Vax's Starfighter Guide

[Meatslopper]

File Name: Imperial Starfighter Combat Guide
Authorisation Level: Imperial Navy, Starfighter Corps and Sith
Published by: Neophyte Vax

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Introduction

The Empire fields many damn excellent vessels in her navy, yet most starfighters sacrifice survivability for speed and most capital ships offer the opposite. Both take immense amounts of kriffing skill to coordinate and just fly without gettin’ blown up in seconds. That’s what this guides ‘bout, never been behind a Capital ships bridge giving orders. Yet even for those not sippin’ tea and praising the view, the inner workings of both must be understood to get the true potential out of you.
This guide will focus on your bloody starfighters an’ basic fleet tactics, formations and kark you need to know to get the best results on the micro scale, cause we can’t all sip tea and point to our officers. Welcome to your Starfighter wing and let me coach you along.

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Your starfighter

Your Starfighter is your life. Kriffin’ literally, hours worth of maintenance in all craft is expected from your average pilot, either done by yourself or engineers. Long before you get shootin’ or flying in general, mistakes in any required aspect can see your death, so don’t skip work.

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Starfighter Functions:

The bloody point should be obvious to anyone who isn’t a total moron. You need to understand your kriffin’ starfighter to fly, this’ll go over some basic ass functions but it’s karkin’ important you remember to learn your *own* Starfighter an’ her functions not the general ones presumed, each have their own damn charms so don’t be a total muppet an’ try to fly a bomber like a supremacy.

Primary Functions

Yoke: The Yoke is the bloody controls at the center of the machine. This arrangement is the one typically used on Imperial vessels to let you control as much as possible without takin’ your hands away, makin’ flyin’ at a base level a breeze an’ letting you change important kark without takin’ your hands away from the controls. Some vessels use other arrangements so while focusin’ on your own line of vessels control wise is for the best, it might be a hassle when gettin’ in others.

Weapons Systems: Are your ships main weapons, in normal settings the karkers work independently on cycles, cross the board if you have multiple linkin’ all systems means you can put out max amount of fire at cost to your heat and obviously rate of fire, best to use to burst down a bastard with a tough shield.

Sublight Engines and Thrusters: Kriffing obvious ain’t it? These are you standard Starfighter sublight engines, they make you fly at incredible speeds.

Throttle: A lever that adjusts the overall power supply available to all systems, for movement.

Power Management Display: This display is a cornerstone of flight, it allows you to divert different shite across the subsystems of your vessel, this allows you to immediately apply power where necessary to increase speed or blow the kark out of the enemy. This’ll typically be split into basic groups by:

-Weapons

-Shields and Avionics

-Engines and Thrusters

Yet, they can be altered to provide more specific an’ more complicated power distribution control in exchange for the immediacy and ease of access.

Hull Integrity Monitor: A display that monitors your vessels hull an’ shields if you ‘ave em. It’ll warn you if some bastards struck you, an’ what damage has occured throughout your ship, vital for quick repairs an’ accounting for new damages.

Life Support: The air that keep you alive. The systems, can be dumped or disengaged if you’re really confident in your suit an’ have a ever growin’ fire to disable it. It’s often got microbacteria in it to keep it recyclable an’ healthy, even then Imperial ships have got tiny ‘mounts of life support, wastin’ it can hurt your overall travel time and see you needin’ to return far more than you might otherwise need to.

Stabilizer: It’s used to keep the vessel stable, temperamental if it’s blasted open it might make the whole vessel shudder an’ make it difficult to maunver or keep in a straight flight path.

Inertial Compensators: Is somethin’ everyone needs, from the smallest fighter, freight all the way to the massive ass Harrowers. The incredible potential speed the vessels can toss out in atmosphere an’ in the aether, create incredible ‘mounts of resistance if you’re vessels got it shot or blown apart, you’ll have to go slower or your bloody pass out. The more used to fightin’ you get, the more you can afford to turn it down a bit, especially as a tough ass Sith, fullpower compensators will kriff up the maneuverability of your craft for safety.

Secondary Functions

Ejection: The emergency ejection is a bloody last resort in all cases. If your vessel is unrecoverable an’ you are important nuff to be recovered an’ all that shit is met, your ejection lever is suddenly your best friend. It uses jet thrusters to toss you out, if in space your suit may give you minimum oxygen to keep you alive, if you’ve somehow busted that, go down with the ship an’ hopefully engage in atmo. Atmosphere ejection is always better.

Self Destruction System: Boom.

Countermeasures: Countermeasures exacts vary but the bastards keep you goin’ ‘gainst missiles. This can be from the basic flares against heat seekin’ missiles or a electronic system that slices into the targetin’ computer of a chasin’ missile. They are pretty useful if you can’t be arsed or aren’t able to outfly due to circumstances the little cunt chasin’ you.

Afterburner Boost: Afterburners are a engine component, which temporarily transfer an increased mass of unused power to the engines lettin’ you boost the engines far beyond normal capacity, for a sudden increase in available power an’ speed, lettin’ you escape slower foes at cost to some maneuverability, unless you can account for it.

Repulserlift: Repulserlift tech, is useful in the takin’ off an’ landin’ process, keepin’ your vessel steady fore you engage your engines and can be useful for more percise takin’ off. Landing Jets, on craft also assist in this but chances are you tiny fighter don’t ‘ave em.

Blackbox: It records flight data for your Flight Controller an’ anyone who recovers your vessel, wipe it if you can’t self destruct the vessel if it’s bloody guaranteed to end up in Republic hands.

S-Foils: Used for openin’ an’ closin’, it let’s out heat faster increasin’ the cycle rate of the engines an’ afterboost, an’ lettin’ you fire more often mostly open in battles they can be closed for tight maunverin’ as well at cost to your vessels overall heat.

Sensory Systems:

-Radar(Passive and Active): Radar is pretty self apparent, it’s a sensor sweep that either actively pings the environment for new bastards an’ by doin’ so can reveal your presence while passive, tracks already pinged threats at less power cost an’ allows you to be more or less silent, keepin’ you ‘quiet’ on other cunts sensors, even if it’s far easier to be tricked an’ won’t update you on if anyone else comes in.

-Targeting Computer: Is a focused sensor that lets you keep on your targets ass, it calculates the angle of deflection for you. Keep your target within the center, to aid your aim an’ keepin’ locked on will let your secondary weapons such as missiles lock on to them with ease. It allows you to follow it’s directions, to keep on the ass of your targeted ships an’ once it’s filled with the target you can blow them to pieces.

-Focused Sensor Sweep: Usin’ high tech scanners, this lets you search a vessel for people that don’t kriffin’ add up or alternatively for electronics or cargo, you might know the existence or composition off. To search for more specific things it ain’t impossible but it takes a hella advanced sensory suite and knowledge of what you’re lookin’ for, especially for chemicals.

-Hyperwave Signal Interceptors: Comes part an’ partial with some radar systems, can be linked to sense radiation signatures that indicate a vessel jumpin’ in or out. Gives you early warnin’ to stop you gettin’ struck or to identify enemy bastards.

-Collision Avoidance System: An immediate warnin’ system, tellin’ you if you get too close an’ are in danger of crashing into em by accident, for newer pilots this can be fed into the autopilot to in essence stop stupidly risky moves, but limits your combat capabilities that one.

-Lock-Threat Warning System: This works in tandem with countermeasures an maneuver, let’s you know if some bastard is targettin’ you, typically tossed onto your HUD

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Flight Checks

The main subsystems must be checked before any form of combat, for each type of fighter this’ll be different but the general protocol for checking your vessel is while not in flight is:

Spoiler: Pre-Flight Exterior Checks

Pre-Flight Exterior Checks

The purpose of exterior checks is to ensure the Starfighter is visually operational if not under supervision, this is checking for bloody blatant or less blatant damage starting with the Engines and working around towards them again. Notice any anomalies in your vessel, then a in depth check must be done or you’ll be kriffed, should be done either by yourself if qualified or engineers. You’ll want to focus on these karking sections.

Thrusters: Are a great start, most are exposed cause they build up unmakerly kriffin’ amounts of heat, which makes it super easy in atmo to see things get stuck around or in them, even if anythin’ touching the heat will be burnt or tossed aside, these things are your fighters life. With the Empire’s Starships focused on speed, even small problems in your thrusters can see you crash or get kriffin’ shot down, without the armour or shields to make up for your moronic behaviour.

