What do you do?

[Saxman]

This is a situation I've seen and been in once or twice, and was curious on what other people's opinions are for their course of action.

Scenario:

You're cruising along at altitude on the way to a fight, when suddenly you see below you a friendly being chased by two bad guys. The enemy fighters are outside of gun range but closing slowly, and are flying as a wing-pair (within D100-200 of each other), with one leading and the other trailing behind and off to one side to keep his own line of fire clear. There are no other cons in the vicinity, friendly or hostile. Let's say you're within a friendly dar circle and you can confirm there's no enemy lurking outside visual range. You happen to be flying without tracers turned on.

You radio the friendly you see him, and to continue pulling the bad guys out straight, then after neatly maneuvering for position roll in (so no, this is NOT a "Do I help my buddy?" morality call). You carefully manage your speed to ensure you close into gun range before the enemy can do the same to your friend, without overtaking them too quickly to get a good shot. You settle in behind them and watch the range counter click down. They're completely fixated and don't see you coming. Your finger is on the trigger and the counter on the trailing bandit hits your convergence range, however you still have a clear shot at BOTH targets.

Question:

Which do you shoot first?

A) Trailing Con - If you hit him solid enough and even get a pilot kill you may be able to knock him out before he can even warn his lead plane that he's been hit. You'll also have more time to take aim on the leader. The downside is, if the leader has been able to close into gun range on your friendly you may not have time to hit him before he can open up on his own target.

B) Leading Con - He's closest to the friendly and in the best position to fire. Additionally, if the wingman has his leader in view you'd have the twisted satisfaction of scaring the HELL out of him as his boss suddenly bursts into flames and making him realize that they've just screwed up very, VERY badly. However you would then have less time to correct your aim for the trailing bandit, and he may be able to break, out of your line of fire and make you work a little harder for the second kill.

[Dichotomy]

I go for the most immediate threat to my countryman.  But that's me

[Motherland]

Trailing con.
If they're 100-200 yards away from each other, both will have guns within short order of each other. If you can kill the trailing con fast enough and cleanly enough, you then have an easy kill on the lead- if not, then the lead will break (most likely), saving the friendly.

My usual reaction, though, would be to get excited and spray all over the place, missing both cons and hitting them just enough to get them to break.

[TequilaChaser]

Radio the Friendly being chased, ask him how far back the 1st Enemy is.if he is outside of the 1k barrier, then target the 2nd Bogey.........then the 1st.......if the Friendly says the 1st Enemy is closing with in 800 go for the major threat 1st......then convert it back in your favor of 2 on 1........

[Chalenge]

The trailing con but in this game it doesnt matter because he will still warn his buddy.

[RATTFINK]

trailing con

[PFactorDave]

Trailing con, unless it is apparent that your buddy will be dead within seconds without immediate intervention.

If you hit the trailing con first. you'll still have a good line on the leading con.  Other way around and the trailing con will most likely immediately start manuevering to escape or bring his guns onto you.

[uptown]

I always go for the leading con and get killed by the trailing one. So I may rethink this before too long 

[toonces3]

Nothing new here:

If the bogeys are chasing a squaddie, I almost always go for the lead (eg. closest to achieving a firing solution on my squaddie).  This 'should' cause the lead bogey to break, saving my bud and allowing us to even up 2v2.

Against an unknown friendly:
Call and ask as TC said.  If no response, use judgement.  If the lead is 'in my judgement' within 400-600 yards of the friendly, go for the lead and try to get his attention.  If he's back 600+ or the friendly calls him back enough, I'll hit the trailer, therefore making it a 2v1.  

It's a tough call.  But, ultimately, I generally go for saving the friendly and missing the easy kill unless there's some circumstance that keeps me from doing so...

That being said, I usually blow the kill either way.

[BaldEagl]

Trailing con always.  Pop him and hope for the leader before he can say anything on squad channel. 

Same deal with a conga line.  Pick the trailer first then sweep the line (depending on altitudes of course).

[Blooz]

Trailer.

Tactically correct and has a psychological effect on the leader. Even if you miss.

[FiLtH]

  Shoot the friendly...it sounds too dangerous to hang around there anyways.

[Steve]

Because you said this:

you....ensure you close into gun range before the enemy can do the same to your friend

The obvious and only choice is to shoot the plane with the higher top end speed if one is not clearly faster(currently) than the other.

 Anyone who answered with other the what I've posted must not have read the scenario thoroughly.

[Delirium]

The trailer for a few reasons;

1. I don't want my huge P38 looming in front of the trailers guns when I go for the lead.

2. If I kill the lead, the trailer is still threatening my buddy anyway. Taking the time to get lined up again can be too long.

3. The trailer is usually the slower of the 2 aircraft, if I can kill the slower (ie better turning aircraft) the my buddy can break hard and evade the lead anyway. Then again, all my friends fly P38s anyway.

If the lead is 2k in front of the trailer, only then will I go for the lead.

[Guppy35]

The trailer for a few reasons;

1. I don't want my huge P38 looming in front of the trailers guns when I go for the lead.

2. If I kill the lead, the trailer is still threatening my buddy anyway. Taking the time to get lined up again can be too long.

3. The trailer is usually the slower of the 2 aircraft, if I can kill the slower (ie better turning aircraft) the my buddy can break hard and evade the lead anyway. Then again, all my friends fly P38s anyway.

If the lead is 2k in front of the trailer, only then will I go for the lead.

Del has lots of practice from having encoutered this scenario many many times clearing many bad guys off my 38G.  Trust him on this one