Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Dogfighting Skills in Falcon BMS
Top 10 Tips to Improve your dogfighting skills A Comprehensive Guide to BFM, BVR Tactics, and Surviving the World’s Most Complex Simulated Air Combat
Top 10 tips to improve your dogfighting skills because Falcon BMS isn’t just a flight simulator, it’s a combat simulator where tactical awareness, energy management, as well as systems knowledge is essential for survival. Many new Falcon BMS pilots jump straight into trying to out turn the bandit at close range, only to be obliterated by another unseen threat.
The difference between Falcon BMS 4.8 and DCS World is the AI and the Dynamic Campaign engine. What this means is its not just you out there, no far from it! There will be wingman that will fight alongside you and the enemy has them as well. Getting into a close quarters turning fight is dangerous if you don’t know where all the players are!
This guide will walk you through the core concepts of BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers), BVR (Beyond Visual Range) engagements, and practical tactics that will keep you alive and victorious.
1. Understand the Fundamentals of BFM
Before you even consider BVR, you must master Basic Fighter Maneuvers. BFM is about geometry and energy as well as positioning your jet relative to your opponent to create a firing solution while denying them one.
Key BFM Concepts:
- Turn Circle – ONE CIRCLE The imaginary circle your jet describes in a sustained turn. This is most often referred to as either a ONE CIRCLE flight. One CIrcle is where the opponent’s turn to face each other head on! Great for good instantaneous turn fighters like a delta wing mirage ir a thrust vectoring Su-35.
- Turn Circle – TWO CIRCLE is a rate turn fight where one fighter is chasing the other from behind in a circle that looks more like a figure 8 in the sky. This is the fight the F-16 particularly loves being able to maintain 9Gs over an extended period where it chases down the enemy fighter till it tracks behind it. Then it kills it!
- Radius vs. Rate:
- Radius helps with nose position quickly (high-alpha maneuvers – Mirage 2000 – Su 30 – Mig 29 – F-18).
- Rate helps stay on the opponent over time (sustained energy – F-16 – F-15 – Mig-29 (Attributes similar to a Viper) to name a couple).
- Lag, Lead, Pure Pursuit:
- Lag pursuit to maintain closure without overshooting.
- Lead to get your pipper in front of the bandit.
- Pure to point directly at them (often temporarily).
- Energy Management:
- Speed + altitude = options. Bleed too much energy chasing a turn, and you’ll be a sitting duck.
- Speed + altitude = options. Bleed too much energy chasing a turn, and you’ll be a sitting duck.
- The One Circle vs. Two Circle Fight:
- One Circle: Nose-to-nose merge, favoring fighters with high instantaneous turn rate.
- Two Circle: Nose-to-tail merge, favoring fighters with better sustained turn rate.
Tip: If you’re not sure which circle fight your jet excels in, spend time practicing defensive merges in the ACMI.
2. Grasp BVR Survival First
Falcon BMS models radar, ECM, and missiles at a level that rivals professional simulators. If you can’t survive BVR, you’ll never get to dogfight. This is a good thing in a battle scenario. Kill them before they can kill you! This is done extremely well by packs of F-15C fighters flying their EAGLE WALL!
The Eagle WALL is a tactic where a number of Eagles fly together but using their radars provide a full sky picture using overlapping radars. NOthing gets through the search RADAR id done correctly.
The mighty viper is able to fly very high as well as very fast giving a massive range advantage over less powerful fighters. Flying very fast and very high means the missiles launch speed of say Mach 2.5 is then added to the aircraft speed, let’s say Mach 1.5 to give it an overall energy package of Mach 4!
Yes thats some speed and combining this with super thin air at altitude the air resistance is very low allowing the missile to get ranges you would not normally expect!
BVR Priorities:
- Detect: Use your radar to build situational awareness early.
- Identify: Confirm hostile contacts to avoid friendly fire.
- Sort: Assign targets across your flight so you’re not duplicating effort.
- Engage: Use AMRAAMs (AIM-120s) or other long-range weapons efficiently.
- Defend: As soon as you launch, assume the bandit has fired back.
3. Don’t Fixate – Maintain the Big Picture.
One of the most common mistakes: tunnel vision. While you’re locked onto a single bandit, his wingman is maneuvering behind you. This is true in Beyond Visual Range (BVR) as well as BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuver’s) situations.
In modern fighter the data link such as LINK 16 allows groups of many fighters to share targeting information and SA (Situational Awareness) over a network in the sky. This is enhanced by ships and ground radars who can add to the already enormous information available.
How to Avoid It:
- Periodically check your RWR (Radar Warning Receiver).
- Use the TWS (Track While Scan) radar mode to keep multiple contacts in view.
- Break lock if you’re about to merge and haven’t cleared your six.
- Communicate constantly with your wingman or AI flight.
4. Defeat BVR Missiles with Maneuver
Long-range missiles lose energy quickly. Their great range is also their great weakness.
Missile Defense Basics:
- Notch: Turn perpendicular to the threat radar to hide in ground clutter (doppler notch). Common defencive tactic. Doppler based radar relies on closure or departure rate. If you fly parallel to their path the radar does not see you.
- Beam: Similar to the notch, but maintaining awareness to maneuver further. Keep maneuvering to keep the enemy on your 3 or 9 o’clock position.
- Drag: Turn away to extend range to pit the missile’s energy. Running away as well as decending from high altitude to low altitude means the missile must maneuver and also hits a wall of thick air that puts the brakes on its range and energy availability.
