[ROCAF]: Exercise Red Anvil

[Deleted member 5]

Republic of China Air Force
"Exercise Red Anvil"
TOP SECRET​

Course Name: Combat Pilot Training Skills trained: Advanced Air Force Fighter Pilot Training Location: Taipei, Taiwan Exact Location: TOP SECRET

Involved Fighter Units​

22nd Tactical Fighter Sq, Chiayi Air Base	40x F-16 C/D Fighting Falcons, 40 Pilots
Presidential Protection Sq, Taipei Air Base	12x Sukhoi Su-35s Super Flankers, 12 Pilots & 400 Aircrew
17th Attack Sq, Hualien Air Base	12x AIDC F-CK 1 C/D, 12 Pilots

Equipment that will be involved in Red Anvil Exercise​

1x Argentine Primary 3D Radar System

4x NCSIST 3D Phased Array Rotating Radar System

1x Lockheed AN/TPS-77 Radar System

The course lasts 2 weeks, afterwards the following insignia would be given to the participants, indicating they mastered the given skill: Fighter Pilot Badge with 2 Stars
​

 

[Jamie]

⌈ NATIONAL ECONOMICS ⌋ Billed

THREAD HAS BEEN CHARGED​

 

[Deleted member 5]

The 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron from Chiayi Airbase, the each 40x F-16 C/D would be loaded and armed with 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon, 511 rounds, 2 × AIM-7 Sparrow, 6 × AIM-9 Sidewinder, 6 × AIM-120 AMRAAM, 6 × AGM-65 Maverick, 4 × AGM-88 HARM, 4 × Joint Direct Attack Munition, 2x Wan Chien GPS-guided cluster bomb, were loaded up each F-16 C/Ds of forties of them. After the load up is complete, 40x Pilots would hop on the 40 (forty) F-16 C/D, 40x F-16 C/D would taxied on the runway, fully fueled, fully armed and full afterburner would takeoff one by one from Chiayi Air Base. The Destination is Taipei Air Base. All ground aircrews were scrambled into runways and prepare for fuel truck in the hangers. This would take half an hour to reach to Taipei Air Base HQ. The 1x Argentine Primary 3D Radar, 4x NCSIST 3D Phased Array Rotating Radar System and 1x Lockheed AN/TPS-77 Radar System would be deployed to monitor massive numbers of aircraft monitoring and as the radar operators would note down. After the 40x F-16 C/D would landed, these pilots would meet with their Commanders at Taipei Air Base HQ.

Meanwhile, the radars would monitors the Taipei Air Base Sky to see if there are any issues, so that it would helpful to dispatch 12x Sukhoi Su-35 Super Flankers to monitor. Since, there is no issues, radar operators would carefully note. In the meantime, the 17th Attack Squadron from Hualien Air Base, the each 12x AIDC F-CK 1 C/D Hsiang Sheng would be loaded with 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon, 511 rounds, 4x Sky Sword I, 4x Sky Sword II and 2x Wan Chien GPS-guided cluster bomb were loaded up each 12x AIDC F-CK 1 C/D Hsiang Sheng of them. After the loadout is complete, 12x Pilots would hop on the 12 (twelve) AIDC F-CK 1 C/D, 12x AIDC F-CK 1 C/D would taxied on the runway, fully fueled, fully armed and full afterburner would takeoff one by one from Hualien Air Base. The Destination is Taipei Air Base. It would take half an hour to reach Taipei Air Base. After landed at Taipei Air Base, these pilots would meet with their commanders at Taipei Air Base HQ to discuss their exercise red anvil. They would meet up with other pilots and mingle with them. The aircrews would refuel these aircrafts for the exercise and conduct maintenance as they needed.

All Assigned unit pilots would sit down and discuss about the next step and when will they fly for the exercise.

 

[Deleted member 5]

After the necessary maintenance and refueling is complete, Few experienced pilots are assigned into Su-35s Super Flanker to roleplay as "Aggressor" against all other F-16 C/D and AIDC F-CK 1 C/D pilots.

This first course will focus on improving the Taiwanese fighter pilots offensive capabilities.

Considering the relevance of dog fighting at short-range by highlighting the importance of the position relative to the opponent. Focus would be made on maneuverability and short range combat tactics. Out performance of another pilot and that pilot's aircraft is critical to maintain the upper-hand.

The considered "basic" maneuvers, which the pilots would have already seen during their instruction, would be reviewed and the pilots mastery of them improved.

