1-vs-2 Engagement Strategies

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post (if not, then moderators, please move!), but my question applies essentially to all aircraft: What are the proper strategies for engaging bandits in a guns-only fight when I'm in a 1-vs-2 scenario. Do I merge with the first guy and immediately go after it (but then the second guy is coming up behind me)? Do I let the first guy fly past and engage the trailing bandit? I know that much depends on what I'm flying and what the adversaries are flying, but still, are there any words of wisdom that you can share?

Thanks in advance!

Doc

The effective strategy is fight aggressively and try and make it a 1v1 as fast as possible. That failing try and put both of them on one side of your canopy, that way you have an easier time seeing both of them at the same time, as soon as you lose sight of one the other one will inevitably materialize on your six at an in opportune time.

1v2 is fighting with the cards stacked against you. If the opponents are competent it won’t take very long for them to kill you so you don’t want to fight them like that if you can’t help it. At least in ww2 fighters, and guns only in a jet fighter you should be able to just bug out if things start to look bad, extend, see if they want to keep following you, and then reposition. As long as you do it before you are out of energy its not too hard to rapidly get out of gun range.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post (if not, then moderators, please move!), but my question applies essentially to all aircraft: What are the proper strategies for engaging bandits in a guns-only fight when I'm in a 1-vs-2 scenario. Do I merge with the first guy and immediately go after it (but then the second guy is coming up behind me)? Do I let the first guy fly past and engage the trailing bandit? I know that much depends on what I'm flying and what the adversaries are flying, but still, are there any words of wisdom that you can share?

Thanks in advance!

Doc

Is it an option to bait them towards more of your own assets? sams? friendly? possibly falling into their flank?

If that is not an option:

Where do they turn when you turn away from them and put them on your radar gimbal limit?

Have they seen you and turn in on you?

Make it count, be aggressive

Are they both flat out hot on you? If you can: Extend your missiles range by gaining speed and altitude, TWS launch on both to force them into defensive reaction

Are they scissoring you? Try flanking so that you force one of them in trail and can deal with a bit more timewise separated. (they might simply go for a grinder and push on you if you're out cold. Are you faster than they are? How long are your legs?)

Are they ignoring you? But you don't want to ignore them?

Don't just go hot on them, come in from behind their 3/9 line and take out the trailing guy and make it a 1v1 fast.

Deal with the remaining guy in a manner of your choice.

1. you can't get any hits if you don't stay alive

2. you won't stay alive if you can't get any hits

apply as opportunity allows

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post (if not, then moderators, please move!), but my question applies essentially to all aircraft: What are the proper strategies for engaging bandits in a guns-only fight when I'm in a 1-vs-2 scenario. Do I merge with the first guy and immediately go after it (but then the second guy is coming up behind me)? Do I let the first guy fly past and engage the trailing bandit? I know that much depends on what I'm flying and what the adversaries are flying, but still, are there any words of wisdom that you can share?

Thanks in advance!

Doc

The USAF Weapons School/USN Top Gun answer is, as always: "It depends". :lol:

There is an never will be a set formula for how to do this. It will depend on your energy state vs the 2x bandits. Are they more maneuverable than you? What is the merge geometry - have they bracketed you or are you defensive with both behind you or are you offense behind both of them? Way too many variables.

Let's take one offensive example and then maybe it will make sense from there. Let's say a 2 ship of Mig-29s are on your nose line abreast and you happened to sneak up on them from behind. This is a common training set up as Defensive ACM for the two ship and the single aircraft is the bandit training aid. Whoever gets the tally in the 2-ship will call a "Break Right or Left" depending on who the bandit is pointed at. If the Bandit is lined up behind the left hand fighter, then a "Break Left" call would allow the unengaged fighter on the right to immediately engage the bandit (you) as long as you continue turning with the fighter on the left. If the wingman on the right does his/her job - the fight should be over in seconds.

So how do you as the single bandit survive? You would see the flight break left but know the guy to your right is going to kill you, so instead of following the left hand fighter in a turning fight, you immediately switch to the guy on the right and take him high aspect and maybe get lucky with a snap shot in the face. If not, then at least you can stay neutral and decide to extend out and run as Klar said or continue fighting. At least the guy on the left who broke away is not an immediate threat, but he soon will be as long as he has Tally and Visual.

So one of the common ways I've seen really good bandits fight a two ship is to do constant switches back and forth. Keep getting one jet to react to you and then point your nose at the other until they react and so on. It will work for a while, but if the pair knows what they're doing, it's only a matter of time before they can zap you if you stick around.

my take when only threats are the 2 planes is avoid the lead because it is probably closing at a really fast speed and will blast past you. kill the second as fast as possible. then as klarsnow says get into the 1v1. i think if you go after the lead the second will be on your tail long before if the engaged second one first.

Let me add one thing too..... western AF mindset is that we never fight alone. So it would be rare to unheard of for a single bandit to engage a two ship. Western AF's train to fight as a pair against X number of bandits. In the early stages it's 2v1 to teach basic skills and then add more as you get better. But we would only ever train as a singleton in the event our wingman got toasted, and then it's a purely defensive mindset as in how to survive and GTFO of Dodge and get home. So outside of training, the single fighter mindset is: "How do I survive against this two ship long enough to extend and run?"

But it's certainly a fun exercise in DCS to do.

1 vs 2 guns only? You avoid that fight like the current pandemic. You are at a disadvantage unless you are talking different generations of aircraft and even then that is not a fight I would advise.

1 VS 2 in gun fight with human player ?

Unless your enemy don`t know how to fight at all. you can pick them off one by one.

(Or meeting one on the first merge and kill him then the engament falls under 1v1)

if One of the bandit knows how to fight, you don`t stand much of chance.

If they are in Lead-wingman setting with radio com, you won`t stand a chance.

so it depends