The Dicta Boelcke and PR: How to win in Dogfights

[Jafar Ironclad]

Developed by WWI German Ace Oswald Boelcke, these eight rules for air-to-air combat remain highly pertinent even as bi-planes became jetplanes and the pace of dogfighting changed with the technology. In Project Reality, although the physics model of flight is not perfect, these tactics will give you a much better chance at altitude 2000, whether that MiG is already in your sights or you just heard that lock-on tone of death.

1. Secure the upper hand before attacking.

In application, abiding by this rule means placing yourself in a position where your strengths are maximized and your foe's weaknesses are exacerbated. Attacking from a higher altitude is advantageous. Also, using a visual disguise, such as flying with the sun at your back or low to the ground (in friendly airspace), can be advantageous. Beyond altitude is understanding performance characteristics of both your craft and your foe's, If you're in a MiG or F-16 and find the ground-support aircraft on your tail, exercise your velocity advantage and speed away from your pursuer. In the vice-versa scenario, use your low-speed maneuverability and force your pursuer to overshoot.

2. Always continue with an attack you have begun.

Breaking off from an attack can be hazardous: not only are you no longer threatening your opponent, but a skilled fighter will seize the advantage you have surrendered and put you on the defensive. Only in a critical situation where your intervention will save a fellow player or the team should you break off an attack; otherwise, press and maintain the offensive.

3. Only fire at close range, and when properly fixed on your target.

You don't get many cannon rounds or missiles for spamming in your foe's general direction, and landings can sometimes be hazardous and time consuming. Furthermore, firing without an effective angle or beyond close range will not score a kill, more often than not. All you need to kill your foe is an accurate quarter-second burst with your gun at close range or directly behind.
Missiles are instantly lethal on a direct hit; however, a paranoid/aware victim or hesitant trigger finger will deny you a clean hit, thanks to the defender's flares. More on how to score effective missile kills in Rule 5.

4. Keep eyes on your opponent, and do not be deceived by ruses.

Keep your eyes on your opponent as much as you can, while scanning your surroundings and checking your six o' clock from time to time. If you lose sight of your target, you're no longer attacking or operating from a position of advantage.
I CANNOT STRESS THIS RULE ENOUGH IN PROJECT REALITY'S AIR COMBAT. A threat you do not detect is a threat you cannot defend against. If you're flying with a joystick (and you should be if you can afford one), take the time to map or program several key buttons:
-Cycle Camera (which allows you to toggle normal and 6 o' clock view) on one of the fire buttons.
-7, 9, and 1 (look port, look starboard, and look back to forward), and "check map" (M by default) on your POV hat.
-If you can comfortably do so, also map the 8 key (12 o' clock high view). While normally not of tactical relevance on it's own, doing a 360 degree roll while in this view will clear your 45* field of view.
Periodically when patrolling the skies, use the camera views and rolling to check your surroundings and rear.

5. In any time of attack, it is essential to attack from behind.

Any aircraft you fly or fly against has a blind spot below and behind them, and behind them in a 45* cone. If you secure the element of surprise and maneuver into their six o' clock and into weapons parameters before your foe detects you, your chances of winning are almost certain.
REMEMBER: The difference in time between the attacker getting a lock-on tone for their guided missiles and the victim's RWR giving the warning siren is about two seconds. Use this to your advantage whenever possible, and do not let your foe secure it. Follow the following sequence for the best chance of success.
-Fly in RADAR OFF mode (1st weapon).
-Detect the bandit visually on a sweep, or with direction from other observers.
-Stay out of the bandit's forward visual arc as you maneuver into position on their six o' clock. If in a jet of the same class (fighter or ground support aircraft), approach from above their altitude to close the distance.
-Once within 500 meters of the target, toggle to sidewinders (NOT the longer ranged missiles, these are better for engaging helicopters) and fire immediately upon getting the lock tone.
-In case your foe has caught on to your attack and begins evasive maneuvers/drops flares, drop below their altitude to prevent from overshooting and go for a guns kill.


6. When first under attack, break towards your opponent.

If an attacker is targeting you, do not fly straight or break away from your opponent. Flying straight makes you an easy target, and breaking away offers your tail to your target for a longer period of time, which doesn't end well for you. Instead, break towards your opponent. Breaking into your opponent's attack does several things: one, it reduces your speed and causes your opponent to close much faster, overshooting as a result; two, if your opponent is attacking from range, breaking into the attack gives you a chance to return fire and cause them to break off themselves (especially if you're flying an A-10 against a MiG, for instance).
Of course, you can't break into the attack of an unseen pursuer. Check your surroundings at regular intervals.

