The following discussion of defensive BFM is predicated on an understanding of offensive BFM. In defense, realizing the mistakes of the attacker gives the defender his best chance of role reversal or escape. To recognize the attacker's mistakes the defender must know offensive BFM concepts. The primary objective of defensive BFM is survival. Unfortunately, you are looking over your shoulder, often under high G-load to accomplish this.

There is no magic maneuver you can use on defense which will automatically change you to an offensive position against a similar bandit. In order for you to go offensive or separate, he must make a mistake. Therefore, it is essential you maintain a tally so you can take advantage of his mistakes, assuming he makes any. Your maneuvering on defense must be weighed with keeping the tally. If the bandit doesn't make any mistakes, or makes fewer than you, the best you can hope for is to keep him from employing ordnance against you. As the engagement continues, this can become extremely frustrating and there is a tendency to give up. Your will to live must remain high. As long as the bandit isn't shooting, your defense is working.

BFM is a constant trade-off between energy and position. Only expend enough energy as required and no more. Airspeed is rate, and rate is critical in defeating ordnance and causing angular problems for the bandit. If you give up airspeed and don't get anything for it, you'll die. However if you try to conserve airspeed at the wrong time, you'll offer the bandit a shot opportunity. Don't die with airspeed or altitude below you. Along the same line is nose position relative to the horizon. Don't get it buried or you become extremely predictable which makes the bandit's job a lot easier.

The initial turn is critical, and sets the stage for the rest of the fight. It should be almost reactionary, but watching the bandit throughout is a must. At the "fight's on" call, a break turn needs to be initiated. This means roll to set your lift vector (on the bandit or slightly below the horizon), power in mil, pull smoothly to the limiter, and dispense flares. Lift vector position is very important. Lift vector on the bandit will prevent him from obtaining out of plane turning room. However, if the bandit stays level or climbs slightly, you'll bleed airspeed quicker, and once below corner you'll lose turn rate. Lift vector below the horizon will allow you to sustain a good turn rate longer, creating more angles on the bandit, but it may also give the bandit some vertical turning room high. Either is acceptable, but realize what your gaining/giving up with each, and know how it plays into your game plan. There are a number of ways to visualize your lift vector: the top of the canopy, the vertical stabilizer, or bandit's relative position on the horizon.

This turn must be on the limiter! You must create as many angles as possible before the bandit gets to your turn circle. With this in mind, the need for a proper straining maneuver is paramount. Anticipate the G onset. Also, it is important to blend in the G quickly and smoothly, rather than a snap to 9 G's. A non-limiter turn makes the bandit's job easier. Flares need to be expended to decoy missiles in flight as well as missiles before they ever come off the rail. You must continue to expend flares as long as the bandit is in a position to shoot a missile. This varies considerably depending on the threat, but for the purpose of this discussion, assume the bandit has an off-boresight capability of 30°.

What the bandit does will depend on his game plan, aircraft capabilities, and pilot abilities. This discussion will be limited to the bandit making some big out of plane maneuver, going to pure/lead pursuit, or making a bid for lag. If the bandit elects to make a big move out of plane (Figure 4.35), he is going for turning room and probably doesn't think he has a turn capability equal to yours. Don not allow huge amounts of vertical turning room. The missile threat will go away rather quickly, so your move should be to select full AB, put lift vector on him, and continue the pull on the limiter. Depending on the amount of vertical, he may not have ever entered your turn circle. In this case you should be able to pull him to the front of your canopy and pass him high aspect. This pass will most likely be low to high for you, and give you an opportunity to reverse on the bandit. Reversals will be discussed later.

If the bandit elects to go pure or pull lead pursuit he may be trying to separate (Figure 4.36), he may not understand the concepts of BFM, or he may just be very aggressive. He is definitely trying to shoot you, be it with a missile or the gun. What you will see is constant forward movement on your canopy by the bandit. Also you will see his nose on or lots of belly and intake. Your actions should be to continue to dispense flares for the missile, and continue to pull on the limiter to generate as many angles as possible. The bandit also could be trying for a high aspect gun shot so be prepared to get out of plane at about 4000'- 5000'. This out of plane maneuver does not need to be excessive, about 15° will suffice. A couple of options are available. For a short period of time there is an overlap between the missile WEZ and the gun WEZ, so you may be defending against both at the same time. Once the missile has been min ranged select AB. Min range for the missile is affected greatly by aspect angle and Vc, and should occur at about 4500'. Watch the bandit!! If he repositions early you will have to revert to your defensive game plan. If the attack is pursued he is either preparing for a separation or setting himself up to give up 3/9. In this case you may elect to separate. Recheck full AB and unload to accelerate as fast as possible. Check to keep the bandit in sight, and continue to assess range and bandit intent. Your other option is to reverse on the bandit.

