I am starting to get back into F4 both since SP3 and my Cougar are arriving soon :-). I was brushing up on fuel management as I hear that is now very critical vs the old 1.08 patch.

Anyway, I was reading a training article at a website and they said Bingo fuel was the minimum amount to get home safely, which I assume means no emergency reserves and Joker fuel was a "pre-brief level of fuel" to return home safely, which allows for encounters with the enemies / emergencies.

That didn't sound right from what I remembered so I checked the F4 manual and strategy guide and they both say the opposite of what the website said.

So my question is what is the correct definitions for bingo and joker states?

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Tailspin
Tailspin's Tales

The training reference has the right idea. The exact parameters of the terms may vary with mission type, but the intent is pretty much the same as what that reference says.

Bingo is a minimum fuel state at which the mission should be terminated and a return to base using normal means should be started. This means "bingo" is not an emergency situation...just a "go no further" point in the planned mission profile.

Joker is a technique that is sometimes used to designate a low fuel state that is above the bingo value. You might think of it as a "prepare to stop mission" advisory. Depending on mission type and briefed procedures, the joker call may mean a number of things...no more afterburner, start rejoing the flight, terminate gunnery events, etc...that sort of thing. The aircraft or flight has not actually begun the recovery but is preparing to do so. Not all missions use a joker fuel state. My memory of it is that the term was a flight leader prerogative, not a mandatory item in every case.

You are correct about the Falcon 4 manual. It clearly says just the opposite. It implies that joker is a lower fuel state than bingo. I have absolutely no idea why. I've checked my USAF F-16 operational procedures manual and its definitions are the same as ours.