

In advanced training, pilots learn to fly against opponents in different types of aircraft, so pilots must learn to cope with different technological advantages as well, which more resembles real combat. Training usually begins with pilots flying the same type of aircraft, pitting only their skills against each other. BFM are typically universal maneuvers which can be performed in most any fighter aircraft, and are usually considered to be training maneuvers. The development of BFM began with the first fighter aircraft, during World War I, then continued with each following war, adapting to the changing weapons and technologies.īasic fighter maneuvers consist of many varying tactical turns, rolls, and other actions to get behind or above an enemy, before the opponent can do the same. Awareness is often taught as the best tactical defense, removing the possibility of an attacker getting or remaining behind the pilot even with speed a fighter is open to attack from the rear.īasic fighter maneuvers are actions that a fighter aircraft makes during air combat maneuvering, historically known as dogfighting.

They can also be neutral, where both opponents strive for an offensive position, or disengagement maneuvers, to help facilitate an escape. They can be offensive, to help an attacker get behind an enemy, or defensive, to help the defender evade an attacker's air-to-air weapons. Maneuvers are used to gain a better angular position in relation to the opponent. BFM combines the fundamentals of aerodynamic flight and the geometry of pursuit with the physics of managing the aircraft's energy-to-weight ratio, called its specific energy. (June 2010)īasic fighter maneuvers ( BFM) are tactical movements performed by fighter aircraft during air combat maneuvering (also called ACM, or dogfighting), in order to gain a positional advantage over the opponent. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. This article's lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents.
