The Thach Weave (also known as a Beam Defense Position) is an aerial combat tactic developed by naval aviator John Thach and named by James H. Flatley of the United States Navy soon after the United States' entry into World War II. It is a tactical formation maneuver in which two or more allied planes would weave in regularly intersecting flight paths to lure an enemy into focusing on one plane, while the targeted pilot's wing man would come into position to attack the pursuer.