Fuel injectors and Tanks: Shouldn’t be leakin’ anything, fluids of any kind, an should be properly secured with feeding them if any.

S-Foils(If you have them): are properly attached an locked in, they ain’t loose or left open, they are there to regulate heat an’ very important to keeping your craft flyin’ once open an stablise you for in-atmosphere combat. Any loose joints or somethin’ small can see it ripping, knocked off or other nasty things.

The wings: No shit.

Laser Cannons and other weapons: All kinda things can obstruct the holes where the shots come out, this might not be noticed on technical readouts and can seriously kriff you up in combat, the same applies to missiles, bombs, anythin’ that can go boom if trapped inside.

Cockpit and main structure: Again, no shit. Keep your window spotless as you can, you’d rather have the ability to see beyond your implements aye?

Anything else: Just cause it ain’t all that important, doesn’t mean it can’t kriff you up, coolant pumps can flood you with toxic gas, even the small things goin’ wrong can just make a single maneuver go wrong and that’s all it takes for you to be snuffed out in space. Starfighter pilots have the most balls cause of that.

If under supervision, checks will already be bloody expected. If somethin’ fails it ain’t your fault, but dependin’ on the time and situation I’d still suggest giving the once over, just cause someone else’s ass is gonna get shouted out, don’t mean kark to you if you die cause of it. An' for a Sith sabotage is always a option.

Spoiler: Pre-Flight Interior Checks

Pre-Flight Interior Checks

The purpose of interior checks is to ensure the internal systems are churnin’ along hard as can be. You’ll wanna do several things before you even check on your subsystems or the shite that’s gonna see you flyin’.

The Ejection Seat: Should be damn safe, with the handle locked closed. The Empire’s often a jammy bastard with safety tech, all to make you more fearless, these crafts ain’t for cowards who pull at the first sign of trouble. The ejection systems are only to open up for those at serious risk, unless you’re fallin’ helplessly to the ground' chances are you’re gettin’ shot for pullin’ that’s if it even works. On the craft that don’t have these, skip this course.

Self Destruct Systems: Should be disengaged for obvious reasons, if your cockpits flashin’ with self destruct warnin’ anytime you don’t want, get the hell out. If you’re connected to the ship for a power recharge or bloody refueling, chances are your vessel can be remotely shut down, an if not, get to cover. Someone’s kriffed up royally, or it’s sabotage.

Main Power: Shouldn’t be engaged, the Empire’s fighters have a short nuff lifespan an life span as it is without wastin’ it. Someone’s probably been lazy an’ probably should be executed for wastin’ time, this one can be sorted pretty quickly by disengaging it yourself an’ callin’ it in, you should check your fuel an’ air reserves once you reboot her, they’ll ask for that also.

Controls: Check to see if someone hasn’t jacked off in your cockpit, if your main FCS or yoke are sticky or you struggle to turn them more than usual, maybe something's kriffed.

Anything else: If anything seems out of place, somethin’ could be up, by intention or otherwise. Don’t put your life on trustin’ the guy who came before you, chances are he ain’t a superior or in your squad, make kriffin’ sure there isn’t no bomb in your cockpit. There also may be manual systems that ain’t been mentioned, especially if you’re ‘borrowin’ someone else's starfighter.

Entry Hatch: Should be closed real tight, if everythin’ else is alright make sure it’s secure, any leakage or damage to it, may kill you.

Spoiler: Pre-Flight System Checks

Pre-Flight System Check

Once you’re properly seated inside, that’s when you start checkin’ your electronics and controls, you need all the bloody help you can get. Especially you Imperials, we Sith can mostly work off our senses for some of the kark our fighters do, even then there’ll be stuff your techs tellin’ you that’s important. Just wouldn’t trust it ‘bove my senses if I were you.

Main Power: Should be turned on, there are two whole bloody protocols seperate for this. Immediate deployment and slow deployment, dependin’ on your orders or the situation.

-Slow deployment is turnin’ the power on slowly, keepin’ it to low power systems and advancing through the checks by diverting it to each system as you do the checks. This is to ensure everythin’ is perfectly operational, often used as a method of checkin’ the craft in drill or exercise or ‘fore patrol. May also be used to catch sabotage early, if your boss’s gettin’ paranoid.

-Immediate Deployment is sendin’ the bloody power to the systems immediately, this is for combat, or really most scenario’s you’ll be facin’ as a pilot. You wanna check over them as swiftly as possible, doin’ just enough to ensure she can fly an fight.

Ship Readouts: Should be displaying the ship as neutral, there should be no alerts of damage or irregularities.

Power Management Display: Should show only what has been diverted in slow deployment, or in immediate deployment should show all subsystems sharin’ equal power unless required otherwise.

Throttle: Should be set to 0%

Radar: Should be showing nothing but friendlies in the hangar, if you really wanna bloody test her in slow deployment or if you sure she ain’t working the Empire have a manual hangar ping system, usin’ a in hangar IFF transmitter to act as a false ship ping. If you can bloody see her an identify correctly to control, you’re good to go.

Auto-Pilot: Should be ensured to be off, but most Imperial Starfighters have a standard set of auto-pilot protocols able to be activated you should check. These’ll be imputed by your commanders an’ officers and able to coordinate you lot out the hangar, without relyin’ on your skill or tractor beams fore you take control.

Targeting System: Needs to be on and properly ready, while checking this ensure your weapons are bloody disabled you muppet. Including any special targeting computers for torpedoes or bombs.

Missiles or bombs: You can rotate the loading system to ensure her karking mechanics ain’t jammed.

Spoiler: Pre-Launch Fighter Checks

Pre-Launch Fighter Checks:

This is the step you’ll start to hover, it’s a short ass one. You just gotta ensure a few things ‘fore you get out to fly proper.

Stabilizer: Check to see if your ship is stable an kept in place by the repulserlifts we don’t kriffin’ want some wobbling or some nonsense. In flight this’ll make it bloody hard to move unaided an properly get your aim

Auto-pilot: Has to be activated to the launch protocol your local ship uses to leave dock. It’ll help ensure you ain’t bashin’ into any karkers on the way out.

Spoiler: Flight Checks

Flight Checks

Once in flight, you’ll wanna do a comms check with your Squadron and turn off your bloody autopilot once clear of the capital ship. Check your Etheric Rudder is operating properly, lettin’ you drift through space an make proper turnings, as well as your Inertial Dampener so you don't kriff yourself when goin' fast.

Your S-foils can be tested or anythin’ that your systems show as a problem. In immediate deployment, all fighters should immediately through their full throttle power to 100% and join whatever formation their squadron leader has decided to take up. Keep your distance. And check immediately for contacts, begin your standard scanning patterns unless ordered otherwise.

Spoiler: Landing Checks

Landing Checks

After returnin’ from a hard day of slapping bastards back to the core. You’re gonna be tired and distracted, maybe your mate got slapped down, good for you, it wasn’t you. Before you cheer your survival an probable success, you still gotta ensure your ship is doin’ alright and if she ain’t ensure your bosses know so they can fix her up.

Ship feel: The easiest manual way to tell on the journey back home is how your vessel feels. You’ve been flyin’ her for kriffin’ ages, if something’s up even if your techs sayin’ you’re doin’ fine who bloody knows what’s happened. Just take note of it and adjust accordingly, convene with your wingman if they ain’t exploded to do a visual check.

Ship Readouts: Are normal, they’ll tell you what’s karked 'bout your hull an' electronics and what’s not typically, but keep in mind they can be wrong. Adjust to whatever nonsense it’s showing.

Landing permission and informing: The Empire’ll guide you in wherever you are, both through visual in areas where you gotta manual it or through your landing autopilot routine. Get permission, inform them and your Squadron Leader of any faults you may have found to ensure they find the best place for you to land. Once you’ve gained permissions get goin’

Anything in your way: Only you really know if something is in your way, you’ll get clonked against it and boom if you don’t notice. Landin’ especially after battle is normally harder for pilots than takin’ off, we can’t prepare as well for it, one hangar may be bombed out, we’ve lost ships and weapons most likely in a battle, debris could be in your way, get close as possible fore engaging autopilot. Who knows, you may need to land in the midst of battle.

Post Flight Checks: Check everythin’ you did preflight just shuttin’ them off rather than opening them up.

