DCS: Dogfight tactics and analysis

I didn't intend making this video - hence missing the start but several people have asked me to do dogfighting tutorials and it's not something I have felt able to do.....largely because I really don't know what I do most of the time!!! Additionally the "rules" of dogfighting rarely work in such a dynamic environment; blindly max performing your jet say to achive max turn rate defintely doesn't work! However during this fight I performed a couple of tactics, which I often use and which just arent in any dogfight manuals, to turn a losing situation into a win. Both tactics are particularly suited to the Harrier - but would work with most 1C radius fighters such as the Mirage and Hornet (and the A-10) so whilst I can't do a dogfight tutorial I can explain these two particular tactics.

[@rossb2006]

Really informative, thankyou!

[@silentone11111111]

Great vid. Having the tacview really helps. That rolling scissors much more obvious in that view :)

[@Pukin-Dog]

Thank you.....and it's funny that you mention tacview as the first few times I did it, I didn't realise myself - until I watched on tacview. I was just unable to follow in the vertical and ended up in this roll.....and exactly the same thing happened as here. My speed climbed and his reduced. My opponent did the wrong thing by doing the right thing. By that I mean he was maintaining his lift vector on me which is usually sensible, but had he carried on a vertical loop I would have been an easy kill.

[@FlyingWithSpurts]

Short of trying vertical boom-n-zoom tactics that Eagle driver really did everything pretty darn well. Used 2-Circle until you countered it, used vertical until you countered it. Well done all around, that was a great match.

[@Pukin-Dog]

Thank you! Yeah I can't critisize him at all. Ultimately he did let himself get slow.....but he was forced into it. As you say he could have boom and zoomed....I can counter that - usually. either by climbing in a zig zag pattern so that I can maintain speed....or just wait down low. So long as I have 200kts I can normally point my nose toward them long enough to fire at them.......but they have a big advantage with radar assisted guns vs my manual aiming...but at least I dont give them an easy kill.

[@ionator2000ist]

Question, were flying with unlimited fuel the whole time?

[@Pukin-Dog]

Hi. I use the public mobettameta dogfight server so all the settings are out of my control (as are the opponents). Fuel is not unlimited however the server is designed such that all aircraft have roughly the same amount of fuel - in terms of time. So if two aircraft fly around at full throttle they should run out at roughly the same time. For the A-10 that's about 5%, the Harrier 25% whilst the Viper starts with 83%. This means a dogfight cannot realistically be much more than 10 minutes.

[@bevis9136]

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