DCS: Basic Air to Air Combat Guide + Tacview Review/Explanation

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This video is intended to be an Air to Air guide help for new players to DCS. Thank you to MasterJayJ for helping out with this video, He was flying the F-18 Hornet and I was flying the F-15 Eagle we go head to head and at the end of the video I go over the Tacview of the fight and talk about mistakes and how to improve etc.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

This video is intended to help newer DCS players with the concepts of air to air combat and simple tactics such as cranking, using different air densities to ur advantage and countermeasure conservation. Its important to not lose your head when a missile is fired at you so you can use ur head to deduce the logic needed to outsmart your enemy or exploit his mistakes. Thanks for watching and I hope you found the video Helpful. let me know if you'd like more content like this.

[@Hatredy11]

Any chance you could enable server exports on your server so we can have our jetseats function correctly? It was previously working until 3/10.

[@cutliss]

Awesome video! How do you tell the distance of the target?

[@Jason-db1dy]

What program is the tac view

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Jason the actual program name is tacview

[@Jason-db1dy]

Growling Sidewinder thanks

[@asandor83]

I'm a DCS noob and this is fantastic to watch! The in-game tutorials don't teach you any of this stuff, thank you for taking the time to share!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure i'm glad you found it useful.

[@zihaowang5850]

I always enjoy the tacview part, new stuff learned every single time.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Glad you found it useful man

[@FlightDreamz]

Agree with Zihao these videos (and the TacView "debrief") are SO much more useful than reading Robert Shaw's "Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering" (which is a great book don't get me wrong). But the breakdown of what went right and what went wrong, and why is great! Glad I came across the Growling Sidewinder channel- been scouring the internet for videos like these (now if only I could get my simpit set up)!

[@Ala13ManOWar]

Of course we want way more videos on the subject, from basic principles to the top. Great explanation, thanks for your time mate.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure man thanks for watching

[@kraypher6103]

3 years on and it's still a great video for learning purposes. Salute to you sir!

[@timsullivan4566]

Watching this over 1 year later and so have been able to see just how steep was MasterJays's learning curve!

[@callumwearne7870]

For 3 weeks thats pretty impressive considering you have to learn the language of the aircraft as well

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

ya extremely impressive

[@SPIRIT-117]

Yeah I think when I was 3 weeks old into DCS (right when hornet came out) I didn't realize the plane had the within visual range lock options like vertical scan or everything, so I was trying to use the radar with the scan range set to 5 miles...lulz

[@FlightDreamz]

Kudo's to Master J for agreeing to come out to dogfight and doing such a credible job for three weeks experience! Master J's a better pilot than I (haven't been able to even set up D.C.S. yet)!

[@nathanc6611]

Plot twist... He flies fast jets for a living.

[@kama6sutra1996]

@@nathanc6611 Possible.. But then he would have known more about the combat tactics I think and less about the ingame mechanics.

[@Pylon5Productions]

Nice video GS. Really liking the TacView breakdowns. How I've usually approached multiplayer BVR engagements is with a rule of thumb in mind: If I turn away from the fight for any reason (except for very long ranges) and I am still getting RWR spikes from the bandit, I commit to bugging out rather than trying to reenter the fight (assuming I have the energy to do so). Of course, this was learned the hard way a few times. Really impressed with MasterJay's ability to not only learn how to effectively use/defend against BVR weapons in 3 weeks, but also to do it while using a full fidelity module.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks man yes that tactic is a really nice way to ensure you stay alive.

[@charles_wipman]

Very good and graphic 'beginers guide, air to air combat and common mistakes that new players/pilots do'; i think that there is a lot to learn there for the new players.

[@mongoose2187]

Great video, love all of them....they've helped me so much! Got my hotas setup finally after a month! I'm having an amazing time....look forward to enjoying at your level at some point down the road!Thx Mongoose!

[@bigbridgeshooterswv9367]

Super cool sound effect when the missile struck the Hornet

[@thefridge71]

Love these sort of videos mate. Thankyou for showing me how I make mistakes in this game. Great job and a huge thankyoiu to MasterJay!

