F/A-18C - How do I Practise ACM and Missile Evasion etc

[Toni Carrera]

Hi All,

I have pretty much nailed the Ground Attack aspect and flight of the Hornet, what I do not have is A/A dogfighting, missiles yes, but chasing each other around, trying to get a gun kill, or evading something like a missile attack etc etc.

The training missions built-in, tell you the 'how to lock.....' etc, but not how to evade, manoeuvre for a kill etc. One of the hardest things is energy conservation/management

I have watched so many YouTube clips, but maybe I have not watched the right ones. I have had DCS for years, and yet I have never ever played a single campaign mission, or instant action mission, I have only ever played missions that I have created, where the air work has been carried out before I get there by AI, which are generally ACE Blue AI, versus TRAINED or ROOKIE Red AI

I am clearly missing a huge amount of purpose of DCS, and despite the fact that come the AH-64D release, I will be low in the weeds heading towards probably ground convoys and installations etc, I would like to go someway towards knowing how to sling my Hornet about in a dogfight efficiently, or at least the beginnings of it

Anybody got anything on how to learn or study ACM?

Thanks

Toni

Edited October 30, 2021 by Toni Carrera
Changed Ethos for Purpose, Ethos was the wrong word

[fagulha]

Here,

a mantra video that i keep visiting along the years:

 

and

Hope they can be useful.

[Toni Carrera]

Really enjoying the first video so far, glad it has sopped its random pausing at the beginning

 

[fagulha]

33 minutes ago, Toni Carrera said:

Really enjoying the first video so far, glad it has sopped its random pausing at the beginning

 

It´s a great video for reviewing along the years, you learn always something that you missed. It´s a well known video in fighter pilot community.

 

Glad you enjoy it. Keep up.

[Toni Carrera]

Not sure I would try the last option on the SA-8 evasion

[Stearmandriver]

I created a variety of training missions for this; 1v1, 2v2, 2 v many etc.  If I want to dogfight with AI, I start us out head to head at about 15nm, co-speed and altitude, with waypoint one at the merge position.  Then I set the AI's ROE to weapons hold until waypoint one.  Thus the AI will respect the merge, then fight's on.  It's definitely not the same as fighting a human, but for practice and muscle memory development of sensor and weapons operation, it works well. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by Stearmandriver

[Stratos]

4 minutes ago, Stearmandriver said:

I created a variety of training missions for this; 1v1, 2v2, 2 v many etc.  If I want to dogfight with AI, I start us out head to head at about 15nm, co-speed and altitude, with waypoint one at the merge position.  Then I set the AI's ROI to weapons hold until waypoint one.  Thus the AI will respect the merge, then fight's on.  It's definitely not the same as fighting a human, but for practice and muscle memory development of sensor and weapons operation, it works well. 

You should share those missions, sounds like fun!

[Toni Carrera]

10 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

I created a variety of training missions for this; 1v1, 2v2, 2 v many etc.  If I want to dogfight with AI, I start us out head to head at about 15nm, co-speed and altitude, with waypoint one at the merge position.  Then I set the AI's ROE to weapons hold until waypoint one.  Thus the AI will respect the merge, then fight's on.  It's definitely not the same as fighting a human, but for practice and muscle memory development of sensor and weapons operation, it works well. 

 

Hi Stearm....

Thank you for your comments, I will make such a mission and see how it goes

Stratos - I will release on completion

[AdrianL]

Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering by Robert L. Shaw is the definitive book on the subject. https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

 

If you google 'Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering pdf' you can find it online.

[Toni Carrera]

Thank you Adrian, just downloaded it from the net, Only 447 pages of reading ahead

[Grodin]

No need to overcomplicate things, just shoot the missiles down:

 

[Stearmandriver]

3 hours ago, Grodin said:

No need to overcomplicate things, just shoot the missiles down:

 

[Brutal Realism!].   

[Toni Carrera]

Good video, but slightly off topic

[Jenson]

SAM evasion:

first principle: don't panic; second principle: respect death.