Fighter Combat

342 FIGHTER MISSIONSFigure 9-3. Fighter-Escort MissionThis sweep is designed to draw enemy GAIs into battle, causing an expenditureof defensive assets. The hope is that, by the time the real strike forcepasses through the area, most of the hostile fighters from this airfield willbe engaged, destroyed, or out of fuel.Meanwhile the main body, consisting of the strike force itself, thedetached escort and the close escort, proceeds along the ingress route.Preceding this force by a few minutes is the remote escort, composed ofthree elements, whose task is to clear the route of enemy interceptors orCAPs which may be lying in wait.In Figure 9-4 the strike force has made the turn toward the intendedtarget and is passing the embattled northeastern airfield. The elements ofthe remote escort have split and are proceeding on different missions. Thecenter element continues straight for the target area to engage any hostilefighters which might be in that vicinity, or (heaven forbid) to suppresssurface defenses. The left and right elements of the remote escort head forCAP stations assigned to block possible interference from either of the twoenemy airfields.Figure 9-5 shows the target under attack by the strike force and the twoblocking CAPs in position. Once the strike force arrives on target theremote escort already there is relieved by the detached and close escortsand is free to resume a sweep to clear the egress route. The independentfighter sweep assigned to the northeastern airfield has already reached itsdisengagement fuel state and is also heading for home. Meanwhile, areception escort is inbound for a sweep of the enemy's southwesternairfield.