How to kill those bombers!?

[darxe]

Can anyone add some comments on best tactics for shooting down bombers?  The old tried and true is to approach the bomber from the rear guns blazing!  Great option if you are flying a plane with lots of guns and the bomber is near target where they are paying attention to the bomb sights.  Otherwise, any bomber worth their weight in salt will turn you into swiss cheese.

What I have been working on lately is getting above the bombers at 3 or 9 oclock, getting my ‘E’ up and then slice at the bombers from the side with lots of speed.  Harder for the bomber to shoot you but harder for you to shoot them as well.  It takes quite a bit more skill with the bombers moving perpendicular and you have to account for drift and timing.

Any other good tactics people like to use?

[Soulyss]

Sounds like you're on the right track, the 'ol dead six approach is aptly named because that's usually what the result is.  High side attacks aren't a bad way to go, I also like to climb above the bomber, get a little in front of them and roll over in a split-S and come down right on top of them, passing over the top turret as I'm firing. 

This makes it hard for the top gunner to track you since the gun only elevates up to about 90 degrees, as you pass from in front of the gunner position to behind it he has to rotate 180 degrees and it's a hard shot.  From the attack POV you can get a shot at the cockpit or engine/wing root and if you're aircraft has a decent gun package score some damage on the bomber or bring it down.

Attacking bombers can be an exercise in patience, but one where patience is generally rewarded.

[Lusche]

Sounds like you're on the right track

He absolutely is. 

When it comes to attacking bombers, 90% of AH players are like Homer Simpson trying to grab a red-hot sausage: They burn their fingers, scream D'oh!, grab again, burn fingers....

Darxe, the way you have choosen to attack buffs is exactly the way I prefer. I usually fly German tater planes, whose combination of climbrate, speed and (most important) heavy quick burst firepower are perfectly suited for this.
I occasionally do the over the top attack Soulyss just described, but I find getting the right coordination a bit more difficult. I usually reserve that for situations where I'm facing an extraordinary good buff gunner.

[darxe]

Thanks I will keep practicing it then.  The top approach is a good idea.  I imagine after you dive past the bomber you can either use that E to climb up for another run or turn and use the same tactic to the belly.  Maybe finish off a wing from the 1st pass.

[Wiley]

I'm also partial to dropping in from directly above.  You're looking at the bomber from directly above so you have the largest possible target to shoot at.  If the setup is right and I have enough speed, I'll do the initial top attack back to front, which allows me to reverse for a frontal attack, possibly on the next bomber in the formation if I get the one I'm aiming at.  HOing works very well on bombers (B25H excepted) as well.  The cockpit is a great target.

The side pass, when you get it right, works extremely well.  I find it more difficult though.

Wiley.

[bbosen]

For me, it depends on the bomber. If it has no belly guns, I prefer to get directly below (and a little ahead of them) with a lot of smash, then pull straight up into them, shooting their belly out.  If it has belly guns, I prefer high side attacks, diving in at very high speed as previously described.


-Peabody-

[Soulyss]

Thanks I will keep practicing it then.  The top approach is a good idea.  I imagine after you dive past the bomber you can either use that E to climb up for another run or turn and use the same tactic to the belly.  Maybe finish off a wing from the 1st pass.

That's the idea, I tend to roll my wings so I pull out 90 degrees to their flight path and extend out to the side then start to set up another pass if I'm being good and patient.  Often times I just swoop up and over and come right back in though, patience was never one of my strong suits.

Pop by the TA and if I'm on I'll be happy to play target drone for you and fire back, damage is turned off in there so we can do repeated runs till ammo runs dry.

I have the same name in game, just type ".f Soulyss" in the chat buffer and it'll tell you if I'm on and if I'm in the TA.

[Lusche]

For me, it depends on the bomber. If it has no belly guns, I prefer to get directly below (and a little ahead of them) with a lot of smash, then pull straight up into them, shooting their belly out.  

There is some drawback to this attack. If combined lag of both players is high enough (and that's not that rare), you can be right under his belly, outside of his gun arc on your screen - but at the same time, you can be behind him on his screen, so that he still has a shot with the tail gun.

[Soulyss]

There is some drawback to this attack. If combined lag of both players is high enough (and that's not that rare), you can be right under his belly, outside of his gun arc on your screen - but at the same time, you can be behind him on his screen, so that he still has a shot with the tail gun.

The other downside is that if your aim is as bad as mine you don't kill him in time and end up 200 yards directly behind him with the tail gunner smiling at you.

[Lusche]

The other downside is that if your aim is as bad as mine you don't kill him in time and end up 200 yards directly behind him with the tail gunner smiling at you.

Hehe.. I sometimes attack Ki-67s that way to avoid the top turret.
It's always very exciting, for I know: If I botch this, I will just zoom into his stream of 20mm's... 

[Knite]

I'd say definitely on the right track. My track record against bombers isn't all that great because I have a problem with keeping enough patience to do what I know I need to... what I NEED to do is run my first attack straight head on (hopefully taking out the pilot), then using my E to climb up, and run a 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock slashing pattern. I also tend to aim for the outside aircraft first instead of the middle (except on the first HO attempt) mainly because it's harder for the guns to aim if you aren't heading straight at the primary focus point (lead bomber).

[Lusche]

I also tend to aim for the outside aircraft first instead of the middle (except on the first HO attempt) mainly because it's harder for the guns to aim if you aren't heading straight at the primary focus point (lead bomber).

Very good point.
Another advantage: You avoid the dreaded drone insta warp when the lead plane blows up.

(The preferred order of attack would be right drone, left drone, lead)

[Wiley]

With the no-belly gun planes, my preference is to get below them and pop my nose up for a quick burst, then drop down before I enter their zones of fire, then repeat until dead.  It requires me to fire from further out generally, but it's safe.

Wiley.

[humble]

I agree with the circling type attack from above. Normally I aim for left drone also. Here is a clip I put up awhile back, ended up aborting 1st attack for lack of speed and bad angle and converting to my normal attack run. Switched to lead simply due to feel....
http://www.az-dsl.com/snaphook/Buffrun.ahf 

I normally aim for cockpit to wingroot figuring I get 3 chances, 1st cockpit hits, then wingroot itself and finally fire...this one hit the cockpit solid...

[darxe]

Great pic!  I do have a question about the angle though.  Like all shots in flight the nose gets in the way of leading the shot.  So to clarify when you say correct angle of attack you would want to roll so that the full bomber is visible?