Spoiler: Emergency Procedures

Emergency Procedures

If your ships karked, what’d we do? First things you’ve gotta consider before attempting the following solutions is rank and importance to the battle. If you can take out an enemy bridge by ramming it and you ain’t the Wing Commander, a Sith or another member of important personnel, if allowed by your commander course ramming speed my boy. Tradin’ with enemy fighter also perfectly acceptable, the Empire’ll remember it far more than if you eject. This only applies if the bloody situation is judged unsalvageable and aligns with mission objections.

Anti-tumbling procedure: Keep your throttle at current speed, check stabilizer, engage emergency stabilizer and guide her to the easiest flight path.

Unusual Attitude Recovery Procedures: Guide her to the easiest most predictable flight path, regain control by minimizing system output as kriffin’ required.

Out of Control Flight: Check instruments, check to see if you can manually adjust and direct, to execute prior protocols and if you can’t either eject or maneuver in a method that bloody achieves objectives.

Controllability Checks: To ensure your vessel ain’t gonna blow up our hangar if you’re kriffed, coordinate with a wingman or other of your flight or squadron.

Fire/Fume/Smoke Elimination: Identify if electrical, isolate system and disable or reboot if able, if unable dump oxygen and refill with emergency tank, rely on backup suit oxygen.

Low Oxygen: Activate emergency oxygen tank, disable primary tank, if able divert to safe planetary atmosphere, dock immediately or if unable rely on spacesuit to compensate until able.

Display Malfunction: Isolate and cycle display, if it don’t work keep offline an focus on the others best you can.

Ionic Disruption: Reboot all relevant power supply, cycle the display until proper bloody visuals are available, then return to level flight on a visually open flight path if able.

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Your Unit

Wing:  A wing is the largest bloody unit of starfighters, while the exacts vary from vessel to vessel, mission to bloody mission, officer to officer. All wings are united under a Wing Commander, who reports back to the Captain or Admiral of the ship he’s attached to. She ranges anythin’ from the full complement of a smaller vessel to only a fraction of a larger one. In fleets they are mostly sorted by their accompanying capital vessel rather than any kark to do with numbers.

Squadron: The next unit down from a wing, she’s led by a Squadron Commander, who reports to the bloody Wing Commander and controls all elements further down directly.

Flight: Is a silly term for any number of the small sections under a single ‘Squadron’, these’ll normally be doin’ different things under the Squadron Commanders orders and have their only Flight Commander to relay from. They can be led directly or given’ general orders dependin’ on the whims of the leaders.

Elements: Just you and your buddy, the smallest we go. The two wingmen will operate in tandem, to ensure our fighters are never seein’ the enemy go boom without holding hands. They’ll watch your tail an can be uniquely addressed to do certain tasks.

Additional people/groups of importance:

Admiral and Fleet Command: Everyone knows what a bloody admiral is, an all their variants from rear admiral to vice admiral. The admiralty make up mosta Fleet Command often with the high rankin’ Sith makin’ sure the Imps know where to go. They will be the highest authority on a bloody mission involvin’ a fleet, single ships and smaller groups, an their compliments the role falls to the damn Captains instead.

Captain: Often servin’ highest on a vessel or directly under a Sith if it has ‘er. The Captain is the most likely person to be makin’ any sorta order directly to the wing an her comms team will relay them through your Wing Commander as well as coordinate with Flight Controllers normally done through intermediary officers. They’ll be the ones ensurin’ the bigger ships are there to protect your bloody backside.

Aerial Assault Commander: They are ground support officers often times granted the position to organise the stagin’ of and aid in directing joint operations, these bastards will be ensuring bombs land on target and air support ain’t hittin’ thin air that helps kriff all on both sides of the mission. You’ll be given their names ‘fore anythin’ an’ will be workin’ with em to complete ground focused directives.

Hangar Control: It’s in the name, they’ll guide you in an out, as they sip tea in between organise for refuelin’ or decide if fighters are too dangerous to be let in. If her shields are up an she’s bein’ engaged chances are they’ll refuse your weak asses without openin’ up for enemy craft.

Flight Controllers: If there is any goddam person to take from this bloody section it’s these bastards. They are the ones who will be relayin’ with you constantly, to keep you up with real time battle information, this keeps our data condensed means we don’t really have to bloody rely on tech and let’s all fighters be advised of sudden shifts. They’ll likely coordinate with a squadron, so get used to them bein’ the one in your ear an’ decidin’ what you see on your fancy tech.

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Where are you effective?

Starfighters are only half the bloody battle. You’ve also gotta know when your ship is effective so gotta look at some wider fleet tactics, don’t worry, mosta them ain’t relevant for you, you’ll know when you get your specific orders, but some terms apply fleet wide. Regardless if you wanna kill yourself or relax an take a breather, you gotta have that room.

All ships and fleets have a array of zones, they will all be prefixed by the bloody name or by ‘Fleet X Zone’ to indicate which it’s referrin’ too, mostly in more local comms, fleet wide comms won’t specify unless they bloody have too which is rare and’ll just mean the whole goddam fleet. These zones are:

Long Engagement Zone(Or the LEZ as I like to call ‘er): The LEZ is the area where only your biggest guns can smack the enemy, the rest’ll fade, in this zone they’ll likely be aimin’ an hittin’ the more vulnerable vessels with less shields and armour cause the others will last an eternity. Even then, you’re unlikely to see much action beyond softenin’ them up. At this range the bigger guns do the work.

Kill Zone: This is where your capital ship can open up. Majority of your batteries can hit the karkers, on a Harrower that’s when she starts takin’ names, if a ships there she’s gettin’ kriffed. At this range your fighters still won’t be able to hit em, you’ll likely be allowed to enter the enemy ships Secondary Zone and her Primary Zone when they are within’ yours.

Secondary Zone: This’s when the gunners gotta decide to defend themselves or continue targetin’ the capital ship. A Harrower has point defense turrets to keep you safe in yours an in the enemies you better be goin’ fast, but you’re at range where you can start bein’ some of the most effective ships on the battlefield.

Primary Zone: This is your zone. No matter the ship, starfighters have the absolute bloody advantage this close to a target, practically skimmin’ her to just around her, you’re fast nuff to avoid most big guns here and pick her weakest points an’ break em apart.

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[Meatslopper]

Basic Starfighter Movement
Fore you even get to the fancy shite, you’ve gotta go through more goddam checks to ensure you ain’t gonna hit anything or kriff your fighter up.
AESELL:
Altitude: Your distance from any gravity well or in atmosphere the bloody ground, do you have ‘nuff room to preform your maneuver an recover afterward.
Elements: These are visual elements of your craft, is anythin’ smokin’ or lookin’ all karked.
Security: Equipment all secured, ain’t gonna come loose an be a hassle for the pilot.
Electronics: Are your electronics tellin’ you shit is able an willin’ for whatever you wanna pull off. Is your engine too high pressure or whatnot.
Location: Check your ABC: Active docking areas, Built up an built down area(In space debris often floats), clouds(Anythin’ visually blockin’) and cunts(Controlled area)
Lookout: Ensure you ain’t gonna hit anyone, be that with clearing turn checks or just scanners, or in case of Sith senses that.
This applies to all maneuvers, once that bollocks is all sorted it becomes AELL for a short period afterwards, so you don’t gotta check everythin’ everytime, especially in tense situations.
AELL:
Altitude
Electronics
Location
Lookout
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Three Types of Movement
Yaw: Yawing is the turnin’ motion that turns the vessel, or adjusts it’s position mid flight along the horizontal axis or to deviate from the original path.
Pitch: Is maintainin’ direction but arcin’ upwards.
Roll: I’ll try spinning that’s a cool trick. It’s rollin’ around the center mass
Accounting for drag:
While our Starfighters an even our airspeeders, are pretty far beyond the karkin’ aerial craft of the past, we still gotta deal with the aether and other shite when in atmo. This mean we’ve least gotta account for our speed and the weight of our craft, the larger mass an power tends to mean the more you’ve gotta yaw or pitch to reclaim control in longer turnin’ arcs. Your inertial compensator will help with the actual bloody aerodynamics, even if your mass remains the kriffin’ same.
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Starfighter Combat
There are five stages to starfighter engagement. These. Are gonna be a massive parta this document and are some of the most bloody important parts, all with their own tactics. The five are: Detection, Closing, Attack, Maneuver and Disengagement. Each playin’ a very important role in your survival an victory.