These maneuvers are identified as:

• Combat spread
• Pitchback
• Bell Tailslide
• Split S
• Immelmann turn
• Thach Weave
• Scissors
• Chandelle

All squadrons would make a total of 30 sorties during this course, plus participate in a series of theoretical classes conducted on ground and with the use of simulators.

No live-fire exercises are scheduled during this course.

Before the start of each sortie, all aircraft would be subject to the routine check and fully fueled.

 

[Deleted member 5]

The first sorties would focus on the initial maneuvers a pilot usually executes while engaging an enemy aircraft or aircraft in dogfight.

Combat spread is one of the most elemental maneuvers for pre-positioning before engaging. A pair of attacking aircraft will separate. The fighter with the lower altitude becomes the defender, while the wingman flies above in "the perch" position. The defender will then attempt to lure their opponents into a good position to be attacked by the wingman.

This maneuver would be confronted with defensive splits, that basically consist of a pair of fighters splitting into opposite directions, forcing the attackers to follow only one aircraft. This allows the other defender to circle around, and maneuver behind the attackers.

This first drill would be carried out by each squadrons designating attacker and defender pairs and pairing them up against each other, trying to get missile locks short-ranged or machine gun barrage (simulated). Once complete, they would exchange roles. The first 3 sorties would consist of this exercise.

Sorties 4 to 8 would consists of a similar procedure, but the defensive maneuvers would be expanded with the implementation of "sandwich" maneuvers (two defenders flying side by side at the same altitude and when an attacker maneuvers onto the tail of one aircraft, the defender will make a sharp turn away from the wingman. Simultaneously, the wingman turns in the same direction as the defender. When both fighters turn 90 degrees, they will come into single-file alignment with each other, "sandwiching" the attacker in the middle. Because the attacker is distracted chasing the defender, this allows the wingman to because maneuver onto the attacker's tail for an easy shot.

As well as making "breaks" (at the moment the attacker is spotted incoming from behind, the defender will breaks. The maneuver consists of turning sharply across the attacker's flight path, to increase angle off tail, exposing the attacker's guns for only a brief instant.


All squadrons would carry out this first 8 sorties.

 

[Deleted member 5]

The pilots would continue their training, always according to the plan, and involving all Fighter Squadrons in the Taiwanese Air Force and Presidential Protection Force.

The maneuvers to be practiced would get increasingly more difficult and demanding. As a new way to counter an enemy aircraft "breaking", the pilots would now practice once more (like they did during initial training) the famous "barrel roll". This maneuver consists of performing a roll and a loop, completing both at the same time, resulting in a helical roll around a straight flight path and a virtual 90 degree turn, using all three dimensions, in the direction opposite of the roll. The move culminates with the attacker aircraft's nose pointed in the direction of the defender's travel.

This move would be practice by facing flights of 2 aircraft against each other and trying to outmaneuver with the this tactics. Once complete, the roles would be exchanged in order to both groups be attacker and defender.

Sorties 9 to 10 would consist of this practice.

Afterwards, on sorties 11 to 14, the pilots would expand their "generic" barrel roll with the more demanding and difficult Lag displacement roll and High-g barrel roll.

The first one is used to reduce the angle off tail by bringing the attacker from lead pursuit to pure, or even lag pursuit. The maneuver is executed by rolling up and away from the turn, then, when the aircraft's lift vector is aligned with the defender, pulling back on the stick, bringing the fighter back into the turn.

The second is a combination of a loop and a snap roll. A high g barrel roll is a last-ditch defensive maneuver, performed when the attacker has achieved a suitable guns solution, in order to cause an overshoot. The high-g barrel roll is a violent maneuver which is performed much more aggressively than a normal barrel roll.

Once again, these maneuvers would be trained by facing 2 times and exchange roles (attacker/defender).

All pilots would carry out this exercises in order to gain mastery of the different types of barrel rolls.

 

[Deleted member 5]

Continuing with the Exercise Red Anvil, Fighter Training Program, the Squadrons would now begin working on improving their executions of High-side guns pass, Immelmann Turns and Split-S.

The first one is basically a tactic to be employed on the offensive in those case where the attacker has achieved a high altitude advantage vis a vis the target aircraft. It consists of a powered dive toward the rear quarter of a lower flying opponent. Shooting with the cannons in a single, high-speed pass, the attacker uses excess kinetic energy to disengage from the fight in a zoom climb back to a safe altitude, restoring the potential energy allowing so the attacker to set up another attack and dive again. A high-side guns pass is a very effective tactic against a more maneuverable opponent, where the turning battle of a dogfight is best avoided.