If the bandit makes an initial bid to lag (Figure 4.37), he probably has the intention of staying in this fight, and knows what he is doing. You will see forward LOS on your canopy initially, then as the bandit enters your turn circle he will stop then move aft. Also you will see the top or side of his aircraft, and his nose off of you. You have two options: either a check and extend defense, or a continuous turn defense.

The concept behind a check and extend defense is to get energy when his nose is off, and try to increase the range between you and the bandit. So whenever you turn it's on the limiter, and when you extend it's with both hands forward. Continue to turn on the limiter until the bandit starts to move aft on your canopy. With the bandit's nose off of you (which may happen before he enters your turn circle) select full AB. Your next action is to unload. You've just been at 9 G's so ensure you unload to less than 1 G and not to 2-3 G's. Rolling out of the bank as you extend will telegraph your intentions, so stay in the bank. Your nose should be slightly low, but not buried, and most importantly maintain sight of the bandit. What you are looking for is nose rate and nose position. At first you will see a lot of plan form which will decrease as the bandit tries to pull you to his nose. Ideally, you need to start back into your turn before his missiles are a threat. So when you assess that the length of his aircraft is about equal to the width, get back into a limiter turn. Turning now will allow you to start the turn in AB, if you wait a bit longer the turn will be a full fledge break again. When you turn may also be dictated by airspeed. If you are guaranteed to stay and fight, you should start you turn at about 400 kts to optimize turn performance. When you are within 30° of his nose, get back to mil power and expend flares. Now look for the same cues as before as to when you have the opportunity to extend again. Realize that the check and extend defense may allow the offender to salvage a poor TC entry.

This defense is much tougher to fly correctly than the check and extend, but gives you the best opportunity to survive in an air-to-air arena which involves radar missiles and all-aspect IR missiles. The basic principle is to maintain an energy state where your aircraft performs best, creating angles and forcing the bandit into making a mistake. As with the check and extend, initially you need to turn (Figure 4.39) on the limiter as long as the bandit moves forward on your canopy. When the bandit's nose is off get the power back into full AB, and assess your energy. Typically you'll be around 350 kts when the bandit enters your turn circle.

Get your lift vector slightly below the horizon so God's G can help you maintain energy and continue your pull. Ease off of the limiter and hold 330-350 kts. 330 kts will optimize your turn rate and turn radius. Continue to monitor the bandit! His flight path should take him slightly outside yours, but not past your extended longitudinal axis. As long as he is not in a position to employ missiles you can keep it in AB. If the bandit bleeds all his energy in the first turn, and continues to pull maximum G, he may stagnate. You should feel pretty good at this point, but remember it is the bandit's decision to stay "stuck in lag" not yours, and if he wants/knows how to get out of it he can. However, if he is experienced, when he recognized that your game plan was a continuous turn he probably eased off his turn to preserve both energy and range. Eventually he will threaten you enough to force you out of AB, and rate his nose to threaten you with the gun. When this happens it's time to give up some of your airspeed and turn to create angles and closure problems. The bandit will have to reposition to maintain control, and as soon as he does plug in the AB, and ease off your turn to capture the rate that will not deplete any more airspeed.

Whether you elect to do a check and extend defense or a continuous turn defense the goal is to force the bandit to make an error that you may capitalize on. There are several keys to assessing the bandit's energy state. If the air is right to produce contrails, and the contrails are coming off the bandit's wing tips, his energy is high. If they are coming off of the fuselage, then the bandit's energy is low. The best indicator of the bandit's energy is nose rate. Couple this with bandit maneuvers and you're on you can capitalize his errors. If the bandit bids low to arc you across the circle; a small bid down by the bandit can easily be countered by matching him. This will not only take away his turning room, but will aid in keeping your energy up. If the bandit makes a large bid down to cut across the circle, chances are his energy is low. You could match this move also, but that may result in moving the entire fight to the bottom of the area and give the bandit a possible snap shot. If you know his energy is such that he does not have over the top air speed, and you do, use the vertical. This can be extremely risky, especially if you miss-judge his energy and he has range. Another option is to place your lift vector slightly above the bandit and pull on the limiter. This will keep you out of plane, increase angles, and possibly send this fight neutral or offensive for you. In most cases, your defense will be a combination of both the check and extend, and the continuous turn. Proper application of both will prolong your survival and give the bandit more opportunities to create an error for you to capitalize on.

