A wingmate, also referred to as one's wingman was a starfighter and its pilot that served as the second ship within a flight element. The basic purpose of a wingmate was to keep his element leader safe from attacks from enemy starfighters while the leader prosecuted targets, usually enemy craft. Within a flight element, wingmate and leader often switched roles as the situation within the engagement dictated; sometimes the leader would be out-of-position to deal with incoming enemies while the wingmate had a better chance of doing damage.