AirForces Monthly – September 2019

For the 6K and 9K (6,000ft and 9,000ft)

manoeuvres, the principle is the same –

the attacking aircraft is once again behind

the defending aircraft, but with additional

separation. This means the offensive aircraft

starts the manoeuvre outside the defender’s

control zone. The goal of the attacking aircraft

is to manoeuvre into the control zone of the

defending aircraft. Meanwhile, the defending

aircraft has to get away from the attacker to

either neutralise the fight or eventually ‘turn

offensive’ while defeating the enemy’s shots.

The butterfly manoeuvre is different, as the

aircraft begin the fight ‘on neutral ground’.

Once within the battle area, both aircraft

head towards each another, eventually

crossing and creating a race to see who

gains the attacking or defending role within

the dogfight. Pilots make full use of three-

dimensional manoeuvres as well as on-board

systems and (simulated) armament.

Flares and missiles

Basic fighter manoeuvres were carried out

in a flying area over the Mediterranean Sea

with a lower combat floor than back home in

Belgium. This allowed the pilots to experience

the jet’s flying characteristics at low level, with

frequent use of afterburner. The ‘Stingers’

used flares to give both attacker and defender

the chance to experience the capabilities

of short-range, high off-boresight infrared-

guided missiles and a better understanding

of how to defeat them effectively.

The commanding officer of 1 Squadron,

Lt Col Sébastien Mesmaeker, explained:

“You cannot learn to fly BFM by the books

• you have to perform it regularly to see the
  aspect of the other aircraft in the sky.”
  During the first week, the F-16s flew with
  wing tanks, but for the second they were
  configured with a lighter external fuel
  load and only a centreline tank. These
  variations result in different manoeuvring
  capabilities for the aircraft, such as a wider
  turn radius with external fuel tanks, as
  well as a larger radar cross-section (RCS).
  The bigger the RCS, the more visible
  the jet is on an opposing aircraft’s
  radar. All F-16s were equipped
  with four missiles to simulate the
  radar-guided AIM-120B Advanced

Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)

and the infrared-guided AIM-9X Sidewinder.

Pilots were therefore able to experience the

aerodynamic effects of the stores on the

aircraft during intense combat manoeuvres.

The 1 Squadron pilots made use of the Joint

Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). This

provides aviators with a ‘first look, first shoot’, high

off-boresight weapons engagement capability.

The system enables the pilot to accurately cue

onboard armament and sensors against enemy

aircraft without the need to work the radar or

aggressively manoeuvre the aircraft to bring the

target within the head-up display for designation.

Combat symbology such as targeting cues

and aircraft performance parameters are

displayed directly on the pilot’s visor.

Tackling Typhoons

Alongside the ‘in house’ aerial combat, flown

against squadron mates, there was a huge

bonus for 1 Squadron since their operating

area was shared with Italian Air Force

F-2000 Typhoons operating out of

Grosseto air base. The ‘Stingers’

took the opportunity to face another

The ten Belgian Air Component pilots involved

in the Corsican deployment took to the skies

wearing JHMCS. The helmet sight is a very useful

counterpart to the AIM-9X missile, which began to

replace the previous AIM-9M from 2017.

Below: The fi rst-week ‘fi t’: a head-on view of a

Belgian F-16AM loaded with three external fuel

tanks plus inert Sidewinders. Carrying three external

tanks not only adversely affects turn radius but also

increases the aircraft’s radar cross-section.

52 // September 2019 #378 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Belgian F-16s in Corsica

50-53 Solenzara AFM Sep2019.indd 52 8/2/2019 9:29:39 AM