SFL

DOGFIGHT BRACKET

SFL Pilot SPINS · OTS-2 · Jul ‘26
COMPETITOR DISTRIBUTION
OTS-2  ·  JUL ’26
NTTR · Las Vegas
Format
Bof3
Best of 3 sets
Engagement
HABFM
High-aspect BFM
Aircraft
F/A-18 / F-16
Eligible types
Weapons
GUNS ONLY

Mission Overview

Each round in the Dogfight Bracket is a best-of-three series of HABFM sets
Set 1 — Abeam, Altitude Split
Higher seed takes the high fighter; lower seed takes the low fighter
Set 2 — Abeam, Altitude Split (Reversed)
Starting altitudes swapped from Set 1
Set 3 — Traditional Abeam (Co-Altitude)
Both fighters co-altitude

Mission — Kill or Be Killed

  • Deny your opponent weapons-employment opportunities
  • Achieve the first weapons-employment opportunity
  • Gain positional advantage
  • Employ weapons
  • Timely transition to DBFM, if required

Admin — Overview

Map Study
Not required
Line Up
Eligible aircraft: F/A-18C Hornet  |  F-16C Fighting Falcon
Environmentals
Ceiling and visibility unrestricted (CAVU), winds light, sun overhead
Fuel
F/A-18 starts with 3,500 lb (32% fuel)
F-16 starts with 3,500 lb (49% fuel)
Parity note: 3,500 lb provides ~197 seconds of fuel in maximum afterburner at sea level for both airframes.
Comm
Per TechAdmin SOP

Admin — Start & Recovery

Marshal / Taxi / Takeoff / Departure
All sets: Competitors spawn airborne at PADS
Recovery
Not required — an aileron roll post guns-kill is encouraged

TacAdmin

Fires

  • 20MM Full loadout / slick aircraft

Expendables

  • All buckets filled with flares

Threats

  • Your bracket opponent

Navigation

  • Not required

Comm

PRI VHF Black 01 (123.4) — Live Broadcast & Control
AUX UHF Yellow 02 (246.8) — internal Admin/TacAdmin only
Control Competition Control callsign “CLASSIC”

Operating Area

  • Nevada Test & Training Range (NTTR)

HABFM PADS

Sets 1 & 2 — Altitude Offset
Position: Abeam (line abreast)
Altitude: 17.5k′ AGL + 12.5k′ AGL (swap on 2nd set)
Distance: 1.0 NM
Speed: 350 kts IAS
Set 3 — Co-Altitude
Position: Abeam (line abreast)
Altitude: 15k′ AGL
Distance: 1.0 NM
Speed: 350 kts IAS
15k′ AGL is used as the razor for the altitude split.

HABFM Comm — Fight’s On

AUX (Yellow 02)
CLASSIC assists in fight setup; Competitors will be in server pause
PRI (Black 01) — once Competitors are set
CLASSIC: “Call Ready Left” — LEFT FIGHTER: “Ready”
CLASSIC: “Call Ready Right” — RIGHT FIGHTER: “Ready”
CLASSIC: “3, 2, 1, Fight’s On”

TechAdmin

Authoritative source: SFL Charter Appendix B — TechAdmin SOP v1.1.
Required reading: all Competitors must read Appendix B in its entirety prior to competition.
Dogfight-specific: § B.8 — Dogfight execution standards.

Relevant SOP Sections

  • § B.2 Qualification submission (file types, token, submission window)
  • § B.3 Live OTS execution flow, Competition Control (CLASSIC), comms standards
  • § B.4 Competition environment: DCS server, MIZ files, MODs, terrain, aircraft
  • § B.5 Client requirements and prohibited assistance
  • § B.8 Dogfight execution standards
  • § B.9 Timing, reporting, troubleshooting
  • § B.10 Acronyms and definitions

The Bracket

Eight competitors, single elimination. Seeding is based on competitors’ combined score from the trials phase — highest score is #1, lowest is #8.
QUARTERFINALSSEMIFINALSFINALCHAMPIONSEED 1SEED 8SEED 4SEED 5SEED 3SEED 6SEED 2SEED 7TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD

Bracket Rules

Three HABFM sets per the PADS on the TacAdmin tab
Cumulative Unified Impact Score (UIS) over the three-set series determines the round winner
A 0–0 set stands

Scoring — Unified Impact Score (UIS)

Everything converts to Impact Seconds; the higher UIS wins the round. Scored per player, per set — cumulative across the matchup.
S = TCZ + TOFF + TDENY + (Ri × Tr) + (WDEFEAT × TD) + (OSHOOT × TO) + TBONUS

What Each Term Means

  • S Unified Impact Score: the round total in Impact Seconds. Higher is better
  • TCZ Kill-Box Time: seconds on offense in the defender’s control zone (AOT ≤ 30°, range ≈ 0.8–2.5 kft)
  • TOFF Pressure Time: seconds on offense aft of the bandit’s 3/9, ≤ 90° AOT, ≤ 45° AON, ≤ 5.0 kft
  • TDENY Spoil Time: on defense, seconds you keep the attacker out of your kill-box
  • Ri × Tr Rounds on Target: weighted gun hits (Vital ×3 / Major ×2 / Peripheral ×1) at 0.75s per weighted hit
  • WDEFEAT × TD Weapons Defeated: each defeated gun employment, +5s
  • OSHOOT × TO Overshoot Forced: each forced overshoot / role reversal, +15s
  • TBONUS Kill Bonus: Flat 50s kill credit plus round time remaining at TKILL. 0s if no kill

Kill Clock & Mutual Kill

TBONUS = (TMATCH − TKILL) + 50
TMATCHMaximum round length: 180s
TKILLTime of first valid kill (= TMATCH if none). Kill = gun kill, CFIT, ejection, fuel mort, or any opponent death condition.
Mutual Kill Criteria
Kills within 5 seconds of each other are treated as mutual: both pilots receive the kill bonus; no time-differential is awarded.

Tie Breakers

Tie Breakers (only if UIS ties)

Applied cumulatively over the three-set series, in order:
1 — More finishes (gun kill > no-kill)
2 — Higher (Ri × Tr) — Rounds on Target
3 — Higher TCZ — kill-box time
4 — Lower TDEF — less time on defense
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