Combat Overhead technique?

[Nealius]

Now that we're operating out of airbases in less-than-friendly territory I've been playing around with combat overhead patterns but I have to do it all by feel because I can't find any information on it other than it's higher, faster, and done line abreast instead of echelon when compared to your standard 1500ft/350kts (depending on airbase SOP) pattern. 

I imagine it's sensitive information and probably varies between squadrons or airbases and time periods, but what can we discuss about it?

1. How much higher? I've been taking the standard 1,500ft AGL pattern and doubling it to 3,000ft and calling it a day.
2. How much faster? 400? 450?
3. Is final shortened with a steeper glideslope?
4. How does line abreast work without messing up abeam distance for the wingmen? Or are they still tight at sub-100ft spacing in line abreast?

[Ramses823]

On 3/31/2025 at 6:38 PM, Nealius said:

Now that we're operating out of airbases in less-than-friendly territory I've been playing around with combat overhead patterns but I have to do it all by feel because I can't find any information on it other than it's higher, faster, and done line abreast instead of echelon when compared to your standard 1500ft/350kts (depending on airbase SOP) pattern. 

I imagine it's sensitive information and probably varies between squadrons or airbases and time periods, but what can we discuss about it?

1. How much higher? I've been taking the standard 1,500ft AGL pattern and doubling it to 3,000ft and calling it a day.
2. How much faster? 400? 450?
3. Is final shortened with a steeper glideslope?
4. How does line abreast work without messing up abeam distance for the wingmen? Or are they still tight at sub-100ft spacing in line abreast?

The Graveyard of Empires Patreon has a whole thing on tactical approaches and departures for Kandahar Airfield you should check it out, his stuff is really solid I'm in the A-10 I do my approaches at (KAF) between 250 to 300 KIAS  13,337 ft MSL break a little past mid field speedbrakes out power at idle for a 30 degree dive and pull out for downwind at 4,900 ft then at the perch I extend my gear and flaps as I'm turning onto final, for a normal overhead I'd drop the gear and flaps once established on down wind however with this approach your energy is still high by the the time your at the perch but it's easy to bleed it off on the final turn and I'll make the turn at 5 degrees nose low so I'll be set up for a steeper final approach than normal just to get the jet on the ground as quickly as possible..

[Nealius]

The few free documents on there were interesting, particularly the descent down to a perpendicular break.

I rewatched Mover's demo in the Viper on the Iraq map, which is just a standard tactical overhead at higher altitude and speed: 4,000ft AGL 400kts. This is what I've been doing in the Viper and Mudhen, but I need to tighten up my pattern a bit. I always end up with a 0.5-1.0nm final.

Still, all of these are singletons. I'm wondering how they deal with 2-, 3-, or 4-ship flights.  

Edited April 6 by Nealius

[Ramses823]

3 hours ago, Nealius said:

The few free documents on there were interesting, particularly the descent down to a perpendicular break.

I rewatched Mover's demo in the Viper on the Iraq map, which is just a standard tactical overhead at higher altitude and speed: 4,000ft AGL 400kts. This is what I've been doing in the Viper and Mudhen, but I need to tighten up my pattern a bit. I always end up with a 0.5-1.0nm final.

Still, all of these are singletons. I'm wondering how they deal with 2-, 3-, or 4-ship flights.  

There's a video on YouTube from the HUD of a F-15E doing the tactical approach at bagram I don't remember what it's called but if you search it out you should be able to find it, the approch is definitely higher than mover showed he probably was  trying to avoid demonstrating military tactics but you got to figure the main thing is to come in above manpad range. On the paid portion of The Graveyard of Empires site he actually has a good video of the maneuver. I can't speak to your financial situation but if you can afford it I think his pateron is worth it. He has a ton of material on there if your a nut like I am for realism in regards to the Afghanistan map...

Edited April 6 by Ramses823

[Ramses823]

I found the video on YouTube put in (F-15E Bagram Airbase landing cockpit view)....

[SteelPig]

7 hours ago, Nealius said:

The few free documents on there were interesting, particularly the descent down to a perpendicular break.

I rewatched Mover's demo in the Viper on the Iraq map, which is just a standard tactical overhead at higher altitude and speed: 4,000ft AGL 400kts. This is what I've been doing in the Viper and Mudhen, but I need to tighten up my pattern a bit. I always end up with a 0.5-1.0nm final.

Still, all of these are singletons. I'm wondering how they deal with 2-, 3-, or 4-ship flights.  

I guess they just perform Fan Breaks. You have to be faster for them anyways. 

[Nealius]

I thought fan breaks were a Navy thing. I'll have to look into that.

[H60MTI]

You talking about doing the death spiral in? If you are, like, 10,000ft or higher, call tower for a left or right spiral down for landing RWY XX. Tower clears you. Pitch it over and down aggressively to about a 55deg turn. You literally pull out of this thing at like 1,000AGL to line up for landing. This is typically done directly over the airfield with the last few spirals just ever so slightly extended out to help with line up with the runway. I've been in C-17's when they did this, C-130's as well. We've even done this in our UH-60's just for <profanity>s and giggles. It's a very weird feeling inside if you've never done anything like that before and of course the aircrew doesn't tell you when it's going to happen either.

[EricJ]

The first combat landing I did was in Iraq when I flew from Kuwait to Balad. It was night, and couldn't see out of the porthole of a C-130  and I'm not religious, but I was praying to land, preferably soon. The C-17 is more tame when we did the landing in Bagram, so it depends on what plane you fly in. I'm just reminiscing for those who will do this on how your "passengers" will feel if you RP that kind of stuff in missions.

Edited yesterday at 02:11 PM by EricJ