[@reduk1999]

Love the video I really enjoy the tact view too looking forward to seeing the next...

[@therealcharliesix7126]

Great vid as always man! I love the new introduction.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Thank you brother appreciate it

[@solngv8]

D.M.C. and Jam Master Jayyyyy!! (record scratching on the turntable) I didn't know he flew an F-18 but he flew it well against a real master.

[@halseyactual1732]

Very much new to this game but have been observing your videos intently for awhile, and the work you do to assist novices is much appreciated. But an idea to float if I may say so. Would it be within your means to create a series which would outline a more or less comprehensive metagame, such that combat scenarios could be classified into sets or categories, each w/ a prescribed general solution that'd act as low resolution representation of a problem solving tool, which players could use and attempt to construct a higher resolution representation of the solution with more data on the fly, which would manifest as the micro action-perception sequences as displayed in this video. A complexity I see within such a game as DCS is the necessity to transcend levels of abstraction. So say scenarios could be classified between different aircraft, numerical disparities, large altitude and/or energy asymmetry etc. Just food for thought. Enjoying the content. Thank you again.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Thanks man I appreciate it very much and i'm glad youre finding it helpful. I understand and I will look into doing asymmetrical situations. thanks for the suggestion

[@halseyactual1732]

@@GrowlingSidewinder O7

[@Triggatra4258]

Shut up

[@EdadTace]

Oh, MasterJay? I just so happened to have fought against him on the server yesterday - got a sweet gun kill.

[@Triggatra4258]

Prove it.

[@gosajd1736]

Great video! Please make a beginners air to air series, where you teach us all the basics.

[@chaozbanditx]

Nice touch with the demo hornet NORAD livery. Thumbs up from a Canuck.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks brother

[@David-nu6kw]

Good info! Thanks for sharing.

[@riderofthemark6661]

Can't wait to see your videos with the F-14B :D

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Brian Jones coming soon

[@riderofthemark6661]

@@GrowlingSidewinder awesome! 😀😀

[@VineetChhabra007]

As a new comer to DCS, I am learning the SU-27 for now. Missle evasion practising has been difficult. In the last 2 weeks i have been learning, through various tactics, missions and pdf's it very informative to analyse your positive and negative through tacview. Can you create more such videos for new comers?

[@777redhood]

Amazing video!

[@TheGrimlin85]

Another great video GS! How long have you been flying on DCS? What was your very first aircraft flown? How many hours per week on average do you fly?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks brother. man i fly probably like 5-6 hours a week. i been flying for like 2 years now and i first flew the f15. most of my time is split between making videos now and maintaining the server/making missions for it. so i don't have as much time to fly

[@thatguy8490]

Thanks I will use this knowledge at school

[@lipidi1542]

Man i really like your intro! Is the voiceline in it from real combat?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thank you, yes its from the gulf of sidra incident where 2 american F14s engaged a pair of Libyan mig23s

[@lipidi1542]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Thanks

[@dhbroussard89]

Great instructional video!!

[@djadamkent]

Really helpful man, cheers:)

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Bozo glad to hear man thanks

[@kbuss10]

4:34 hey what happened to the sound delay caused by distance? is that an option you turned off, or is it omitted from the new version...?

[@DougCassellMusicman]

Very well done!!!

[@keithw4039]

Thx still trying how you get set up for dcs and basically get started.....Thx for the vid

[@goldenfalcon6702]

That RCAF f18 with the blue livery I’ve seen in person at the CFB Borden airshow

[@bradcarpenter1881]

I'm sure since this upload was a month ago you won't see this comment but that audio being picked up during your tacview review was actually awesome, and personally I think you should find free chill tracks to play in the background when you do your tacview breakdowns. Definitely adds an emotional and engaging tone to your content. Just a suggestion, otherwise love your vids man!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks for the suggestion man, I really like that idea, I might look something verrrrrrrrrry quiet in the background. and you thought I wasnt gonna see this comment lol

[@bradcarpenter1881]

Growling Sidewinder - I'm shocked you noticed my comment and liked the suggestion! I have never played DCS but your content is so incredible that I watch your vids religiously! I heard that background music and thought "what an awesome idea", then saw your comment apologizing for it haha! Anything to help your channel grow brotha!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

ahah ya man I try to keep up with the comments especially ones with decent suggestions, I've always hated background music on videos but if I can find something really chill and calm, and make it reallllly quiet. I think it could work. I'll just have to see how it comes out.

