Re: [OFFICIAL] Some FT background stuff (guidelines for writers) - LONG POST!

Binhan Lin wrote:

> But then again the point of Red Flag and Top Gun are to teach
> dogfighting
> skills and the rules specifically eliminate high-tech long range items
>
> such as Radar guided missiles - a big part of modern combat.	Plus the
>
>

Incorrect. Red Flag is a full blown combat training center similar to
JRTC or NTC. The pilots were up to full strike missions and everything
that goes into them. This  includes free play and scripted exercizes. If
Red Flagg was just about gunfighting and close in dog fights it wouldn't
be very cost effective per se.

> Agressors are given a lot of advantages, such as knowledge of when and
>
> where the fight is going to be, they can focus their attention instead
> of
> having to scan the entire sky - surprise is always a major factor in
> combat.  F5's and used to be A4's were chosen for their small
> profiles,
> making it much more difficult to spot them visually but they have
> terrible
> radar profiles, but once again radar is not used in these exercises.
> So I
> think that Allan's point that technology can make up for a lot of
> skill is
> correct - You could be a dogfighting ace in a Mig-21 but it doesn't do
>
> much good against an F-14 firing a Phoenix missile from 60 miles away.

There seems to be a common misconception that any missle fired is pretty
much an automatic kill. This is not true. Sure if you have the surprise
factor going, a pheonix kill against an ususpecting MiG21 at 60 miles is
a nice kill. But once any missle is detected it is already half
defeated.That unsuspecting MiG21 could very easily spoof or dodge the
Pheonix (Which was basically designed to defeat the Soviet Backfire
bomber threat against the fleet).  Defeating enemy missles is a big part
of red Flag itself. You will see that most are made against piilots that
never even new the enemy was around. In Vietnam, which was one of the
last time where you had determined attempts to	interdict enemy (US)
strikes. The NVAF was often able to evade first launch which then
neccesiated going into dogfight mode,

> You then have to depend on your jamming equipment and chaff to
> survive,
> not much skill there.  When you think about it the missile is
> basically a
> pilotless suicide drone and they don't do half bad in getting within a
> few
> dozen meters of their targets.

There very much is skill in the use of ECM and counter measures. You
don't have an unlimited supply of Chaff or Flares. Also use it too soon
and the missle will see through it and reacquire the original target.
Likewaise from the minute you turn on ECM, you are basically telling
everyone in the world HERE I AM COME AND GET ME. So the use of ECM needs
to be timed exactly so it disrupts the enemy lockon until the missle is
no longer a threat, then you get teh hell out of the AO.

You us really should do some basic research into ACM . Especially if you
are going to draw parallels between it and futire Space Combat. I can't
recommend enough Shaws' "Fighter Combat: Tactics and Manuevering" as a
good start.