Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

SECTION TACTICS, TWOVERSUS-ONE 217
he can prosecute his charge only until his path is blocked, then pass off to
his wide-open teammate for an easy basket. In double attack, the teammate
(free fighter) positions for the offensive rebound, while in loose deuce
he looks for an open shot. The ball handler (engaged fighter in loose deuce)
sets up the shot by forcing the defense to concentrate on his play for the
basket.
The pilot of the free fighter in loose deuce doctrine is responsible for
positioning as quickly as possible into a lethal firing position. The first step
in this process is to predict the bogey's future flight path and the resulting
movement of the lethal weapons envelope. The pilot must then decide on
the fastest way to reach this envelope, and maneuver accordingly. This
process, which is illustrated in Figure 5-10, highlights the importance of
bogey predictability.
At time "1" in this scenario the fighters have bracketed the bogey,
which is meeting the southern fighter head-on. The wingman, coming in
from the north, has performed a lead turn and has a good offensive bite at
the pass, forcing the bogey to turn hard left to defend. Since the pilot of the
northern fighter is in the best position to apply pressure, he assumes the
role of engaged fighter. Rather than attempting an immediate, high-angle
attack, however, the engaged fighter avoids overshooting the defender's six
o'clock by easing into a lag position at time "2," pushing the bogey around
in a predictable left turn. A reversal by the bogey at this point would
subject it to a gun attack by the engaged fighter.
Meanwhile the pilot of the free fighter pulls his nose up into a fairly
Figure 5-10. Loose Deuce Free-Fighter Maneuvering