[@bradcarpenter1881]

Growling Sidewinder thats awesome and thank you! I totally agree that loud obnoxious background music sucks, but i do think something low key, chill, and low volume in the background might add to the overall tacview experience! Background music during game play would not be a good idea, but during your educational review sections, I think you could pull it off and it would be badass!

[@RogueSpecterGamingOfficial]

Great demo man.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks brother

[@RogueSpecterGamingOfficial]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Youre welcome. You do great demos of these fights and explain every detail of the fight its very helpful

[@Iginihechanska]

Cool stuff and thanks to MasterJay. RIP.

[@Marcin79W]

Thank you for sharing!

[@MrVazRaptor]

Nice job man xd, i like fliing in the f-5-tiger, 8d

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thanks buddy

[@ptrisonic]

An absolutely blinding demo GS! Remind me not to pick a fight with that guy by the time I get my new PC and get into DCS........ Best, Pete.

[@rom2987]

Thanks a lot great video!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure glad you enjoyed

[@stephencann122]

Hey growling Sidewinder I am new to Tacview and I was wondering if you a tutorial on Tacview itself? I'm having trouble getting the degrees per second next to my aircraft and so fourth...

[@mxcollin95]

Damn man you’re definitely ninja level.

[@racingtheweb]

Hi, very interesting video. It would be great if you will make another one about the Mig 21 bis vs F-5E. In the Cold War pvp server there's a lot of fights between these two fascinating aircrafts, but here the fight in not BVR.

[@brandondaniels9471]

Dropping tanks over a populated area?!?!!! _FailFish_

[@Olimpus3500]

many thanks!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure

[@isuavingalaff]

THANK YOU GSW

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure buddy

[@kevlarburrito6693]

Am I understanding this correctly? TWS is, I think, Track While Scan and is for multi ship targetting beyond visual range. As oppose to Single Track Targetting, which..is for single targets but gives you more information at short range but for 1 target only? And the term ""pitbull" can be equated to a torpedo on wire guidance dropping the wire and turning active sonar on? Only in this case there is no wire and there is radar instead of sonar..obviously. So when would you use STT instead of TWS?

[@ImmortalityYT]

Awesome video! Would you consider making a Fishbed video? Us gangsters would appreciate it!

[@ImmortalityYT]

@@GrowlingSidewinder KilledAlive or Tax know their stuff. I'm still a noob though.

[@alexanderbosel1263]

@GS: where do you have your infos about these tactics from? Learned yourselve via DCS (thus only being applicable in DCS) or are these official fighter tactics of the US air force? Thanks!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

the official tactics of the air force are very much classified. these are just learned from logic and DCS missile physics.

[@EntertainingNapoleon]

@growlingsidewinder can you make a video about Jf-17 it recently was in a dog fight and I would like to know more about the aircraft

[@kenhelmers2603]

Thanks!

[@SailorRob]

Is that intro new? I love it

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Sailor Bob thanks brother

[@dingjiachen4563]

F18 has a great disadvantage in BVR against F15, not only the lack of TWS mode, but also the stupid vertical scan mode. It is very difficult for F18 to pick enemy up again after lost visual contact

[@nicodesanctis8696]

Brought back the old intro

[@michaelwestmoreland2530]

Weird how the Viper has HUD symbology explicitly designed to aide in lofting AMRAAMs, but the Hornet doesn't, and it's arguably the more advanced aircraft.