Spoiler: Detection

Detection:
Unless you’re a Blackbolt your scannin’ capabilities are worse than the enemy. This means detection is mostly up to your capital ships or ground, yet it don’t stop you puttin’ in the effort to ensure we ain’t caught off guard. If we are, sometimes it’ll be over for you in a bloody snap. There are two main standing orders you’ll get:
Detection Patrol Close: Detection Patrol Close is to keep you within your fleet or ships, detection range skimming the edges to provide visual support or minor technical support, some ships won’t be picked up the further away from the main sensor you are, usin’ any form of technical concealments or may be playin’ as a friendly. This is standard patrollin’ adding your own equipment to increase your vessels reach, to amplify the space you can watch while keepin’ you well within support range, still relyin’ on your big ships(or planet) to do the heavy liftin’.
Detection Patrol Long: Detection Patrol Long is what else, the opposite of Detection Patrol Close. You’re off away from your vessel on this one an at bigger risk. This is often times given’ to scouts like the Blackbolt, outside of the fleets radius you’re at bigger risk an take mosta that responsibility on yourself for spottin’, while you’ll see two ships on Detection Patrol Close duty, you ain’t ever likely to see two on Long. This’ll be a Squadron or Flight at best, an you’ll have to stick to strict scannin’ duties within the patrol. The Republic mosta the time have a big advantage here so we gotta ensure we are at our best at all bloody times.
Most of this section’ll focus on Detection Patrol Long, while applyin’ to Close as well. It ain’t as strict in terms of numbers of forces or tasks within the squad, due to the Capital Ships or Planet/Station whatever, doin’ most of the heavy lifting for you an some effort can be made to limit fuel and oxygen expenditure. This ultimately decides if you are usin’:
Active Radar: Active Radar, actively pings the area around you for targets. You can focus your sensors on certain areas an such, this’ll refresh for new additional targets or anythin’ you might encounter on the job, you’re seekin’ out the people hidin’ from you. In doing so you’ll be easier seen yourself, an invisible hand alertin’ them to your presence.
Passive Radar: Passive Radar, monitors already present targets and don’t seek them out you can’t control it but cause you aren’t actively pinging new hostiles you are less able to be seen an see. It is a system you’ll rarely need to kriff up.
Optimal Detection:
There isn’t just one optimal scanning method, visual or technological besides the force. It depends on the formation and the goal. Though there are several things to consider when actin’ and lookin’. While technical scannin’ can just keep you generally informed of what’s around you, you can focus energy into to increase it’s reach an direction.
Unit: We’ll get into exact formations in a bloody bit, but knowing what your unit is doing is important. It keeps you from overlappin’ constantly and wastin’ time lookin’ over the same spots at the same time or scannin’ areas people have already identified.
Location: The scannin’ if you’re on a planet is gonna be different than in a asteroid field or just flyin’ around the void, different hazards are gonna be awaiting you and your crew. While there ain’t gonna be AA guns randomly thrown around like Auto-Turrets, they will be on the ground as well as rocket groundpounders who just wanna make their day. Keep in mind where you are and where the threat is bloody likely to come from.
Expected: What are you expecting, are there longer patrols comin’ back to the Destroyer you’re guarding or is this a hotbed for Pirates. Knowin’ what you’re supposed to be seeing and what is an anomaly is key for threat detection, your Flight Controller will know what’s best.
Landmarks: Large mostly unmovin’ points of interest, these’ll keep you on track an act as a perfect way to address the location of your discovered enemies to your squad.
Concealment: What areas provide cover for the enemy either visual or sensory.
Detection in Formations:
Ain’t nothin’ more borin’ than formations as a pilot, especially in patrols when you ain’t got nothing to do sides scannin’. It isn’t pointless though, especially in hidin’ presence or detecting the enemy. There ain’t any surefire way for mosta us without fancy stealth ships to avoid some form of detection, jammin’ radar may keep them in the dark of the exacts but it’ll sure as hell turn them onto you.
So. The purpose of formations in detection is to keep a profile in which you have as much visual, sensor activity as possible within it while keepin’ your enemy in the dark ‘bout the exacts of your unit. This is achieved through an array of specific basic formations to this end. We’ll go over some of them and their purpose.
All images:
Red Boxes - Ships
Red Triangles - Ship Field of Vision
Blue Circle - Scanning Area
Blue Shading - Optimal Scanning Focus
Fly Easy:

Spoiler:

This is one of the simplest formation you can get. This formation sees a stack of two fighters in front including the IC(In command) with two fighters directly on their tail. This is mostly seen as a purely ceremonial by morons but has practical use when you know your objective, the stack allows for the second element(The back two) to shift up or down and provide maximum forward firepower to a single point. In this formation your role is to keep eyes sweeping forward and leave behind and sides to the sensory system or if your ship has good bloody optics viewing a visual scan as well. Ensure you keep your respectful distance on your allies tail  the engines will hurt, goin’ boom will hurt you both even more.
Four Blades:

Spoiler:

Another basic formation. Used for a wide array of visual arcs making it easier to break off into individuals or two elements should combat engage, the scanning privileges allow the two fighters at the back to protect the sides more adequately than ‘Box’ and to break for fire to pass between them.
V or Vaiken Formation:

Spoiler:

The formation is a reverse V of three or more starfighters. It’s used to be able to maintain cohesion in evasive maneuvers, it’ll be often one of the first bloody ones you learn so it ain’t something to ignore, allowing a full 180 while maintaining formation.
Bantha Formation:

Spoiler:

It’s a basic line, used to navigate hard regions behind the best goddam pilot. It’s got a lotta bloody uses in obfuscation, since it places only one fighter at the front visual detection might miss those tralin’ behind, an if you get close nuff to one another you’ll be able to confuse sensors into thinkin’ there is at least less of you till you strike. Bombing runs often use this cause it lets you concentrate firepower on single parts of shieldin’ an targets with ease.
Apex Four:

Spoiler:

The Apex Four’s job is to keep the bloody lead fighters covered, without riskin’ overlap of fire or hittin’ each other. It’s less able to keep in formation but the range let’s the fighters break just as easily.
Epsilon Formation:
Epsilon is common for escort missions where enemy contact ain’t likely, generally holdin’ the edges for larger ships and the rest of her wing. As many fighters are in the Squadron are lined diagonally.
Rush:

Spoiler:

The Starfighter Corps don’t just play fair on the same plain of combat, same as in many others, they all use different elevation. Rush turns the fighters into a wall on various elevations allowing for different fire and visual arcs, ensuring the pilots stay out of each other's way for maneuvering at the same time.
Protocols:
So you’ve managed to find something, good job. Now you’ve just gotta figure out what to do next, you can’t just shoot everyone an anyone unfortunately, course we’ll be shootin’ a lot of what we find but we need to be shootin’ together.
Identification: The process of identifying the contact, it could be a civilian vessel or an enemy Republic bastard about to shoot you from the sky. You need to clarify what it is, confirm with your Squadron Leader and with your Flight Controller so they may feed you with necessary information on your craft and apply appropriate resources.
ROE: Rules of Engagement(ROE) are there to tell you who you’re allowed to shoot, generally they’ll allow you to defend yourself if shot at and if you should apply lethal force or go for targets like enemy thrusters, incase you must make an on the fly decision rather than confer with your Commanders. Sometimes you’ll be given the full go ahead to engage whatever you kriffin’ see.
Flagging: This occurs if you ain’t sure if it’s friend or foe. Your Squadron Leader or Element Leader are to identify to your Flight Controller if possible they will confirm if they are expected or not, the closest Capital Ship or planet will be alerted and try to hail the vessel, if they are not identified by IFF(Identify Friend or Foe) and/or authorisation codes. You may yet be ordered to engage or flagged to escort it in for further inspection.
Engagement: So they’ve been marked an enemy. You gotta confer with you Flight Controller who’ll know who to send but if that ain’t possible and you or your leaders gotta judge, consider first if they are a bloody immediate danger, then consider if the odds are in your favour, your standin’ orders, if you can afford the losses. A poor choice could see you and your lot kriffed ‘fore you’ve got time to fire and that wouldn’t serve the Sith now.