- Terrain Mask: Dive behind hills or into denser air layers. Simple but effective putting objects like hills between you and your enemies radar as well as missiles. Data links can help you keep track of the enemy location if it remains available.
Missiles fly a lead pursuit path so that means they fly ahead of you to where you will be in the time it takes the missile to reach that point. If you maneuver one way it has to react. If you them reverse or dive the missile has to lead you like a shotgun trying to shoot a moving target.
Example: If an AIM-120C is fired at you from 20 miles while you’re at 25,000 feet, an immediate split-S down to 5,000 feet will force the missile to dive, bleed energy, and possibly fail to track.
5. Exploit the Missile’s Kinematic Limits
Every missile has:
- Burn Time: The duration it’s under power.
- Max Range: A best-case distance (high altitude, no evasion).
- No-Escape Zone: The area within which evasion is very difficult.
Strategy:
- Time your maneuvers: Delay defensive turns so you force the missile to maneuver late, when it’s slow.
- Cold aspect: Turning tail to the missile increases closure and shortens time-to-impact, but also degrades guidance.
- Jinking unpredictably near the terminal phase can spoof the seeker.
- You have to fight, maneuver and look for the enemy as well as missiles every second.
LOSE SIGHT (of the enemy) LOSE THE FIGHT
6. Master Your Radar Modes
Knowing how to switch radar modes fast is life or death. Its likely the most important job you have before the enemy gets close to you! If so they have been smart or you have made a big mistake!
The radar is your eyes in the sky! Knowing when to scan up or down as well as left or right and changing the scan modes for faster updates when needed! Its all part of learning your jet!
Quick Guide:
- RWS (Range While Search): Scan wide sectors. Detected by your enemies RWR (Radar Warning Receiver)
- TWS: Track multiple targets. Generally not detected by RWR and tracks many targets simultaneously.
- STT (Single Target Track): For launch guidance and stronger locks. The enemy will know you fired using STT. You have to use STT with older missiles but modern ones can be launched in TWS mode normally.
- ACM Modes: For close-in fights (boresight, vertical scan). Vertical mode is great as its looking up and down in front of your aircraft which is where the enemy should be placed by you!
Pro Tip: In Falcon BMS, mapping these modes to HOTAS is critical.
7. Never Merge Unless You Must
A merge is the last resort. Every time you enter a turning fight:
- You expose your 6 o’clock. Deadly
- You bleed energy. More deadly
- You lose BVR options. They can see you so they can kill you and there may be more than one! Get out and leave if you can!
When to Merge:
- You’ve exhausted BVR weapons.
- You have a positional advantage.
- You’re defending against a high-off-boresight missile shot.
This is a big call you as pilot must make on occasion. There are going to be situations that develop and you have to mix it close quarters with other fighters. Be aggressive and try to kill them as soon as possible. This does not mean pull as hard as possible and blow all your enemy so they can walk over and kill you.
8. Use the Vertical Plane
New pilots often think horizontally, but modern BFM is 3D.
Vertical maneuvers:
- High Yo-Yo: Reduce closure and reposition.
- Low Yo-Yo: Increase closure and cut across the circle.
- Lag Displacement Roll: Maintain energy while repositioning aft.
Very common for pilots just flying flat circles in dogfights. If you have energy spare go up. A height advantage also gives you potential energy to use latter. Height also gives you the advantage of seeing and controlling the fight which is pretty important.
9. Set Up the Fight to Your Advantage
The best pilots dictate terms before weapons are fired. Be at a good altitude and ensure your speed is high to have energy to use. To fast can be an issue so depending on your situation. Try and intercept the enemy from behind!
Positioning Tactics:
- Enter the fight with more energy.
- Merge from an altitude advantage.
- Use sun or ground clutter to obscure your approach.
- Bait the enemy into burning energy early.
- Keep the enemy in your evaluation widow when maneuvering.
Don’t fly HUD BFM with the enemy always in your HUD. JUST DON’T!
Maintain energy and position until the opportunity presents itself for the kill.
LEEP THE ENEMY in your EVALUATION WINDOW ie a fist above the canopy bow of your jet and this extends up for a bottle of beer in height. This is where you keep your enemy until your ready. Sooner is better than latter.
10. Debrief Every Fight
Falcon BMS has ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) files you can replay. This is your best teacher.
Review:
- Where you lost SA (Situational Awareness).
- When you over-G’d or stalled.
- Where you could have exited rather than merged.
- How your radar and RWR usage could improve.
Tip: Even a 1v1 dogfight should be studied in ACMI to see exactly how the bandit outmaneuvered you.
Tools like TACVIEW allow you to review combat and see where the mistakes were made and the opportunities lost! Review and learn the art of BFM so when your there you can see the answers already. Always be ready to exit if needed!
Conclusion
Dogfighting in Falcon BMS is thrilling, but it’s also dangerous and unforgiving. The best pilots treat BVR as the main fight and BFM as the last resort. Master your systems, train your energy management, and never lose sight of the bigger tactical picture.
Now get out there—wheels up, radar hot, and watch your six always!
Author
Brendon McAliece (Aka Gunnie) is a military veteran with 23 years working on Jet Fighters, their weapons systems and ejection seat/module systems as well as munitions and R&D. Involved with flight simulation since the 1980s, he has flown all the major flight simulators over the years.
He is an Australian expat who has lived in Malaysia, UK, Saudi Arabia and more recently Thailand. He is a multi-lingual blogger who loves to share his life experiences here on LetsFlyVFR.com and DreamingGuitar.com, with his lifestyle and Travel experiences Blog plus his Dreaming Coffee website.
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