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

id almost say that serial on the tail is real but its been too long for me to be 100% sure. is that a/c 78-531? i remember some of the tail numbers from the gorillas, i think 8513 was a legit tail number. pretty neat to see 58th FS represented.

[@mdsneky3162]

I would love to have another plane other than the a10c I like it but I just want an f-15 I love it but I can't get it and love the video if I do get it I am taking note from the video keep up the good work love the videos

[@Tcore999]

When will we see the F15 scaled to a full model?

[@paez4779]

I would love to see a Mig-29 vs Su27

[@quentinmanley9388]

How about a video on how to enter and survive a furball? Many DCS fights involve multiple planes which mix up and it seems impossible to maintain situational awareness needed to avoid an IR up the bum after a minute or two.

[@quentinmanley9388]

You might have answered my question in the video: avoid merging into any furball if you are BVR capable. Is that right?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

@@quentinmanley9388 thats absolutely correct. there is no reason to be in a furball if you have even a single amraam still strapped to you. thats my thought process anyway, I avoid it at all costs, the only reason I even carry aim9s is in case I accidentally merge with someone or they manage to force a merge with me. but i'm doing whatever I can to avoid a merge and use my amraams, and honestly.....when i'm out of amraams I go home. I dont go around looking for a furball to get into.

[@silentone11111111]

Great vid. Can you do a Su or Mig vs US plane vid? The AMRAM seems to give such an advantage that I cant see how to win in a Russian plane. As a noob I noticed no one playing Russian planes online. Which strikes me as a bit sad .

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

yes its something I was looking into for sure.

[@RbwGeorge]

Some Terrain, EO and R-27ET + Datalink is going to do the job more than just fine

[@Derpy-qg9hn]

Alright, so let's say I'm reliably able to guess that you're throwing AMRAAMs at me, that I'm reliably able to dodge them down to ~8nm. What if I'm not BVR-capable (such as a Fishbed or Tiger2)? What would be the most sensible way for me to push for a knifefight, and what would a BVR fighter like you do against such an advance?

[@chriscard6544]

awesome

[@deadly41unit]

sir is Tacview work with AI fight or only in multiplayer online? and what button key to show +crussor for click panel in cockpit? im new for this

[@mdeane1987]

I use Tacview in single player quite a bit. It's pretty cool, and it ends up recording the telemetry of every flight you do. Obviously, you can delete the tracks you aren't interested in, but it's not something you have to specifically tell it to record. That way, if you had a good fight, you don't have to be upset that it didn't record. It's always saved. As for the + cursor for clicking in the cockpits, that is only going to work on modules that aren't part of the FC3 pack. Specifically, the F-15C, A-10A, Su-27, Su-33, MiG-29A, MiG-29S, Su-25T, and Su-25 are a more basically modelled cockpit, without the mouse interaction functionality. For those, you need to have keys bound on your keyboard, joystick, and throttle, in the same way you would need to for older flight sims.

[@deadly41unit]

@@mdeane1987 thank you, your answer is very complete now i understand

[@mikehuang0755]

@Growling Sidewinder hi, can u please make a vid about explaining wut is bvr missle and all different kind of missle and all those trick plz.. thx I just started play this game for umm 2weeks..welpppp

[@fullspeedfly1370]

Is there a way to see when a missile has gone pitbull in Tacview?

[@jemand8462]

21:10 so the only real difference between those two was that the one Amraam was locked and the other one was not?

[@Archangel2277]

Lit

[@theboostedbass5297]

Heya do I need a joystick. I’ve played some sims with mouse and keyboard just wanna know if it’s required or if I can play with a mouse and keyboard

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

ya its say you need it, it really helps with the experience, you honestly need a head tracker too, like trackir5 or something

[@theboostedbass5297]

Growling Sidewinder hmm do you have an estimate of the cost so I know how much to save?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

150-200 dollars if I recall correctly.

[@Zain-dc4fc]

Is it good that I learned how to take off and land in an f15 in a day

[@Jon.......]

