Dog fight is a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat between military aircraft. The term originated during World War I, and probably derives from the preferred fighter tactic of positioning one's aircraft behind the enemy aircraft. From this position, a pilot could fire his guns on the enemy without having to lead the target, and the enemy aircraft could not effectively fire back. When two fighter aircraft circle each other trying to achieve this position, it resembles two dogs chasing each other's tails. Combat has been fought in the air since 1911. ... A Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...

With modern air-to-air missiles greatly extending the general engagement range of jet fighters, some experts hypothesize that dogfighting may be headed toward extinction. Others criticize this view, citing as evidence the United States F-4 Phantom II. Early versions of this fighter relied solely on missiles and were very vulnerable in close-range combat. A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launchers an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... F-4 re-directs here; for alternate uses, see F4 The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by (originally McDonnell Aircraft Corporation) McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ...

The continued importance of dogfighting was demonstrated during the Vietnam War. American pilots flew aircraft equipped with long-range missiles. However, aircrews were denied the right to fire missiles at aircraft without having visually identified the target first, thus completely losing the advantage provided by the missiles. Forced to engage the enemy at close range, American pilots were generally outclassed by their opponents.

Advanced missile technology has not spelled the end of the dog fight, as missiles are a finite resource, and can be thwarted by countermeasures. The US Navy (TOPGUN) and Air Force (Red Flag) continue to teach postgraduate level classes in air combat maneuvering engagements. TOPGUN is the code name and common name of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) course. ... RED FLAG is an advanced aerial combat training exercise hosted at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. ...

Fictional depiction

• In science fiction films, starfighters are typically depicted as dog fighting in the same manner as in a planet's atmosphere. However, more realistic models such as Babylon 5's Starfury have added a new twist to the combat idea with its ability to quickly pivot its bearing to bring weapons to bear against a tailing opponent.

Poster for The Day the Earth Stood Still, an archetypal science fiction film Science fiction has been a film genre since the earliest days of cinema. ... This article is about the class of fictional vehicles. ... Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... The Starfury is the primary single-man starfighter of the Earth Alliance on the TV series Babylon 5. ...

See also

• Thach Weave