DLO: To acquire proficiency in A2A gunnery against Buffs and lower energy targets using Lag and Displacment Rolls.
Test Level: To pass this test you must be able to splash both aircraft of a two ship Buff formation in not more than three passes with a time interval of not more than 20 seconds between each attack.
Mission Brief:
IP will host the mission as assigned for test purposes by the Training Office.
Student is BLU1. IP is BLU2. Wx is good, depart from airfield north of Kerch and proceed south feet wet. Identify all targets to IP using Operational Brevity and SOP. Find a two ship BDA package expected Kerch at 12:07 from SSE. Gunnery options and solutions are open. IP will fly as wing and not fire until test is either completed or failed. There are several other targets available and also two friendlies.
There are a few basics to cover:
SA is critical as you cannot help but lose sight of the tgt at times due to high DeltaV so noting the tgts HDG and/or direction of turn are crucial. If overshooting or commencing a lag roll always turn to the OUTSIDE of the buffs direction of turn. Keep in mind his defensive weapons and thier fields of fire. Ju88 for example is weak HO but pretty nasty from 6 and this is why we want a high closure gun pass. To sit in formation is to die fast! A sample of the techniques required can be seen in the track file for IL2v1.2 Buff Gunnery It is suggested that the student create several quick missions against various bomber formations at hi, med and lo levels and practise the techniques demonstrated. The main problem with high closure gunnery is acquiring the target in time to manoeuvre and the very small firing window. Also the maintenance of SA after pulling off target and the subsequent reacquisition requires a methodical, well rehearsed and smoothly flown approach. In the track file you will see the targets acquired and sufficient lateral spacing achieved to allow a relatively low G stern conversion with the first attack from low 6. Immediately you cease firing on the first pass the aircraft should be rolled to a heading 45 degrees left or right of the targets heading and pulled to not less than 45 degrees nose up, probably more like 60 but NOT to the vertical, you want to move across the earths surface in roughly the same direction as the tgt and stay pretty much overhead. A very short time after you start the pull up you should be able to reacquire the target over your shoulder and it is recommended to use 'snap' views for this procedure. Perfectly flown in a P39 you will see the tgt in the small window behind your shoulder and thereafter in the lower rear corner of the canopy. As soon as you have the target visual (perhaps padlocked again by now) roll and pull over the top so that your nose is a 45 degrees to the opposite of the targets heading to which you initially rolled and you are able to maintain an inverted position looking straight up through the canopy at the tgt, commence a pull down into either a high angle gun pass or you have the option of waiting a little before pulling back down and therefore returning to a long 6 position. The disadvantage of this is that it takes a lot longer to reattack. The aim of this style of gunnery is to keep you in close contact with the target and just over his head and out of range of his defences at reasonably mid level G to spoil his gunners aim and conserving Energy to reattack using a high angle, high closure gun pass. If you lose tally then level off at altitude and turn to a reciprocal heading to that of the target for a short time to provide lateral spacing thereby placing you again in his 6. 3 or 4 seconds is plenty normally. Reverse direction again to the targets original heading to where the target should be, reacquire and again attack from low 6. Watch the .TRKs a few times and then practice. Listen to what your IP has says during the training runs and you will breeze through this test. There is a sequence of screen shots below that may assist in visualising the procedures but it is best to download and view the track file listed above.
Stop Press 25OCT02. I have just benefitted from the input of someone that REALLY knows what he is talking about and I quote his text here for you as I humbly eat my pie. Thanks Finbarr /0:
Should emphasize the necessisity to manouevre out of the plane
of attack on splash whilst being self congratulatory otherwise risk kill
self with debris and also sitting duck for enemy wingman (ref sequence -
.trks shows good clearance manouevre.)
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