Why in tarnation is the year set to 2011 ?

[@divineintervention6318]

Yet I still can't defeat an AI F-15 with my Su-27 :/ There's much to learn

[@FlavorfulGaming]

It's difficult if you play there bvr game. It's all about the ambush

[@kevlarburrito6693]

From what I know, which is very limited, you want to close the distance and merge with them as best you can when flying a Russian jet vs US.

[@deepee918]

I like how talked mad shit calling master j a sacrifice and then say he knew what he was grtting into and then whispered it on top of it all lol

[@yusufbozkurt6878]

Guys can we use tacview in singleplayer or in single player custom missions ? Thank you !!

[@scarecrow1323]

lol... hey G.S. do you ever die? it seems like you always win.... or do we only get the vids that end with you winning..??. you are awsome.

[@johanstrydom5315]

lets see how good he is..

[@leekwan06]

In an f-18, shouldn't he try for the merge against an F-15? The F-18 is a better gunfighter than the eagle and also has helmet mounted cueing of its sidewinder. Also, gunfights are a great equalizer: a newbie might get a lucky win against a a veteran.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

no he doesnt need to try for a merge, cuz he carries the same amraams I have, obvs this is a 1v1 situation if it came down to do it we were always going to merge. but in a real multiplayer situation I wouldnt have ever merged with him, nor him with me. the main objective is preservation of the airframe you dont want to do dumb things with it. so standoff and try and kill him with amraams.

[@311Gryphon]

Yeah I'm kind of thinking if you've got AIM-9X and HMD plus the Hornet's turning ability you'd be in a decent position close in. I'm no expert but it seems that may have been a decent strat if he could have done it.

[@thomaszhang3101]

Imagine if he assumes your are tossing Fox 3 at 27nm when in reality you fired Fox 1 at 22nm. He only cranks slightly and BOOM!

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thats why u dont crank slightly, crankes should be to the gimble limits of the aircraft's radar. coupled with a reduction in altitude if possible. you'll be fine.

[@thomaszhang3101]

Growling Sidewinder omg you replied. One more thing. How do you reengage when your nose is cold? You explained that two players usually zig zag between 6-12 nvm during BVR. How were they able to find their opponent after turning around?

[@thomaszhang3101]

Randomly In accurate I have moved on from this vid, haha. But oh he knows. He is one of the best at BVR and reengaging is what any descent pilot should know.

[@kylaneville]

Could I still play DCS without the stick?

[@dcbadger2]

You knew he was new when he brought that load of AMRAAMs to a 1v1

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

dcbadger2 haha I made the loadouts, I just wanted to make sure he had everything he would need just in case

[@victorm316]

What do you mean to go cold?

[@hellrless1]

What does “going cold” mean?

[@keirfarnum6811]

Tomáš Heger It means the enemy has turned away from the fight and their radar is no longer pointed in your direction.

[@hellrless1]

@@keirfarnum6811 ohh, OK, thank you

[@emosewasikcin]

what does going cold mean?

[@water1374]

Might be really late. But in case you haven't found it yet: When a plane is facing you, it is hot aspect; When it is facing away from you, it is cold aspect. So going cold means you're turning away from the enemy.

[@gottabe_jt8053]

Just realized that when you drop your tanks..... You never know if it might hit someone on the ground oof

[@pticurina]

do you play on keyboard or joystick ?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

joystick

[@pticurina]

@@GrowlingSidewinder which one :D

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thustmaster 16000M boss

[@knndyskful]

Could you do a video explaining all the clicks and beeps and sounds and lights in the cockpit?

[@willeos]

ffffshhhhh.......splash!!!

