Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

88 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS
Figure 2-19. Vertical versus Horizontal Maneuvering
At time "3" the attacker could pull down inverted to point at the target
for a boresight, forward-hemisphere missile shot, if he is so equipped; but,
as was explained, the look-down involved may not be optimum for missile
seeker performance. In this case the attacker chooses to fly essentially a
straight path along the top of his maneuver, accelerating to improve his
turn capability. During this period his nose drifts into a lag position as the
defender passes underneath. At time "4" the attacker begins a pull-down,
using the increased turn rate and decreased radius provided by the obliqueturn
geometry and the gravity assist to gain a very advantageous offensive
position in the defender's rear hemisphere at time "5."
A lead-pursuit roll at time "2" usually results in a steeper dive and
somewhat greater potential angular advantage for the attacker than do the
pure- or lag-pursuit options; but the cautions mentioned in the high yo-yo
and barrel-roll attack discussions also apply here.
The effects of vertical and oblique maneuvers on an aircraft's energy
state can also influence the outcome of an engagement. Possibly the best
way to approach this concept is to determine the fighter's sustained-G
capabilities (level, constant speed) at its given conditions of weight, power,
configuration, and altitude. If a fighter is in a descending or climbing
maneuver, this same load factor cannot be exceeded without loss of energy.
For instance, in a nose-low oblique turn the rate of descent is equivalent
to negative specific excess power (Ps). (See the energy-maneuverability
discussion in the Appendix for an explanation of Ps.) If the pilot
adjusts load factor to maintain constant speed, he is losing energy in