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Spoiler: Closing

Closing
Closing is the process in which the Starfighters shift into attack. The goal in this stage is to bring yourself in at a ‘best’ position and angle, to potentially deceive the enemy and to ensure your ship is prepared for the next phases. This can be done in many ways as you close into range and is bloody important.
Individual and Element Tactics:
Sensor Jamming(Individual): Sensor Jammin’ on a individual level screws a kriffin’ amount with your own tech, while it may keep your exact position a secret they’ll know you’re somewhere. That doesn’t make it a inherently shite option but it’s many problems should be considered, if you’re close ‘nuff or in a optimal position it can give your wingmen a better shot at cost to one of your own vessels, by choosin’ to have a single fighter jam sensors while the others engage.
S-Foils: Openin’ your S-foils if you have em before combat is a common tactic to limit heat that the weapons an speed’ll force your craft to endure and stabilize the craft for a better openin’ shot
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Land Conforming Flight: Land Conforming Flight is a fancy method of gettin’ close to the surface of somethin’ to muddle your signature with that thing. Sensors struggle to connect see the two as separate objects meanin’ they won’t see you comin’ till it’s too late, you’ll need some fancy flyin’ though to avoid obstacles, we’ll get to maunverin’ later.
Throttle High: Engagin’ your throttle high is a common tactic to the bloody point it might as well be standard, it’s to ensure you have as much power available to all your bloody systems so you don’t have to shift when you engage cause by that time it might be too late.
Feint(Individual): If you’ve already been visually spotted, you as a individual can make small movements that’d give off you’re headin’ one way, or attackin’ one vessel but in reality switchin’ to another target, to throw em off.
Pre-Fire: Only if you’ve been identified, pre-fire is a method of usin’ long distance fire from outside range of your target to mask visuals an’ can easily be misjudged by lesser pilots or confuse craft systems into thinkin’ they are at risk, it also let’s you loosen up an charge weapons to ensure everythin’ is ready for an actual attack. It can be costly though as it depletes energy reserves for the craft an’ can lead to premature overheatin’, older craft get used to it.
Visual Cover: Simple an’ straightforward, in atmo or in a astroid field, usin’ your environment for cover even if it doesn’t obscure your sensor readin’ can give massive advantage since they won’t know the exacts of your positions, this can be used in squadron an flight tactics in interestin’ ways.
Squadron and Flight Tactics:
Feint(Flight): While a feint on a individual level is small, able to convince a pilot you’re weapons are trained on another poor bastard, a feint on a larger scale can see them led into a trap or see a whole group pull outta a engagement fore they even reach attack range, makin’ them clutch their crystals an’ control the path of the engagement.
Selective Targeting: Selective Targetin’ is when you each choose someone to close on, by pickin’ them out it ensures that everyones occupied an can keep fighters from overlappin’ responsibilities with minimum input so everyone is focused on their targets. Can however make us lose focus on team cohesion an the enemy, but a good team’ll be able to break off when needed.
Close Formation: Drawin’ in close with your other fighters is to limit the number of dots on that bloody radar system, if you are skilled nuff to avoid any lil accidents, you and break off once you’re in visual range and give an enemy who were expectin’ a small amount of craft a big surprise
Ambush: If they ain’t seein’ you, you can creep up on them or send a direct force to close in a obvious manner an send another around to flank an hit em from the side, works perfectly ‘gainst patrols an convoys, but less so in a actual battle not that is can’t, just often times when already close to engagement there’ll be nuff fighters to foil efforts.
Wing and Command Tactics
Communication Jamming(Command): Communication jammin’ on a command level is a mass silencin’ of local ships or large vessels, to limit the capabilities of fighters from a stupidly well defended vessel or position that won’t suffer much from the process. Generally unable to kriff local comms but will cut the enemy off from reinforcements an’ outward bound communications.
Strategic Deployment: The Flight Commander will ensure you bastards are deployed where you’re needed on the battlefield, keepin’ you updated with the flow of shite as it progresses and directin’ you with a better idea of the situation than the karkers flyin’ across it.
Lagging Feint: Is to make it seem as if you’re closin’, but to lower power to thruster or activate space-break, whatevers appropriate to drag your fighters back into the support range of your larger vessels or wing as the enemy commits to their assault unsupported. Due to a lack of speed an’ control it can get people kriffed in the first engagement but might be worth it in the long run to ensure you can take advantage of the advanced Empire screenin’ techniques, needs to be done in a group, individually or smaller shite’s ain’t gonna take much advantage of it ‘an be sitting ducks.
Space Control: Space Control is a fancy name for usin’ fighters to take up an’ control the space between an ‘round the enemy vessels, to let em craft spaces for bombers an hold bigger vessels back unless they are significantly well defended.

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Spoiler: Attack

Attack
Attack kills most bloody pilots, sides the Sith an’ Jedi course but most ain’t as kriffin’ skilled as us. The first shot can kriff you long before any of the fancy nonsense you see in the next phase but mosta the attack phase is limited by how you close. If you closed poorly, there ain’t much you can do in firin’ range before you’re kriffed lest you have the proper reaction time. There are a small ‘mount of ways to influence kark at this stage.
Angle of Deflection: This is a fancy name for the angle you gotta get to strike your opponent at. If your opponents kriffin’ curvin’ upwards then you’ll be aimin’ somewhere between where they wanna go and where they are, that’ll vary in exacts an is hard to judge by eye and is one of the many bloody benefits the force grant the Sith, but unless you're karting incredible mosta the time you need to rely on your...
Targeting Computer: Targeting Computers do mosta the deflection arc work for you, they ain’t completely unkarkable an’ may break or be unreliably calculated, but they are one of the most solid pieces of Imperial kit. For the most optimal form of attack fill your targeting computer with the target, if unable keepin’ her within the firing radius, lockin’ on will ensure you can shoot when ready guidin’ your weapons an if locked missiles if you have em.
Linked and unlinked Fire: Linking fire is the simple method of linkin’ your bloody weapons together, so they all fire at the same time. This is used to increase the ‘mount of damage you do instantly at the cost of the fire rate, due to independent unlinked lettin’ heat dissipate through the different systems, rather than relyin’ on all of em. Only ships with multiple guns that ain’t inherently connected ‘ave.
Snap shot: Is takin’ a unguided, unlocked on shot, scorin’ it takes luck or skill. Requires a good understandin’ of the Angle of Deflection.
Wingmen: Keepin’ with a buddy let’s your cooperate within smaller units, breakin’ for fire while still havin’ mass strikes to wipe out points of the foes position.
Selective Fire: Is markin’ targets or systems on larger vessels to ensure you don’t overlap in roles, pickin’ them off.
Focus Fire: Is doin’ the opposite of Selective Fire it’s typically to target larger vessels an systems within that, to kriff over their hyperdrives or comms, fore they have appropriate time to move. It also happen’s on a lesser scale to important bastards, Jedi Ace’s an Sith, are both victims of bein’ mass focused an why not?