At the "fight's on" your first move must be out of plane. Rotate your lift vector down (about 20°) in the direction of the bandit and pull as if your life depended upon it, and watch the bandit. How long you pull depends on the bandit, but be extremely careful not to bury your nose and become predictable. He has only two options: make a bid to lag, or pull lead for a gun shot. If the bandit makes a bid to lag you'll see an aft movement on your canopy, and his nose come off of you. Your move can either be to keep turning to try and get him to stagnate, or nose counter to create closure problems. If you continue to turn be prepared to jink (Figure 4.41) as the bandit rates his nose to you. If you nose counter right off the bat, keep in mind that even though you're creating closure immediately, the bandit may still bring his nose through you in his next reposition.

If initially bandit pulls lead for a gun shot you'll see forward movement on your canopy and the bandit's nose rating forward. (If you see belly you're too late on your move.) What you need to do is roll underneath or nose counter over the top in a worm defense. The bandit wants lead so give him lag. Basically both moves are similar as you're doing an unloaded roll to change your direction of flight. As you jink it is important to keep some energy on the jet. AB is probably out of the question or you'll offer the bandit a missile shot. So maintain mil power, flare when appropriate, and try to keep a slight downward vector of about 10°-15°. This will help you keep about 200 kts and ensure you still have the energy to jink. The unload at slow speed seems to take forever so really slam the stick forward and roll quickly the other direction. If your vector is slightly down then repositioning your lift vector in the opposite direction is quicker if you roll underneath. But don't try it with less than 1000' of altitude until the floor in case you make an error. It is best to use a combination of both to avoid predictability. It is critical is to maintain the pull for a few seconds following each move to ensure you are getting out of the bandit's HUD.

Your first goal is to give the bandit a closure problem, forcing him to reposition, and get his nose out of sync. The closure problem will develop by the bandit continuing to pull lead with each of your jinks. He will subsequently fly a shorter path than you, creating lots of closure at short range. You'll notice this by the size of his aircraft, and a nose off reposition. If his nose is in plane, get him out of sync. If his nose is out of plane, try to keep him in phase with you by putting lift vector on. If during your jinks you lose sight of the bandit, do not go into a single direction death spiral. If you jink and don't pick him up, then jink again. Search inside and slightly high first then high above. If no tally, jink again and search the same pattern.

When does the opportunity for a reversal present itself? Throughout the engagement you need to constantly assess the bandit's range, closure, and heading crossing angle. The time to reverse is when the bandit will pass close aboard at a high line of sight and high HCA. This is purely a judgment call on your part. But for a general rule of thumb you can assume close aboard is less than a turn radius. As for high LOS rate and angles, well that depends on the range and the capability of the bandit's aircraft. This all may sound fuzzy, but there is no clear cut formula for when to reverse. However, when the time comes and you make the decision to go for it, you have to execute quickly and decisively or you're toast. The execution must be violent and on the limiter. If you think of nothing but pulling for the bandit's high six, you'll do fine. The decision to reverse is made before the bandit actually passes you, but is committed to fulfill the above requirements. At that instant, select full AB and pull to the bandit's high six. This pull initially is in the same direction that you were already turning since the bandit hasn't passed yet. As he passes by rotate your lift vector to continue towards his six. You want turning room, so don't put your lift vector on him, it has to be behind. This move will result in a limiter barrel role around his flight path, and in essence stopping your ground track while he flies by. The rate at which you roll your lift vector is solely determined by the LOS of the bandit as he passes. If it works, put your offensive hat back on. If it doesn't, more than likely you're now in a scissors or a stack. One word of caution-if you're having to waiver on your decision to reverse or not, don't. What you stand to lose is far greater than continuing with your defensive game plan.

Cockpit	Basic Flight	BFM	Formation	M-Tactics	Building Campaings
HUD	Character	Basic ACM	Combat	W-Tactics	Building Missions
MDI/UFC	Disruption	Off-BFM	DO-BFM	SAMS
AA-Radar	Takeoff/Land	Def-BFM	DD-BFM	M-Builder
AA-Combat	Refueling	HO-BFM	Hi Aspect BFM	B-Areobatics
AG-Radar	Navigation	BVR	Prin-BFM	A-Areobatics
AG-Combat	Miscellaneous	ACM	Co-ACM	Weapons