There seems to be considerable problems with the terms of a dogfight.
Generally, as I've learnt it, there are two ways to fight a dogfight, colloquially known as:
- Turn & Burn: You try to outturn your opponent. Both fly towards another, make one pass then turn and try hanging behind the other. The more manoeuvrable wins.
- Zoom & Boom: You dive - using higher altitude and speed - towards the enemy, forcing him to get hit or bleed off energy (that is, speed and/or altitude - until he can't do anything for fear of stalling. Or he doesn't see you and you get him the first pass.[1]
Both are ways to win aerial combat. Which one do I prefer? The latter, pretty much.
Out running enemy fighters isn't what we want, killing them is and that requires a plane build to dogfight not run away.
Running away requires speed. Speed facilitates zoom and boom tactics.
But looks like you guys prefer to fight a pure defensive war and get a defensive, mass-produced short ranged fighter to cover only our own territory. Maybe it's safer route...
For now, yes. At the currently known ranges, the Osprey can cover the distance to the enemy mainland. Even more so from Crow's Island. So, until we actually invade, I think we'll be fine.
If your faster plane is in an area for 5 minutes instead of 10 because it's faster then your patrol has a 50% lower chance of spotting any enemies in said area. It can't spot an enemy if it's not in the area and since patrols typically don't move at full speed anyway speed has nothing to do with ability to patrol.
My math hurts.
If you have a faster plane, let's say by double for ease of calculation, then it usually has about double the cruise speed than the other one. This means only half of the time spent in Area X if only flying through it. But it can cover area Y in the same time, too. So, half the density of patrols over twice the area means the same overall patrol density.
Climbing speed will do you bugger all good in a dogfight, once you engage if you turn away to try climbing the enemy fighters are going to shred you from behind before you can get out of range to turn around to dive again, thats why it was typically a case of a making 1 dive to engage then staying in the fight. Turning your back on your enemy is never a good idea.
No. There is one important thing in dogfights, and that's energy. Energy means speed and altitude, and you can trade one for the other. The fighter with more energy has the initiative, can engage and disengage at will. You do not accept a turning contest if you're turning worse. You fly in, pump the other full of lead forcing him to evade, then repeat that until he hasn't got any energy left to evade.
[1] Colloquial post for Z&B for a flight simulation:
http://www.netaces.org/bnz/bnz.htm