Training against bandits
The computer pilots you can fight offline in FlightOut: how to switch them on, where they are, how they search, attack and defend, and how to practise against them.
Offline, you can fly against computer-flown Su-27s that search for you, lock you, fire missiles, use the gun and defend themselves.
Switching them on
Settings, INTERFACE, Training traffic offline (friendlies and bandits). It's off by default, and it takes effect at the start of your next offline flight. There's no traffic online.
Who's out there
They're placed relative to where you start (Srinagar runway 13, facing south-east):
| Callsign | Colour | Where | Height above the highest ground | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAGLE 1 | cyan (friendly) | 14 km ahead, a little right | 1,500 m | Flies circles |
| EAGLE 2 | cyan | 16 km ahead, right | 1,800 m | Flies circles |
| BANDIT 1 | red (hostile) | about 37 km, ahead and left | 1,800 m | Fights |
| BANDIT 2 | red | about 59 km, ahead and left | 3,500 m | Fights |
| BANDIT 3 | red | about 66 km, ahead | 5,000 m | Fights |
| BANDIT 4 | red | about 26 km, ahead and left | starts at 600 m and flies low, about 800 m above the hills ahead | Fights |
- Press F9 to show their callsigns.
- EAGLEs have no radar, can't be damaged and just fly circles: use them for radar and formation practice.
- BANDITs are full Su-27s with the CAP load-out (4 R-73, 4 R-27ER, 2 R-27ET), the gun, 5,200 kg of fuel and a real radar.
How the bandits fight
Searching. They patrol near their area and hunt within about 60 km of your start. Your radar gives you away: their warning receivers pick it up out to 180 km and they turn towards you. They chase up to 120 km.
Attacking. Within about 45 km they try to lock you (your SPO-15 goes to a steady LOCK). Then:
- R-27ER: fired when you're inside 80% of its maximum range and within 25° of their nose. After firing they crank 45° off you and keep the lock until it hits or misses. One radar missile at a time.
- R-73: fired from 600 m to 9 km when you're within 25° of their nose and they judge you're within its seeker's reach (they assume some afterburner, so out of afterburner you may be beyond it and the missile misses). No launch warning: a steady lock from a bandit within 9 km in front of you can mean an R-73 is on its way.
- They don't use their R-27ETs.
- At least 6 seconds between launches.
Close in. Within about 2.5 km, with you in front of them, they go to the gun: hard turns (80° bank), firing from 900 m down to 120 m when the aim is good. They give up the gun fight after 45 seconds, beyond 5 km, or out of rounds, and turn away to start again.
Defending. When they detect a missile (from their own warning receiver, seeing its smoke, or any missile within 2.5 km), they defend:
- far away (beyond 8 km): turn tail, dive and run with afterburner;
- close (inside 8 km): put it on their side and dive hard.
They have no flares or chaff either. Once the missile is gone, they come back for you.
Respawning. A bandit that crashes comes back 12 seconds later at its patrol area, repaired and rearmed. Your own respawn doesn't reset them.
Whom they attack. You (they see you as unknown) and the EAGLEs. Never each other. Their missiles can hit anyone in the way.
Practising
- Turn training traffic on and start a flight.
- Take off and climb towards the south-east. (Or press P, then go around and climb.)
- Radar on (R), BVR (2), full scan width and 4 bars. Set the range to 80 km (Home).
- BANDIT 4 is close and low: practise look-down radar work (it's harder to see against the ground), and watch it disappear when it notches you.
- BANDIT 3 is high and far: practise the long R-27ER shot and cranking.
- Let one lock you and practise defending: notch, terrain, running.
- Merge with one and practise WVR: the R-73, then the gun.
Checked against FlightOut 0.5.2.