BFM AFM in the Hornet - Guide?

Has anyone got a guide or some good advice for BFM in the Hornet? (I typically fly ground pounders)

I find myself struggling against AI in the Instant Action missions. I've watched Art Of The Kill, but I'm unsure how to apply it to the Hornet.

I can't seem to out turn anyone without losing speed. I usually win just by slowing enough that they have to pass me, and then with a bit of luck of I can get a shot in. But I'm quite certain this isn't the right way!

Many thanks!

I'll get the ball rolling, but I'm no source of authority on this topic. I've had success in the 300-350 knts range in turning fights. Keep it there with G and throttle adjustments and you should out turn most opponents. I haven't had much success in the vertical, at least not after merge. With lighter weights this can get better, but my overall feeling is this is a turn fighter. Turns, low speed, get the nose on target. Force targets to overshoot, or just plain out turn them. I've taken a MiG-29 from my six to being on his simply by keeping the maximum G's that still allowed 300ish knots. Watch fuel though because this will take close to if not full burner to achieve over multiple "laps"

Others will be able to get into details and more accurate "doctrine" to follow. This is just my 2 cents :)

That's pretty much just AI behavior afaict. Even in the F-15C once you merge with an AI jet they just start turning hard and even do vertical maneuvers and it becomes a battle of trying to point your nose at them without completely stalling out.

But - along side The Art of the Kill, this website http://www.combataircraft.com/en/Tactics/Air-To-Air/ gives some nice visual representation of various maneuvers.

In practice - this stuff just kind of ends up being the result of the fight other than the scissors maneuver which is usually initiated by whoever's in the defensive.

Flying against human opponents allows for more practice of BFM imo, although in servers that allow for the aim-120 or R-27ER usually you're dead or get a kill well before you get close enough to actually utilize it.

BFM applies to ALL combat aircraft. So hopping into a WWII fighter provides a lot of practice on grasping the concepts. There are only a couple maneuvers that The Art of the Kill states are no longer used today.

Hope this helps you gain some footing. The hornet will eventually get the Aim-9x and HMD, which will be pretty amazing in close range combat, as you will be able to acquire lock and launch without necessarily being pointed towards your target.

Also - don't forget the G-limit override.. in the sim we get to use this more freely than pilots in real life would at least for now, as exceeding 8.5g's doesn't require a rebuild of the airframe.

position your nose to maintain corner, then pull.

this will win you a pretty decent number of fights, especially if you have numbers and/or SA advantage.

otherwise, the question is a broad one considering there is a ton of stuff you will encounter and everyone is different. for instance, against a mig21 i would advise a nose high sort of strategy, then come back down into WEZ and fire.

however against sukhoi27 what is going to happen is that he will use his nose authority to instantaneous turn into his roughly 180 degree archer WEZ and then waste you.

tl;dr master basics, apply basics- everything else you must strategize against individually.

Thanks for the advice everyone. That's enough to get me started

 

however against sukhoi27 what is going to happen is that he will use his nose authority to instantaneous turn into his roughly 180 degree archer WEZ and then waste you.

To be fair, once the -18 gets the AIM-9X & HMCS it'll be a much more even fight. Even now, as a Flanker driver the F/A-18C is one of the most dangerous opponents in a WVR fight.

The art of the kill is F16 focused and presented by a F16 pilot, the technique he advocates pretty much "turn as hard as you can until you out turn your opponent" and is suitable for the F16 because it is a MONSTER at sustained turns. The Hornet isn't, It's great at low speed maneuverability and pulling high alpha but can't pull the g that an F16 can and loses energy faster than the F16 would. You should use maneuvers that suit your aircrafts advantages, ie scissors or yoyo's, maneuvers that bleed energy from your opponent because as you both lose energy the relative advantage your F18 has over your opponent grows, ultimately the F/A18C will still be controllable and you'll be able to attack your opponent at speeds that can have them stalling.

Do not pull your stick to max deflection. There's a good reason AoA is right there on the HUD. Pull to about 20 degrees but not further! You can pull fantastic AoA in the hornet, well over 60 degrees if you want to, but that will dump your energy like a nasty girlfriend. So get to 300ish knots and keep it there. You will do fine. Exercise. Exercise more. Exercise even more!

I just ran the nevada MiG-29 BFM sortie. Fun! I went full burner right from the get-go and reefed it into the vertical upon merging. The MiG went for a slice to his left. As I pulled through the vertical I converted some of the excess speed into angles for the first time. I guess I now had about 20 degrees on him. The next turn the AI went vertical, but I made a horizontal turn. As we crossed I reversed and this being a 1v1 I converted speed to angles and soon put the MiG on the defensive. He signaled that neatly by popping flares. One more cycle of scissors and I got a tracking shot that put him in the dirt.

old but gold...

You can check this for understanding the concepts of dogfight for now

 

old but gold...

You can check this for understanding the concepts of dogfight for now

He literally said that he watched it.