01-01-2013, 10:34 AM
Air combat manoeuvring
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Air combat manoeuvring (also spelled: air combat
maneuvering, or ACM) is the art of manoeuvring a
combat aircraft in order to attain a position from which
an attack can be made on another aircraft. It relies on
offensive and defensive basic fighter manoeuvring
(BFM) in order to gain an advantage over an aerial
opponent.
Historical overview
Military aviation appeared in World War I where
aircraft were initially used to spot enemy troop
concentrations, field gun positions and movements.
Early aerial combat consisted of aviators shooting at
one another with hand held weapons.[1] The first aircraft to be shot down by another aircraft, which occurred on
October 5, 1914, was a German Aviatik. The pilot, Feldwebel Wilhelm Schlichting, was shot with a hand gun
wielded by observer Louis Quenault, riding in a Voisin Type 3 piloted by French Sergeant Joseph Frantz.[2] The
need to stop reconnaissance by enemy aircraft rapidly led to the development of fighter planes, a class of aircraft
designed specifically to destroy enemy aircraft.[1]
Fixed, forward-firing guns were found to be the most effective armament for most World War I era fighters, but
were nearly impossible to fire through the spinning propeller without destroying it. Roland Garros, working with
Morane Saulnier Aéroplanes, was the first to solve this problem by attaching steel deflector wedges to the propeller.
He achieved three kills, but was shot down by ground fire, landing behind German lines. Anthony Fokker inspected
the wreckage and improved the design by connecting the firing mechanism of the gun to the timing of the engine, to
allow the gun to fire through the propeller without hitting it.[1][2] As technology rapidly advanced, new young
aviators began to define the realm of air-to-air combat, such as Max Immelmann, Oswald Boelcke, and Lanoe
Hawker. One of the greatest "aces" of World War I, Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), wrote in his book The
Red Fighter Pilot, "The great thing in air fighting is that the decisive factor does not lie in trick flying but solely in
the personal ability and energy of the aviator. A flying man may be able to loop and do all the stunts imaginable and
yet he may not succeed in shooting down a single enemy."[
Tactics
There are five main things which a pilot must remain conscious of when contemplating an aerial engagement, of
which, getting and keeping sight is the most important. In Southeast Asia, over 85% of all kills are attributed to the
attacker spotting and shooting the defender without ever being seen.[6] Structural limitations of both the attacking
and defending fighters must be taken into account, such as thrust-to-weight ratio, wing loading, and the “corner
speed” (the maximum/minimum speed at which the aircraft can attain the best turning performance). Variable
limitations must also be considered, such as turn radius, turn rate, and the specific energy of the aircraft. Position of
aircraft must quickly be assessed, including direction, angle off tail (the angle between flight paths),[7] and closing
speed. Also, the pilot must be aware of his wingman’s position, and maintain good communication.[6]
A pilot in combat attempts to conserve his aircraft’s energy through carefully timed and executed manoeuvres. By
using such manoeuvres, a pilot will often make trade offs between the fighter’s potential energy (altitude), and
kinetic energy (airspeed), to maintain the energy-to-weight ratio of the aircraft, or the “specific energy”.[6] A
manoeuvre such as the “low yo-yo” trades altitude for airspeed to gain closure on an enemy, and to decrease turn
radius. The opposite manoeuvre, a “high yo-yo” trades speed for height, literally storing energy in “the altitude
bank”,[8] which allows a fast moving attacker to slow his closing speed.