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Spoiler: Maneuver

Maneuver
This is the stage where you kriffin’ start to see the fancy shite, if the attack fails to eliminate your target you gotta shift into dogfightin’ mode. Fore you maneuver, in bloody combat you gotta consider your objective:
Prime Target Cone:
The best place for sustained attack is almost always up their rear end, far nuff away where you can maneuver without blown both of yourself to pieces, riskin’ debris damage on destruction or missin’ the enemy but in a place where most bastards barring turrets, can’t kriff you, with an optimal firin’ arc to adapt for their movin’.
The Prime Target Cone’s 45 Degrees at it’s base, allowin’ for the vessel to remain and maneuver within its radius without entering the 30 degrees danger cone, where your place your vessel at risk by enterin’, course gettin’ into positions the tough part once you’re bloody there any moron can press a button.
Profile
This, is somethin’ you gotta minimize your karking designer has done his best. It’s your turn. Your profile is the ships external frame, when you turn improperly you expose your bloody front makin’ it easier to be blowin’ to hell. Maneuvers are designed to a degree, to keep your frame limited givin’ enemies less to hit. Ultimately though you could gotta decide when shit is appropriate, the situation is in the hands of you and your commanders no me in this bloody guide.
Combat Maneuvers
The purpose of *most* combat maneuvers is to both avoid bein’ placed in that cone or harms way, while optimizing your own position, to be constantly be pushin’ for prime an takin’ initiative in the fight. Most dogfights will piss your life down the drain if you get overconfident, it ain’t a place where you can take your time, the one not pushin’ is the one bein’ pushed and if your aggressive and disciplined, your opponent will probably screw up ‘fore you and that’s all it takes for him to be karked in a fireball and you victorious.
Individual
Most Maneuvers take place on this level, course it’s just you ‘gainst the enemy often times, jostling for prime positions, lotta the problem with wingmen is they can’t stick with you into the complicated motions without riskin’ collision, so often times you’ll break for combat an to let both fire an’ fighters pass, shiftin’ into the more individual levels of combat, course, you still got mates to aid your ass, just don’t count on em, chances are you’ll least need to handle yourself.
Jinking: Jinking is the yawing an’ pitching’ to delay your kriffin’ demise against someone who has achieved a prime position behind your ass. It’s all ‘bout makin’ small moves to give yourself an allies the time to respond. It’s a bloody delay tactic at best an’ should be used to make yourself harder to hit as either an immediate bloody response or a fall back, so an ally can kriff them or you can try somethin’ else.
The Break: Another bloody defensive move, this is turning rapidly into the opponents attack to stop your opponent gainin’ prime position, they may land a shot off but it’s likely nothin’ your shields can’t handle an’ it’s better than gettin’ kriffed by them consistently locked on your tail.
Immelman Turn: Simplest way of changin’ directions quickly,  pitchin’’ up, rollin’ and yawing into a sharp half loop, an’ righting yourself as you come outta your roll.
Koiogram Turn: One of the Republic’s contributions to Starfighter combat, our ship's speed an’ manuverability uses it far bloody better than they’ll ever manage it. Kendra Novar, ain’t good for nothin’. By slammin’ throttle and bringin’ the vessel up an’ ‘round the vessel will lose all forward momentum an’ loop round to break chase, potentially flippin’ the script on a unsuspectin’ bastard but due to the arc entailed, it ain’t impossible for the attacker to account for it an’ kriff you up.
Hull Skimming: Simple an’ straight forward in words, but kriffin’ hard in practice. Keepin’ close to a capital ships hull to pick out systems an’ blow em to hell, while avoidin’ fire.
Silerian Stall: Stallin’ sometimes has a purpose, like other shite in this guide says. This is takin’ the most direct move towards your pursuer an’ stoppin’ so they have to overtake you. It’s a risky bugger an’ relies on your enemy bein’ both skilled ‘nuff to avoid without smashin’ into the back of you, an’ not skilled or quick at reactin’ nuff to stall themselves, in prime position while you’re momentarily kriffin’ helpless. Typically this is done if you’re flyin’ the slower fighter, ‘gainst a faster one chances are the faster machines will overshoot more often than not.
Corkscrew Avoid: Is typically a rollin’ advance along the same headin’, shiftin’ only slightly along horizontals. It’s goal is to rather than avoidin’ fire to shift through it towards the same objective. It’s normally used ‘gainst karkin’ capital ships or to reach hyperspace jump points while under fire.
The Scissors: Is a fun one. It’s ‘bout usin’ sharp reversing an’ turnin’ in a spiral to drag your opponent out infront. Normally it’s a jostle as each fighter corrects to account for the other bastards play, leadin’ to a darin’ game where the first to back out risks putin’ themselves at a massive disadvantage
Reverse Throttle Hop: Remember ‘The Break’ now it’s time to get fancy. That shite is common fair, the Reverse Throttle Hop was built to counter it, by lowerin’ your speed an’ rollin’ you can bring your vessel up, takin’ a longer route to your target to bring yourself down on the bastards tail as he tries to avoid you, usin’ a more advanced maneuver. If someone breaks an’ attempts to sweep past you, it’s a better shot than any snap shot.
Tallon Roll: ‘Reverse Throttle Hop’ is the easiest an’ most common trick to pull off to counter ‘The break’ for regular pilots, but it’s problems are it haultin’ your momentum with the break an’ even then it don’t even put you in the best position to finish the cunt. The Talion Roll, on the other had is bloody essential in a ace or a Sith’s playbook, as you slide into attack position, let em try an’ turn away, continuin’ onwards you can pitch up, an’ roll, bringing yourself ‘round without losin’ speed in your prime position, ‘round in most fighters blind spots. This ain’t a move for rookiees, you risk disorientating yourself an’ you won’t see the enemy for a tad, which Sith can make up for with Force Sense or Ace’s with their bloody tech I guess, but spinnin’ makes it hard to count on.
Mustafarian Special: All the way from Mustafar, take from all bloody sources if you wanna live. It means subvertin’ a standard power system set up, manually favourin’ one sublight thruster over another an bringing yourself into a still rapid spiral. It’s a risky bugger but can’t say it don’t work, just wouldn’t try it in atmosphere. It excels at breakin’ combat an’ riskin’ breakin’ you gainst something.
Gandder’s Spin: If the Mustafarian Special is the risky, uncontrolled bastard. Gandder’s spin is the controlled version, shuntin’ power to one sides thrusters and breakin’ with S-foils open(If you have em) on the other an’ bringin’ yourself into a rapid roll under your control, ‘fore shootin’ off in another direction, is a sure fire way of rushing outta the bastards view or from one target to ‘nother.
Element
Wingmen are your bro in combat. Mosta the time you’ll have the same bloody wingmen if you’re an Imp, Sith can choose who they like, only those who bloody understand their place or ‘nother Sith. You’ll be the closest group, if someones gonna help you it’ll be your wingman ‘bove anyone else.
Lazy Wingman: Is a common trick where one wingman hangs further back than the other, rather than any active bloody maneuver, the Empire’s been usin’ this in it’s doctrine to catch cunts off guard with little effort.
The Trap: This bastards a cause of death of many a stupid rookie, sometimes that bloody kill is so tantalising before you, you ignore the wingman who’s brought himself in behind. We try and beat it out of you cunts, but so few take it to heart when they bloody need it.
Under Split: Is the more advanced version of the bloody trap, consisting of least a flight. One element’ll shoot forward an’ draw the enemy 
Corellian Slip: This is when two friendly bastards, fly directly at each other an’  maneuver at the last moment to let your wingman fire and wipe your bloody tail off the map. If you don’t trust the bastard with you, don’t, they’ll probably kark up both of you in a massive fireball.
Brackets: Use this bastard against close formations. Split out into two individuals, to let fire an’ enemies pass directly through center and loop round into the enemy flight, they’ll have to move out to engage either target or one, lettin’ your ally loop ‘round they’ll struggle to maneuver inwards without smashin’ into each other limitin’ where they can go.
Flight - Squadron
These are your unit, Squadrons don’t lick each others wounds though. They exist to push the worse bastards to meet their units standards or die tryin’ and let the best ones lead and excel, workin’ in a unison of ships that compliment each other, leadin’ to larger objectives bein’ achieved than individual ships could manage alone.
Feint and Backstab: You’ll find a lot of our shite is feints. Two fighters will fly as if goin’ for a head on bloody exchange, ‘fore turnin’ tale an’ breakin’ off. Already closin’ the bastards will have little choice but to take the chance an’ fall in behind, that’s when the other two fighters of the Flight sweep in behind an’ nuke the main cunts.
Pass Through: This is the process of lettin’ the enemy pass through your unit. This let’s the cunts circle round on your tail if done incorrectly, this is typically done when it’s some other sods time for action. Normally done with Bombers to avoid incomin’ mongs to allow the fighter support to take up the slack, or if the Squadron has a particular taste for another objective.
Force Multiple Orbit: Atom, is a right bastard of a move. It’s done to ensnare vessels with your Supremacy, typically done against lone ships like the Wanderer Class or large ass heavy freighters. The Empire uses it’s fast an’ nimble fights to fly at staggered distances to encircle a vessel, it normally kicks the safety procedures for hyperdrives an’ opens up consistent an’ various angles for attack, while limiting the enemy crafts effectiveness, in terms of shields and blaster arcs.
Wing
Wing tactics are the largest, sides when ya gotta work directly with the Capital Ships. Mosta the time that’ll be the Wing Commanders job, so he’s gotta organise all you bastards. Typically this’ll be more vague instructions or compositions that exist to keep you as snug as a rat in a cold cage can be, to let you operate effectively as a mass unit an’ let the individual smaller groups shine.
Mass Assault: Core of the Imperial Doctrine, Sith get to be bloody heroes but Imperials are best in numbers. Ain’t no place for individual heroics, you’ve got the best firepower in the bloody galaxy and lords to lead you, there ain’t no excuse, your fighters are fast and deadly with blasters but ain’t built to keep you safe. That’s what the group is for.
Starfighter Screen:  As a part of the Mass Assaults execution, the Starfigher Screen is a perfect representation of Imperial discipline, workin’ for the betterment an’ safety of their betters who’ll lead em to victory ‘cross the stars. The tactic involves formin’ up on mass ‘cross the bloody capital ships surface, often times a square sometimes many others you become an unstoppable wall, to intercept bombers an’ approaching craft to let the bastards sat back kill the other bastards sat further back.
Space Control: Space Control ain’t as literal as you think. It’s not ‘bout total dominance or destroyin’ the enemy, if you can do that well nuff, you’ve conquered it, ain’t much reason for there to be a tactic there. Space Control is ‘bout controllin’ as much of the space you need a possible, forcin’ the enemy to adapt ‘round you, by gettin’ in close and pushin’ a squadron outta position leaves an openin’ for a bomber squadron to slap their Valor.
Pick and mix: Unlike within Squadrons which mostly use the same class of ship to keep formations and not to bloody curtail any of their ships, full wings will have multiple varied bastards. This lets the wing commander, set them to different targets cause while your fighters are built to kriff enemy fighters, the gunships are more stable ‘gainst bloody bombers.

