Post by magnifiscent on Oct 15, 2013 11:39:26 GMT -8
The Beam Defense Position, or Thach Weave, is a maneuver designed to allow less maneuverable aircraft to successfully engage and kill more maneuverable aircraft.
It was created by John S. Thach (Thach's F2A-1 Buffalo is a US premium plane) to allow the F4F Wildcat pilots to successfully engage Japanse A6M3 Reisen "Zeros." The Zero had a far superior turn time compared to that of the Wildcat. War Thunder stats show:
A6M3 Reisen (Tier 7 Japan) - Turn Time: 19.1 sec; Rate of Climb: 13m/s.
F4F-4 Wildcat (Tier 7 US) - Turn Time: 19.9 sec; Rate of Climb: 14m/s.
In a traditional turn-fight the Zero can out-turn the F4F and has a superior maximum speed (533kph vs 517 kph). In order to eliminate this advantage, Thach developed a tactic that would allow US pilots to overcome their more maneuverable opponents.
An enemy cannot attack A or B without exposing themselves to attack from C or D.
When engaging an enemy in this way, the bandit (enemy fighter) is actually limited by his target's maneuverability. By choosing to stay behind his target, the bandit can only match his target's turn rate, climb rate, and speed - otherwise he will over-shoot. This effectively eliminates the enemy turn, climb, and speed advantage, allowing the "hook" plane to easily stay on the bandit's tail. The bandit will either be forced to break off his target and select a new one, or risk being destroyed. Swapping "bait" and "hook" positions fluidly as the bandit changes targets will endlessly frustrate and limit the attacker even if the "hook" is unable to get the kill.
Some tips for implementing:
Communicate your role: Know which of you the bandit is targeting and tell the other person. The target is "bait," and the wing man is "hook." Know what that means and what your job is once the roles are defined. Be flexible and ready to switch.
Work together: The "bait" and "hook" should be constantly communicating their intentions and positions. Work together to put the bandit in the "hook's" gun sights. Remember - if you're flying your plane to the limit of its capabilities, your wing man will be forced to do the same. Calm down, back off. You aren't flying to stay out of your enemy's guns (impossible with a more maneuverable opponent anyway); you are flying to put the bandit into the "hook's" guns. The easier you make it on the "hook," the faster the bandit dies.
Remember: A Thach weave is not a single turn as depicted in the above image. It involves a second turn (like the first) to bring the bandit into the gunsights of the "hook."
A note on dissimilar planes: Obviously this works better when the "bait" and "hook" planes are the same - it is very easy to fly the "bait" in a way that allows the "hook" to gain an advantage. If the "bait" is much more maneuverable than the "hook," it will be much harder for the "hook" to stay with the bandit. Know who your teammates are, what their planes are, and what you should be doing to best utilize your friends.
It was created by John S. Thach (Thach's F2A-1 Buffalo is a US premium plane) to allow the F4F Wildcat pilots to successfully engage Japanse A6M3 Reisen "Zeros." The Zero had a far superior turn time compared to that of the Wildcat. War Thunder stats show:
A6M3 Reisen (Tier 7 Japan) - Turn Time: 19.1 sec; Rate of Climb: 13m/s.
F4F-4 Wildcat (Tier 7 US) - Turn Time: 19.9 sec; Rate of Climb: 14m/s.
In a traditional turn-fight the Zero can out-turn the F4F and has a superior maximum speed (533kph vs 517 kph). In order to eliminate this advantage, Thach developed a tactic that would allow US pilots to overcome their more maneuverable opponents.
It was executed either by two fighter aircraft side-by-side or by two pairs of fighters flying together. When an enemy aircraft chose one fighter as his target (the "bait" fighter; his wingman being the "hook"), the two wingmen turned in towards each other. After crossing paths, and once their separation was great enough, they would then repeat the exercise, again turning in towards each other, bringing the enemy plane into the hook's sights. A correctly executed Thach Weave (assuming the bait was taken and followed) left little chance of escape to even the most maneuverable opponent.
An enemy cannot attack A or B without exposing themselves to attack from C or D.
When engaging an enemy in this way, the bandit (enemy fighter) is actually limited by his target's maneuverability. By choosing to stay behind his target, the bandit can only match his target's turn rate, climb rate, and speed - otherwise he will over-shoot. This effectively eliminates the enemy turn, climb, and speed advantage, allowing the "hook" plane to easily stay on the bandit's tail. The bandit will either be forced to break off his target and select a new one, or risk being destroyed. Swapping "bait" and "hook" positions fluidly as the bandit changes targets will endlessly frustrate and limit the attacker even if the "hook" is unable to get the kill.
Some tips for implementing:
Communicate your role: Know which of you the bandit is targeting and tell the other person. The target is "bait," and the wing man is "hook." Know what that means and what your job is once the roles are defined. Be flexible and ready to switch.
Work together: The "bait" and "hook" should be constantly communicating their intentions and positions. Work together to put the bandit in the "hook's" gun sights. Remember - if you're flying your plane to the limit of its capabilities, your wing man will be forced to do the same. Calm down, back off. You aren't flying to stay out of your enemy's guns (impossible with a more maneuverable opponent anyway); you are flying to put the bandit into the "hook's" guns. The easier you make it on the "hook," the faster the bandit dies.
Remember: A Thach weave is not a single turn as depicted in the above image. It involves a second turn (like the first) to bring the bandit into the gunsights of the "hook."
A note on dissimilar planes: Obviously this works better when the "bait" and "hook" planes are the same - it is very easy to fly the "bait" in a way that allows the "hook" to gain an advantage. If the "bait" is much more maneuverable than the "hook," it will be much harder for the "hook" to stay with the bandit. Know who your teammates are, what their planes are, and what you should be doing to best utilize your friends.