[@danieldorn2927]

He said he played DCS for 3 weeks, but didnt mention he played BMS for 5 years

[@masterjayj54]

LOL I played XPlane 11 for a month before DCS if that counts :D

[@Jason-db1dy]

Could I try to join you guys?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Jason sure man just join the discord everyone is in there

[@lw8249]

I really appreciate your videos, but I have a little note to make, having seen several. It's always the same story. I mean, always the same type of confrontation. BVR, starts at high altitude and from there begins the engagement or the dogfight. However, you always benefit from airplanes born for that, like the F15 with considerable advantages compared to Russian counterparts, which would need a totally different approach. In 1vs1 at high altitude BVR in 90% of cases with the same pilot, the Soviets have the worst, between radar and poor chances of engagement. It would be nice to see in action every once in a while some tactics that exploit some of the advantages of the Su-27s or the Mig-29s. Maybe hunting in some PvP servers starting at low altitudes using the mountains to hide and using infrared.

[@HushR6Official]

I’m only 3 days in and trying to figure out air to air engagements

[@HushR6Official]

And I can take off reliably and only sometimes lqnd successfully

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Good, keep going. You’re off to a better start then I was after 3 days.

[@HushR6Official]

@@GrowlingSidewinder I hope you be as good as you someday! 🙂

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

@@HushR6Official you'll be even better.

[@HushR6Official]

@@GrowlingSidewinder I hope so! Maybe I’ll come face to face with you in the future!

[@PrincipledNaturalLaw]

Crikey...a person'd jump outta their skin if ever a pilots dropped tanks land near someone haha

[@elijahglasser1421]

Jets can fly over snow

[@aguyontheinternet8999]

Operating the AIM-9 is easy.

[@Iginihechanska]

BVR??

[@gordonfraser1521]

Beyond Visual Range.

[@josephkaneaster8155]

and how the bomb the f-15 really is

[@JackFN_VR64]

Bah! F15 has a flight model straight out of warthunder arcade battle mode.

[@mro9466]

my friend always use F10 when we dogfight :'(

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

u can turn it off in mission editor

[@diegobasterrica6311]

hello, what does f10 do? I don't have the game

[@axiis1301]

@@diegobasterrica6311 Opens the map. On some servers you can see people's locations on the map, but any pvp server will have it either disabled entirely, or only enabled for friendlies.

[@diegobasterrica6311]

@@axiis1301 cool, thanks

[@varmint87]

4:40 add another air to air kill to that perfect score LOL

[@MikeMiller-fc2cc]

Guessing and deductions are all fine, but when a newbee is confronting someone with your experience he did right by dropping chaff He had no idea how long ago you fired your missile. for all he new you could have been 5-miles out. I mean you give him accolades for his 3 week experience, all nervous about fighting you and having this fight put on youtube, but it seems he didn't have a lot of one on one experience. I just hope he leraned something.

[@D00kerT]

Doesn't all of this assume you know the aircraft you're going against? In a server with many different available aircraft, many of these assumptions are useless. Radar ID is basically non-existent in DCS so I don't see how distance closure is useful in gauging when to go offensive or defensive. Unless you're saying you should assume all parameters of all possible US or Russian launch profiles which seems too much .

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Dooker T no it's not useless. These are deductions u make to figure out what ur going to do. U also know what aircraft ur fighting cuz u get an RWR ping. Radar ID works absolutely fine for me so I don't know what you mean by that. Distance closure is important for figuring out ur PK and aspect of the enemy aircraft coming at you, so if u fire at the correct range at a guy closing on u at let's say 1600 closure ur gonna hit him much easier than 100 closure cuz he's gonna fly right into ur missile cuz he's so fast. If the closure is -300 he's cold and running from u and he's faster so ur missile will most likely not hit, again dependant on range. Also range to target is important cuz u can go defensive outside of the effective range of the missiles. And u would know what missile it is based on RWR ping so u know what plane u know their available loadout and when they fire tells u what they fired. Long range will be R27er if ur fighting a Russian closer range and the target turning cold aspect will indicate a fox3 R77 missile. So There is a lot to consider and no information is useless if u know how to use it.

[@Positrons95]

That thumbnail is a clickbait, its not fair to use canadian demo hornet liveries like this :P

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

haha Canada skins are deff some of the best in the game love that red 150demo skin too