aerial dogfight
Planes battling aloft
An aerial dogfight is close-range combat between military aircraft, typically fighter planes maneuvering aggressively to shoot each other down.
The term emerged in World War I when pilots described the chaotic, swirling engagements as resembling dogs fighting.
The pilots engaged in a dogfight over the English Channel.
Often shortened to simply dogfight.
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- air superiorityControl of the sky
- pilotOne who steers aircraft
- aceSingle-pip card
- maneuverDeliberate tactical movement
chase · guns · cockpit · enemy · pursuit · altitude · spin · dive · barrel roll · evasion · kill · engagement · tracers · kill shot · wingman · bandit · squadron · sky
aerial dogfightland battle
Military fight on terrain
ground combat · trench warfare · naval battle · sea warfare · submarine warfare
aerial dogfightcommercial flight
Scheduled passenger air travel
formation flying · recreational flying · air show · humanitarian airlift · search and rescue
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