The second maneuver, the Immelmann Turn, is essentially a trade-off between airspeed in favor of altitude at a 180° change in direction. The aircraft performs the first half of a loop, and when completely inverted, rolls to the upright position.

Finally, the Split-S is the opposite of the Immelmann Turn, consisting of rolling inverted and pulling back on the stick, diving the aircraft into a half loop, which changes the aircraft's direction 180°.

The pilots would practice the maneuvers first alone, and then in simulated dogfights, were pairs of aircraft act as defenders and others as attackers, exchanging roles in order to both sides train and practice all maneuvers.

Flights 15 to 18 would consist of this exercises.

 

[Deleted member 5]

Training would continue with more maneuvers being practiced up to perfection.

In this next few sessions, focus would be put on low and high Yo-Yo maneuvers. The low yo-yo consists in sacrificing altitude for an instantaneous increase in speed, with the aim to make the objective overshoot. This maneuver is accomplished by rolling with the nose low into the turn, and dropping into a steeper slice turn. By utilizing some energy that was stored in the vertical plane, the attacker can quickly decrease range and improve the angle of the attack, literally cutting the corner on the opponent's turn.

Instead, the high yo-yo maneuver usually follows the execution of a low one and is very difficult to counter. It is used to slow the approach of a fast moving attacker while conserving the airspeed energy. The maneuver is performed by reducing the angle at which the aircraft is banking during a turn, and pulling back on the stick, bringing the fighter up into a new plane of travel. The attacker then rolls into a steeper pitch turn, climbing above the defender.

The high yo-yo maneuver has also a defensive variant, which will also be reviews during these sessions due to its close relation with the standard high yo-yo maneuver. This maneuver is performed when the attacker rolls away from the turn to begin the correction. The defender will begin to relax the turn by easing off of the stick, called "unloading", which causes both turn radius and speed to increase, restoring the fighter's lost energy. If the defender maintains the same angle of bank, the subtle maneuver will be very difficult for the attacker to spot. When the attacker completes the out-of-plane maneuver, the defending fighter has regained some of its energy. This allows the defender to, once again, turn harder into the attack, regaining an angular advantage over the higher energy attacker. If the attacker is surprised by the maneuver, a high Yo-Yo defense might even cause an overshoot.

As with all previous sessions, the Squadrons would split in groups and face each other in dogfight drills, having to put into use the maneuvers reviewed. Once complete, roles would be exchange in order for all participants to practice both sides of the drill.

 

[Deleted member 5]

Next up on schedule would be the practice of the different types of "Scissors" maneuvers. Sorties 20 to 22 will be dedicated to this.

The so called "scissor" maneuvers are a set of turn reversals and flight path overshoots intended to slow the relative forward motion of the aircraft in an attempt to either force a dangerous overshoot, on the part of the defender, or prevent a dangerous overshoot on the attacker's part. The defender's goal is to stay out of phase with the attacker, trying to prevent a guns solution, while the attacker tries to get in phase with the defender. The advantage usually goes to the more maneuverable aircraft.

On turn, the Scissor maneuvers can be divided into three groups: Aggressor Su-35s Super Flanker vs. F-16 C/D & AIDC F-CK 1 C/D respective aircraft.

- Flat scissors
- Rolling scissors

The first one is usually executed after a low-speed overshoot in a horizontal direction, while the latter are more common to happen after a high-speed overshoot from above.

As usual, the exercises would be conducted by splitting the groups and making teams of 3 face each other, later on exchanging roles.

 

[Deleted member 5]

With 22 successful sorties, during which all pilots have retrained and improved their dog-fighting skills by carrying out multiple times several offensive and also defensive maneuvers, the last 3 flights would be destined for the Squadrons to carry out a competition to determine the best dog-fighters in each fighter squadrons.

The pilots would conduct each of them 6 combat simulations paired up against the same amount of opponents, 2 per sortie.

The pilots who after all 6 "combat" achieved the best win/loss ratio and kill count would earn a special distinction as the most proficent fighter in its Squadron, and also elegible for future elite training and courses within the Taiwanese Air Force.

During this final exam, the pilots would be indicated to carry out as many, and in the most efficient way, of the maneuvers practiced. The combats would be reviewed by experts and graded for internal purposes.

After all 30 sorties have been finally completed, the pilots would obtain their advanced air wing badges and return to normal duties, awaiting further training courses.

Training has been completed. The 40x F-16 C/D would return to Chiayi Air Base and 12x AIDC F-CK 1 C/D would also returned to Hualien Air Base. These pilots are awaiting for next phase of training.