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Spoiler: Disengagement

Disengagement
Kill them. Rarely is the kriffin’ enemy gonna stop you if you’re dead, the cleanest disengagement is to have no enemy to bother you as you pull off. It ain’t always possible though, sometimes you gotta regroup or advance the opposite way, it ain’t worth tossin’ fighters outta formation for a little kill on the side, shoulda been quicker.
So disengagement is the time you’ll be feelin’ in the clear, especially if your targets bloody dead an’ you’ve cleaved through their formation. Yet, in any second the enemy could get you it’s why bein’ a pilot's so thrillin’, you can’t drop your guard just because you think they are losin’. The best way to disengage is to keep visual contact with your target or whatever karkers remain. If you are unable unless your orders are bloody ‘gainst it, turn until you can.
If you still can’, rely on your damn scanners or other senses. Disengage improperly and your mind will disengage from your stupid head.

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Live Example:
Course we gotta get some examples, so we’ll be takin’ some helmet cam footage from the Forge Squadron to give you bastards an’ example.

Spoiler: Forge 3 Headcam Flight Footage

The HUD booted online, there was a loud clatter somewhere behind. The helmet was pulled out from the dark locker, by black clad hands. Turning it around revealed a short haired human with a large bushy moustache and it was pushed upon his head with a slow hiss. Pressing several adjustment buttons on his chest, he brought up a small image of a human bathed in green soothing light, telling the pilot he was in fine health.
Turning up, he spies a comrade dressed in the same ashen uniform, supplemented by patches of white and steel rings. He gives him a friendly thumbs up, with a small hiss as the suit seems to seal and an oxygen prompt appears at the very top, glancing up at it as he walks. Stepping past several bunk beds, each with a locker at the end he presses the doors button and steps out of the barracks jumping into a salute, as a Imperial Officer, marched by leading a thunder of black Imperial boots in his wake as a squad passed him.
He hurries through the straight, durasteel corridors stepping into the elevator with the pilot from earlier who mumbles something and he laughs. They both step out in lockstep and into a large hangar, a large array of MVI Supremacy Fighters line the sides chained down by wires and pipes. It has a cockpit inlaiden between two forward facing wings, angled downwards with four large engines protruding from her rear.
Imperial Engineers rush around them, doing checkups and carrying large crates too and fro between various tasks, with a single Imperial standing just before the shields edge, boarding the glitter of stars bravely waving in another as her red engines wail and someone ducks down to avoid, as it finished it’s journey lowering into place.
He gets jostled as he's knocked lightly on the shoulder, as his fellow pilot guides him towards four others, three of which are formed up in a line before the last. He steps in as the man marked Captain, saluting he says nothing as he dutifully awaits instruction.
“Listen up Forge Squadron, we are replacing the other flight and heading out for sure in the next fifteen for a DPC, engineers have been lazy recently... do a full check for this one, we got the time. Understood?”
“Yes sir!” was echoed by the unit.
“Well, fall out. Get to it.” this was followed without question.
He walked around his vessel, starting with the right two thrusters which seemed fine tapping the S-foils and running his hand along the unblemished wing, dipping beneath the structure and seeing it in minted condition. He checks inside the guns, wipes a small stain off the outside of the cockpits glass and finally reaches around the other engine and concludes them.
He clambers up the vessel, checking inside moments before he jumped in with the ejection handle locked, it’s power absent and no blaring self destruct, he brings the hatch down after him and nestles himself in the center chair.
He begins a slow deployment of power with a few switches, taking his time as the ship readouts, power management display, throttle, radar, one by one as well as other various lights spuing into life and turn the cockpit a bloody hue. He straps himself in and hears the radio crackle as his Captain speaks over it.
“This is Forge Leader, Radio Check over.”
“This is Forge 1 reading you loud and clear.”
This repeats with only the number changing between messages, until finally a new message interchanges from the Captain, requesting a wellness check to which all respond with green and finally, the moment the Fighter pilots had clearly been waiting for
“Forge Leader to Control, are we clear to take off, over?” he switches from local comms.
“Forge, this is Control... “ he coughs, “ Affirmative, you are clear to take off. Good hunting, over.”
“Hunting what?” A pilot uttered, “There ain’t nothing out there.”
“Cut the chatter, Burnee.” The Captain responded, “Lead us out, Beta Element, over.”
That seemed to be the viewpoint pilot, because after a few clicks he seems to bob there is the hiss of machinery as he comes loose from the equipment he bobs slightly as he checks his stabilization and repulser unit before turning on autoflight, which brought him around clearing the obstacles as he was waved out by a helpful aide, the green lights gesturing him and his partner through the open shield and straight into the void.
The autopiloting was disabled and they stayed in ‘Apex Two’ formation, keeping side by side at a large distance through a eveled speed, as they swept through the stars, they were soon joined by several other supremacy forming a battle line as he leaned to look sideways and check on the others as they emerged.
“Squadron, we’ll bring ourselves out three hundred metres. Beta to the ‘ nine o’clock of ISS Torrent, make a pass at those asteroids. Alpha Element we’ll head three o’clock and Charlie with me, at Six.”
“Affirmative, Forge Leader.”
“Forge Leader to Control, we are beginning our patrol over.”
“Affirmative Forge Leader, you are clear to take patrol route alpha-beta, out."
The Pilot breaks off, with his wingman aside following each and every motion that changed his flight path. He’d heads towards the just before the large asteroid,  sweeping into a turn his etheric rudder letting him sail smoothly and giving them a look at the looming Harrower it’s jagged metallic form cutting through the backdrop, with it’s large glowing hangars illuminating the void, it’s guns resting bored upon its form.
He brings himself into a steady flight path around her, tapping several buttons he focuses the radar on his left flank, diverting power from his engines manually to the radar to increase it’s scale.
“You see anything, Forge 4 over?” he says in a more relaxed tone over comms, as his eyes sweep across the asteroid as they approach, his visuals were more reliable.
“Unfortunately negative, Forge 3 over.”
“Let’s take this slow, over.”
He slowed down his vessel as they approached the rock formations hovering around concealing the glitter of stars and whatever lay beyond it. His helmet shifts from radar to visual scanning, which his helmet seems to aid in, occasionally letting him zoom in ever so slightly.
His scanner beeped, a single unknown contact appearing to the crafts left moving at a regal pace, he flicks his vessel slightly to see if he can spy it, but whatever it is he couldn’t see it.
“You see that?”
“Yup, I’m hoping things get interesting.”
He taps over to Squadron comms again.
“Forge 3 to Forge Leader, we’ve got a ping slightly left of the large asteroid, should we investigate over?”
“Affirm Forge 3, keep out of sight if you can.”
“Roger that, Forge Leader, out.”
His helmet bobs, switching channels again to his local wingman. “Keep in low to the large asteroid, we’ll conform to it, Forge 4.”
“Roger that.”
The fighter suddenly dips as he pushes the controls downwards, bringing the vessel up at the last moment to have both skim just above, he has to push up the throttle slightly and maunver the vessel around a outcrop seeing the two vessels break apart for a moment before rejoining each other as they bring themselves around the space rock.
“Slow…” he says as he pulls back on the throttle, letting the vessel peek out as he opens his S-foils and stabilizes the craft without coming to a complete halt. His radar pings again, a few more little red dots appear and he finally spies the contacts, several small dots he identifies as a flight of Republic Liberator Class, that mark on his radar as well using the cover of the rocky field to advance slowly.
“Four Contacts, Liberator Class.”
“Affirm, there are probably more.”  Forge 4 said.
“Forge Leader. Four Contacts, liberator class within the asteroid field, likely more.. over.”
“Forge Leader to Torrent Control, be advised four liberator class contacts in the asteroids at your 9 o’clock, please advise over?”
“Roger that, Forge Leader this is Torrent Control. We are scrambling the rest of your Wing just in case. You are to regroup and engage the contacts as per your discretion, until they arrive, they will then cover your retreat, over.”
“Affirmative, Torrent Control will do over.”
