published at the Combat Simulations site
Comm brevity during fighter combat: Tailhook Association's comm brevity list can be found at Aviator's Slang.

 

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