7. Be mindful of friendly and enemy lines.

There's a reason you don't fly below about 1000 normally; ground anti-aircraft weapons will make swiss cheese of your aircraft; the same is true for your pursuer if you have allies ready on anti-aircraft turrets. When being pursued, vector toward friendly airspace and low altitude, dropping a flare or two in the meantime. Your team can help you a lot. The enemy team can hurt you too.

8. Fight as a group whenever possible, and do not commit multiple attackers to a single target.

The first part speaks for itself, but there is a reason why you do not want multiple shooters on a single target: they'll get in each other's way. Furthermore, if your group is outnumbered, committing multiple attacks on one enemy leaves more enemies that are not threatened and might be able to attack your allies, or you. This is not to be confused with fighting with wingmen at your side. When done properly, wingmen will not fire on a lead's target except when tactics dictate: their job is to keep pace with your maneuvers and cover your six if you are attacked during an engagement. Thus, having a wingman when you are attacking an enemy is not the same as having two attackers on a target.

When flying with another friendly jet or even attack helicopter in the air (and in your squad or comms channel), you have another way of forcing a pursuer to break off; figure out your friends altitude and set up a head-to-head approach with them. When in visual range, break toward your opponent and give your squadmate time to set up a shot. Best case scenario is that the missile or burst kills your pursuer; even if it doesn't, it will almost certainly cause them to break off their attack, if not, rinse and repeat.

I hope pilots will find this guide useful.

[Tim270]

Nice write up, although I say PR air combat is still very black and white i.e its whoever finds the other first has pretty much won.

Like you said, its really useful to take note if you have ground aa round the map, if you get chased, fly low over making your attacker an easy kill for the ground aa.


Also, Ive always wondered how effective is firing AA's at someone before you lock them? will the missile lock in flight or sail past?

[mat552]

Also, Ive always wondered how effective is firing AA's at someone before you lock them? will the missile lock in flight or sail past?

Flip a coin. I've made some truly random snap-shots and gotten rewarded with some equally random kills.

Dogfighting in PR is actually a lot like WW1 dogfights. In real life, many of PRs tactics would be suicidal, flying directly into the jetwash of an enemy, trying to pull a loop at full afterburner, flying scant meters above the ground at thousands of bf2 speed units..

It is both regrettable and very good that it comes down to who sees who first. Air combat is not something that is sought after for the sake of itself. It is merely to attain superiority for the close air support platforms to perform their work without fear of being preyed upon by superior aircraft. Whoever gets the first missile off, more often than not, will be able to deliver accurate fire, frequently, to the people who matter most. The infantry SLs.

Interestingly enough, Silent Eagle has completely flummoxed me. Flying the A10 in a standard 2000-3500alt orbit has met with universal failure so far with me, but flying nap of the earth skin of my pants profiles, barely high enough to clear tree branches, has been effective and highly lucrative. I am conducting an extended set of field tests to further examine the new tactics required to survive and intend to post them at a later date.

[Truism]

Really great post, but there is one mistake.

3. Only fire at close range, and when properly fixed on your target.

You don't get many cannon rounds or missiles for spamming in your foe's general direction, and landings can sometimes be hazardous and time consuming. Furthermore, firing without an effective angle or beyond close range will not score a kill, more often than not. All you need to kill your foe is an accurate quarter-second burst with your gun at close range or directly behind.
Missiles are instantly lethal on a direct hit; however, a paranoid/aware victim or hesitant trigger finger will deny you a clean hit, thanks to the defender's flares. More on how to score effective missile kills in Rule 5.

Correct use of missles entails spamming the living **** out of them once you're in range and behind him.

I believe the first missle out would automatically trigger a lock, but either way, an enemy aircraft in PR is worth spending ALL your AA missiles on because they are so scarce. Better to 100% ensure the kill and rearm to try again than mess around and miss the chance. Spam them in anticipation of a lock.

In other words, when you're on their six, and in range, drop all your AIMs up their arse even before lock. This has always been the most effective way of doing business if they don't know you're there.

Again though, great post.

[Jafar Ironclad]

Really great post, but there is one mistake.
In other words, when you're on their six, and in range, drop all your AIMs up their arse even before lock. This has always been the most effective way of doing business if they don't know you're there.

Again though, great post.