“Torrent Control out.”
“All wings fall in on Forge 3, bantha formation. Element Beta hold your current flight path. Over.”
He pulls back on the yolk, shifting the throttle lever back just to keep himself slowly pushing out from the rock as several friendly contacts blipped onto his radar and his wingman slid in behind him as the others funneled into a close line.
“All wings, report in.” Forge Leader said.
“Forge 1 standing by.”
“Forge 3 standing by.”
“Forge 5 standing by.”
“Forge 2 standing by.”
“Forge 4 standing by.”
“Close in, we are gonna fool those sensors, over.” Forge Leader ordered and they got so close to his vessel, the Collision Avoidance System on his helmet's HUD started going utterly mental with warnings that a click of a suit button silenced.
They then continued over the edge, he boosted his throttle and traveled towards the Flight who noticed him immediately as he rolled over the rock bringing himself out into the open and down upon them, their wings opening out as their guns appeared and the four vessels swung up to engage, falling into a ‘Apex Four’ formation, as two spit out to give them maximum coverage. He tapped the power management display that tossed power to shields and weapons.
“Squadron, shift to V formation.”
He glanced through his limited viewport and at his radar to the friendlies fanning out aside him, staggered into a V, as they pushed forward one Republic vessel seemed to make an effort to pull away before correcting her course with the others. They knew it was too late for that.
“Accelerate to attack position, pick your targets.”
He opened his S-foils and watched the heat dissipate from his systems, as his hands tighten on his yoke and fingers touch the triggers, they’d fallen right into their trap, as he selected the lead fighter on his targeting computer, a few switches seemed to be clicked, soon the vessel filled up his screen as they engaged. There was a sudden shriek of green blaster bolts as he pressed down on the controls, firing all four weapons together slammed into the fighters shields tearing through the fighters, as it exploded into a ball of flaming oxygen, as he jinked slightly to avoid return fire slipping up and past the vessel.
There was another two sudden explosion that rocked his vessel as he plowed through, what little remained of his target.
“Forge 2 is down, I repeat, Forge 2 is down.” Forge 4 said.
“Two remaining, they’re coming around.”
“Charlie, break off and boost forward on me. Beta stay your flight path, you’ll draw them in.”
“Afirm, Forge Leader.”  He said, “Focus rear deflector shield, increase power to engines, Forge 4.”
His vessel continued onwards, as three fighters suddenly shot past them overtaking them with sudden afterburners, their vessels rocketing forward as several less friendly blips rushed in behind, there was a sudden flash of red on his HUD.
“I’ve got a fighter coming at .5.”
“Hold path Beta, we’re coming around.”
He jinked his controls yawing the vessel from side to side, pitching it ever so slightly to rock, as blasterbolts lashed one slammed on his the shield just over the engine system, almost tearing through the vessels weak shields entirely, moments away from destruction he watched as a sudden turn was completed in front of him and the three fighters, swung themselves around.
“It’s… in prime position!”
“Pitch on my mark… 1, 2-Now!”
He pitched his vessel down as the three vessels streaked above him their red engines flashing over his cockpit. There were one explosion erupted behind him, the shockwave rippling through the aether as the fight was destroyed, the pilot breathed a ventilated sigh of relief.
“One down, the other has pitched down,”
“I have him, pitching down.”
He continued his pitch, turning it into a soft roll midway that would right himself as he came out of it, lending power to his engines until he slammed himself around to meet the foe. Taking a moment before he engaged, his targeting computer struggled to track him, transferring power to weapon he fired just before the other fighter's path, slamming a snap shot onto a already damaged wing throwing the vessel stabilizer out, seeing the vessel jerk violently as it struggled upwards.
He followed it around, taking advantage of his maneuverability as they swept under the rest of the unit, the others arcing around to cut around.
“I’ve got him!”
“Forge Squadron this is Control, several large craft coming out from hyperspace. Disengage and return to the Torrent, over.”
“Affirm Control, Forge Squadron, disengage, regroup on me, over.”
The Pilot didn’t even take the time to think, he abandoned his target immediately, letting the lock fall away breaking around while keeping an eye on the smoking fighter as long as he was allowed, just as he slammed around on the controls bringing himself swinging around in a arc that brought him back on course, switching all power to engines that saw them close as the Terminus rushed forward to protect the Harrower.
The hyperspace warnings turned into new large contacts as two massive bulbous Valor’s, with stringent steel over a carrier and it’s thrusters ran along a stem under it, with two smaller Thranta exploded from hyperspace and readied close to where they were, coming under the rock formation.
“Forge Squadron, your flight path is around starboard of ISS Nightmare, dock with ISS Torrent in Xeta Hangar, how copy, over?”
“Forge Leader to Control, affirm control, on our way now, over.”
“Are we retreating?” Forge 4 says.
He falls in behind Forge Leader, as they once more fall into a straight line, he watches the red lines shift behind his as he follows after the other fighter. As they weave a path around the right Terminus, skimming across her metal surface and shield as they swing around and under bringing themselves towards the looming Harrower as she turned.
“The Empire always has a plan, Forge 4,” He says, “Forge to Control, are we clear to dock over?”
“Control to Forge, affirm, you are clear to dock, over.”
As they closed in on the hangar, the shields seemed to vanish so they could enter. They took a slow path, lowering his throttle and the pilot flicked a few buttons on his targetting computer, turning it over to a screen with several options. He clicked ‘Autopilot Xeta’, to be led in as once inside their vessel did the rest of the work, letting go of the control as his repulsers shifted on over his engines and he swept over the head of an Imperial leading them in with green, dropping down as they finally settled down in their spot in the hangar, he watched the last ships filter in.
“Forge 5, last man in, over.”
“Forge to Control, Forge Squadron are inside over.”
“Affirmative, Forge, you are free to get to the 10th Hangar. Out.”
The Pilot looks over his controls, flicking them individually off, seeing the systems vanished one by one and finally, he pushed open the hangar and the camera followed as he removed his helmet as he clambered down and met up with the rest of the Squadron.
“Kriff me… we lost Johnson,”  someone says, remorsefully in the background.
“The Republic will pay, we will have our revenge.”
“Turn your helmet cams off.”

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Conclusion
There are a lotta movin' parts that go into flyin' a starfighter without lookin' like a total bloody prat. For Imperial an' some for Sith, but flyin' one in combat is somethin' I recommend to almost every bastard who likes the thrill of combat. Be it aerial dogfights or space battles, they are bloody thrills. Just like every damn thing in this galaxy you gotta learn some of this boring shite before you even get to the fight, unless you wanna crash into a asteroid or get totally karked. So study this guide, congrats I just gave you a damn good resource if you can read.
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Spoiler: OOC

OOC:
This took a whole lotta effort to put together. If you've read it through and like it, thanks mate, you're the champ. IF you want to go one step further and see something wrong, that you desperately wanna correct if you are knowledge about this stuff OOC either literal starfighters or you've got some secret plane flying experience you wanna share. Please do get in contact and correct it, wanna make this as good as possible. Some of it is fanon, it is also an IC perspective so things like bias do exist and the disagreement may just come up to how we or my character views the universe, but things like the comms channel in the short story type thing with headcam footage or some additions or special SWsy things I missed, please do suggest them in DMs prefferably (Thomking#9733 on Discord).
Finally. If you're interested in learning more or seeing the maunvers more visually represented because... that kind of was beyond my shit drawing skills:
Rebel Alliance Source Book
Katsior's stuff, while we may disagree on some points in this. I think her stuff is much more professionaly made and absolutely fucking amazing, go look for her. Here's one of her things: http://katsior.github.io/starfighters/mk...manual.pdf I'll be tagging her on my wall cause it really isn't working here for some reason, but go scroll through her wall. It's a crime these have been left buried.
Edit: Got a nitpick regarding height, someone suggested Altitude would be better for SW. I agree so it's changed.