Having read the artical on 'Air Combat Training - Defending Against The Boom And Zoom' with great interest we (the 60th Sentai) have been employing the points mentioned in it with good success against our erstwhile EAW online war opponents No. 105 Squadron.

It's a tough war. We are presently flying the Ki-61 Ib Hein against the Tempest V in online fighter sweeps, using ECA Panel. 105 squadron hold all the advantages in this battle. The Tempest is almost 70 mph faster than the Hein (435 mph v's 368 mph), outguns it (4 x 20mm cannon v's 2 x 20mm cannon and 2 x 12.7mm mg), has a greater ammo load (200 rpg v's 120 rpg for cannon), climbs faster and steeper and can out dive the Hein. The Ki-61's saving grace is that it retains energy reasonably well and can outturn the Tempest. However 105 Squadron don't have great team work discipline online, so if we get in close and dogfight they usually try the same. Hence we win. Usually.

Today though was my toughest fight against them. It was a 2 v 2 sweep, mid-altitude start around 16,000ft. We gained a slight height advantage just prior to the merge, but both sides lost their wingmen on the actual merge. Head-on crash. So the sweep turned into 1 v1.

And this is where it got very tough. After the initial merge the Tempest gained lateral separation and height while I stooged around awaiting his first attack. Didn't have to wait long. He climbed up over my head by a couple of thousand feet, then split-s'd and dropped down onto me. An easy break turn avoided the attack, whence he immediately zoomed back up to regain his advantage. He tried this several times, each time zooming to regain height. I couldn't get a quick shot in, and he wasn't wasting ammo (mores the pity).

To change the situation slightly I dropped my nose into a gentle dive, so that I could pick up speed. On his next dive on me I made to split-s, but continued the roll into a climbing turn. As he had throttled back to catch me in the split-s I almost caught him napping. And although I winged him he quickly extended down and out of range. Man that Tempest dives quickly!

Having gained a slight height advantage I now climbed hard and fast while he extened laterally. Quickly though he climbed again, and although I had climbed up to 21,000ft he was once more over my head. So I ran.

Each time he gained and dived on me I would break turn and he would zoom by. For variety I would start a break turn and instead go into a high loop hoping to catch him. Once almost, but he stayed just out of range. Ok, staying high wasn't helping so I took the fight low.

Hoping to tempt him into an unrecoverable compression dive ( a real problem with the Tempest {and P-47} in EAW) I let him gain on my six, slowly increasing my dive angle. Almost worked. Saw his nose pitch down sharply, so I whipped around as tight as I could to get on his tail. But he was smart. He kept his nose down, speed high, cut throttle and allowed the Tempest to gradually ease out of it in a long diving curve. The Ki-61 just couldn't keep up.

Once down low the Tempest played it well. Kept above me, kept up speed and made fast shallow attacks. Break turns avoided them on the whole, occassionally taking a couple of hits. But I wasn't gaining any advantages to strike back. Finally I tried a high barrell roll instead of a break turn to catch him on the way past, but he cut throttle and nailed me as he was stalling. Bummer!

The fight lasted almost 25 minutes! It's been replaying in my head but for the life of me I can't think of what else I could have done. And it was very annoying not being able to use the superior turning of the Ki-61 to gain an advantage.

Everyone is welcome to offer suggestions on what I should/could have done to win the engagement.

[This message has been edited by PipsPriller (edited 10-25-2001).]

Pips Priller


" But I wasn't gaining any advantages to strike back. Finally I tried a high barrell roll instead of a break turn to catch him on the way past, but he cut throttle and nailed me as he was stalling. Bummer! "


Good furball! The maneuver sketch below is a last ditch and dangerous maneuver which will work only against a diving attacker who has considerable superior energy over the defender as well as a steep angle of dive. Do not try this on a co-energy and co-altitude opponent who will just follow you up into the vertical and riddle you with lead.

The anabuki run defensive maneuver is a one time try type of maneuver. The overall stradegy is to try stay under the bandit by using the horizontal plane available to you to maneuver under the bandit by jamming the opponent so that if he tries to dive the vertical turning room is not there for him to do so.

It was developed by Satoshi Anabuki of the Japenese Imperial Air Force during WWII. He had 51 confirmed kills. It is a boom and zoom counter tactic he developed after seeing all of his flying comrades get boomed and zoomed out of the Pacific Air War by Hellcats. Corsairs and who knows what else....." Timing the maneuver is the critical factor.



Later


Jalapeno Pepper

Pips Priller


Also, I personally dislike any kind of defensive barrel roll maneuver because you end up coming out of the maneuver pretty much in the same direction as where the maneuver was started but, a lot slower and in my humble opinion an easy shot for a bandit parked on yar six.


Later

Jalapeno Pepper

Pips Priller


Maybe the maneuver sketch below is easier to visualize.




Good luck

Jalapeno Pepper