While I imagine that works, it's not incredibly efficient; also, if your enemy sees you coming and drops flares before you realize they're going evasive, you're left with nothing but guns to finish them. I've completed 70% of my air-to-air kills with one missile, from the rear quadrant of my victim, switching from radar-off and firing the instant I get a lock. My foes usually don't manage so much as a flare when they don't know I'm coming. Another 10% were missile kills on foes who spotted me, but were unable to shake me off before I got a second missile off. The other 20% are guns kills, mix of surprise or actively avoiding.

On Silent Eagle as US especially, it's prudent to maximize your kills to loadout ratio, especially since the runway's damn hard to land on safely.

[Alex6714]

Last time I flew a jet I just had the short range aa hud up, and whenever I heard a tone just pushed the button, got may kills that way. In fact, rarely did I actually see the target let alone follow it, just heard tone and fired.

[503]

I don't fire from missiles from short range. If I have a lock, I shoot it, though I don't spam the missiles. Spamming missiles is a waste of ammo and landing to rearm really makes you vulnerable.

[Elektro]

PR air combat is still very black and white i.e its whoever finds the other first has pretty much won.

Belive me, I have killed many pilots who had the same ideologi..

If you want to increase the level of a PR dogfight go for a guns kill instead of a missile kill.

[ma21212]

One of them CATA Air kids ( ) had a really cool video of a "scissors maneuver" with the Mig. the F16 was right on his tail so he did a roll and he ended up being on the tail of the F16. the vid was on youtube i cant fine it anymore .


Edit: nvm it was Elektro who did it.

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qp5baox4v_E&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qp5baox4v_E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[Jafar Ironclad]

Wow. That was a slick maneuver

[Phantom2]

Wow. He did very well with that. It seems as if he knew that was going to happen.

[Narco]

Elektro is one of the best fast air pilots you'll see in PR. Feckin' awesome.

[Oddsodz]

I Stopped reading when I saw this "-Fly in RADAR OFF".

Do me a favour. This is PR. Not some super flight sim. Learn to fly the PR way. Not what the super flight sim Book tells you to fly.

My life expectancy is 15 seconds if an OP4 jet gets on my six. and an OP4 jet has a life expectancy 4 seconds due to the way I fly.

[503]

That is one sick video.

[Jafar Ironclad]

I Stopped reading when I saw this "-Fly in RADAR OFF".

Do me a favour. This is PR. Not some super flight sim. Learn to fly the PR way. Not what the super flight sim Book tells you to fly.

My life expectancy is 15 seconds if an OP4 jet gets on my six. and an OP4 jet has a life expectancy 4 seconds due to the way I fly.

Me flying with Radar off has nothing to do with super flight sims.

The reasons I fly with radar off:

1. I have a good handle on checking my surroundings; I can usually ID visually more effectively than I can with the radar. Sometimes I'll switch to AMRAAMs for the slightly longer-than-visual detection range, but as soon as I pick something up with that, I swap out to bombs or radar OFF at once, because...

2. I don't want to give my victim ANY warning at all that I'm coming on account of my electronics doing their job. If he gets the warning before my missile is a half second from going up his engines (remember that the lock and warning are separated by two seconds), his flare reflex will likely save him from the first missile, giving him the chance to evade or steer me on a pursuit that leads me by hostile AA threats. I started on his tail and ended up dead, and my team will have to endure threats from the sky because I gave my foe just enough warning to respond.
Like it or not, this method has worked for me. I've only gotten shot down by enemy jets in an actual round ONCE.

[ma21212]

the Radar off mode is just so you can sneak up on enemy jets, nothing complicated you just press 1, when you see an enemy you try to get a good angel and then switch to your AA. I have a question what is the difference between the long rage AA and short range AA? hell i didnt know that their was a differnce till i read this thred and which one is which ? (is the short range AA the one w/ 4 missles?)

[Alex6714]

In my experience in jets, radar on is just as effective. Just fire as soon as you get tone and 90% its a kill, at least it seems so for me...

[Oddsodz]

lolol. They think that I am some sort of PR noob (well might be true). I Am the reason why the CATA team from the PR tournament would not play Kashan 64 in the last campaign. Their leaders know my jets skills all to well (I fly for NATO). I know all about flying in vBF2 and PR flying. Flying with radar off is not in your best interest in PR. Now if it was vBF2 then yes. But in PR, No. But in the end, It's what works for you.

[-.-Maverick-.-]

This should be moved to "Tales from the front" section. IMO

[Smegburt_funkledink]

My life expectancy is 15 seconds if an OP4 jet gets on my six. and an OP4 jet has a life expectancy 4 seconds due to the way I fly.

Some of you may see this as an arrogant statement but there really isn't much exaggeration here, trust me.