History Main / SittingDuck

The Trope name comes from a hunting phrase referring to ducks sitting on the water, often considered to be off limits until they take flight. Due to its applicability, the phrase was adopted in the military aviation community to refer to airplanes that had been caught on the ground, although of course very few pilots have a problem with destroying an enemy plane before it can get airborne.

Exploiting this trope is a favored tactic of the CombatPragmatist.

* The Japanese raids on [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor and the Philippines]], catching the American Pacific Fleet and the hundreds of planes based on Oahu flat-footed, is quite possibly the TropeCodifier. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy failed in their ''primary'', objective the destruction of the American carriers, and contributed to the US entering the war, it was a punishing blow for the unprepared American forces. It would be six months before the Allies could regain the initiative and start pushing the Japanese back.

* ''GIJoe Special Missions'' #3: The Joes bomb the planes of a {{Qarac}} style nation while they are still on the ground. This mission also serves as cover for another Joe team to steal a new Russian fighter from the base.

* ''GIJoe Special Missions'' #3: The Joes bomb the planes of a {{Quarac}} style nation hile they are still on the ground. This mission also serves as cover for another Joe team to steal a Russian fighter.

What do the CoolShip, CoolStarship, and CoolPlane all have in common? They are all at their most vulnerable when in docked in port or while parked on the ground. This is a state of vulnerability that pretty much everyone and everything has to accept at some point, as personnel need food and sleep, ships need maintenance, and nobody has found a way to keep a plane in the sky indefinitely yet. A savvy enemy can use the element of surprise to sucker punch an enemy, even a numerically or technically superior enemy, before they can bring their forces into play. Methods for this can range from [[KillItWithFire Fireships]] to [[DeathFromAbove attack planes]] or a [[MacrossMissileMassacre long range missile attack.]]

** ''Starfire'' scenario "The Paurl Harbor Raid". Rigellian carriers smashed Khanate battleships "at anchor" in Paurl Harbor, an obvious ShoutOut to "Pearl Harbor".

* ''BlackSheepSquadron'': {{Lampshaded'}} by the narrator in one episode to show how a particular new pilot was both [[TooDumbToLive very foolish]] ''and'' very good. He attempted to take off while being strafed by Japanese Zeroes, and somehow managed to get up in the air AND get behind the planes that had just been flying behind him trying to shoot him up. He still gets [[WhatTheHellHero chewed out]] for trying that to begin with.

-->'''Londo Molari''', ''BabylonFive''

-->'''[[BabylonFive Londo Molari]]:''' Your ships are very impressive in the air, or in space, [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy but at this moment]], [[MagnificentBastard they are on the ground]].

** Prior to his arriving on Babylon 5, Captain Sheridan's own crowning moment was his defeat of the Minbari warship ''Black Star'', despite his ship being a SittingDuck (having been crippled by the ''Black Star'' in a previous attack), via some previously placed nuclear bombs in an [[TheAstroidThicket Astroid Thicket]].

* Used in both series of ''BattlestarGalactica'', in different ways. In the original series, the Cylons planned to attack the Galactica while all of her pilots were being honored at a party on the planet Carillon. Fortunately, Commander Adama was far too GenreSavvy to let that happen, and came up with a BatmanGambit of his own.

* Am available tactic in a few missions of RogueSquadron.

* The Japanese raids on [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor and the Philippines]], catching the American Pacific Fleet and the hundreds of planes based on Oahu flat-footed, is quite possibly the TropeCodifier. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy admittedly failed in their ''primary'' objective, the destruction of the American carriers, it was still a punishing blow for the unprepared American forces, and it would be six months before the Allies could finally regain the initiative and start pushing the Japanese back.

What do the CoolShip, CoolStarship, and CoolPlane all have in common? They are all at their most vulnerable when in docked in port or while parked on the ground. A savvy enemy can use the element of surprise to sucker punch an enemy, even a numerically or technically superior enemy, before they can bring their forces into play. Methods for this can range from [[KillItWithFire Fireships]] to [[DeathFromAbove attack planes]] or a [[MacrossMissileMassacre long range missile attack.]]

What do the CoolShip, CoolStarship, and CoolPlane all have in common? They are at their most vulnerable when in docked in port or while parked on the ground. A savvy enemy can use the element of surprise to sucker punch an enemy, even a numerically or technically superior enemy, before they can bring their forces into play. Methods for this can range from [[KillItWithFire Fireships]] to [[DeathFromAbove attack planes]] or a [[MacrossMissileMassacre long range missile attack.]]

Exploiting this trope is a favored tactic of the CombatPragmatist. NotToBeConfusedWith ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Ducks Sitting Ducks]]'', which was inspired by the same idiom that this Trope draws its name from.

Exploiting this trope is a favored tactic of the CombatPragmatist.

* Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the [[ArabIsraeliConflict Six-Day War of 1967]]. At 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force launched a massive airstrike that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian air force on the ground. By noon, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed.

* The Japanese raids on [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor and the Philippines]], catching the American Pacific Fleet and the hundreds of planes based on Oahu flat-footed, is quite possibly the TropeCodifier. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy admittedly failed in their ''primary'' objective, the [[GenreSavvy destruction of the American carriers]], it was still a punishing blow for the unprepared American forces, and it would be six months before the Allies could finally regain the initiative and start pushing the Japanese back.

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* Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the [[ArabIsraeliConflict Six-Day War of 1967]]. At 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force launched a massive airstrike that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian air force on the ground. By noon, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed.
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