Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

368 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS
awareness), weapons available, displacement available, etc. For the FQ
intercept the lead will normally turn to collision heading once the desired
aspect has been generated. In this case, however, the stern conversion is
selected, which calls for paralleling the bogey's flight path to maintain
lateral separation. The leader's altitude should be adjusted as necessary for
environmental or weapons considerations. The wingman will want a good
altitude split on the leader at the point of attack to make himself harder for
the bogeys to see, so he should be planning the direction of this vertical
split and how it can best be achieved.
It is the leader's responsibility during the intercept to inform the wingman
of the planned intercept geometry, bogey numbers, formation, altitudes,
etc., as available. Wingman positioning during the attack is best left
to the wingman, since he is better able to assess his own capabilities as to
positioning, radar status, situational awareness, etc. The wingman has
three options with this tactic. He can take an early cut to the inside of the
leader's turn in an attempt to bracket the enemy, he can perform a tac turn
with the leader to maintain an abeam position for the attack, or he can
make the transition to a trail position during the conversion turn for a
sweep option. Whichever option he chooses, the wingman should inform
the leader of his intentions.
For the bracket option the wingman may be required to dive below the
leader at high speed in order to reach a position on or across the bogey's
flight path at the intercept. If this maneuver is performed within possible
visual range of the bogeys, the wingman should try not to pass too close to
the leader, since this could give the enemy a chance for a tally on both
fighters. Unlike the classic pincer attack, this bracket option is performed
visually by the wingman with reference to the leader, so it is not necessary
for the wingman to have a radar contact with the bogeys. The bracket
option can be a good choice when the fighters are all-aspect capable and the
enemy is not. When this option is properly performed, both fighters should
have shots by the time the leader can VID the bogeys. Wingman positioning
in this case should provide for satisfying his weapon's min-range
constraints as the leader terminates the intercept.
The abeam option is simply a section stern conversion or FQ intercept
with the wingman holding an abeam position in defensive spread throughout.
This option can provide optimum defensive potential in a hostile
environment while giving the fighters some tactical advantage at the
intercept. It can be very effective offensively when both the fighters and
the enemy have all-aspect weapons. The bogeys can easily counter this
tactic, however, if the fighters have only RQ weapons, by turning hard into
the attack. The fighters may still achieve some tactical advantage if detection
of the attack can be delayed until late in the game.
The sweep option is essentially the sweep tactic already described. This
option is less well suited to all-aspect weapons than are the previous
choices, because normally only the leader is in firing parameters at the
moment of the VID. The sweep can be very effective with less capable
weapons, however, especially when extended maneuvering is anticipated
with enemy fighters, as the trail formation provides good offensive poten-