Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, SIMILAR AIRCRAFT 105
Figure 3-3. Guns-Only Angles Fight: End-Game
ble firing opportunity. Against a similar adversary, however, it may be
difficult for the energy tactician to gain enough energy margin over his
opponent to avoid being menaced at the top of a zoom climb.
The rolling scissors (also described in Chapter 2) provides another,
probably more practical, tactic by which an energy advantage can result in
multiple firing opportunities and disengagement opportunities while
enabling the energy fighter to remain on the offensive throughout. Because
of these advantages, the rolling scissors, as depicted in Figure 2-21, will be
the end-game goal of this section. Given a reasonable initial energy advantage
and good technique, the rolling scissors should result in a snapshot
opportunity against a similar fighter within one or two turns. These firing
opportunities are ordinarily achieved at the bottom of the vertical maneuvers,
but before he initiates such a guns pass it is important that the
pilot of the energy fighter attain the speed his aircraft requires for vertical
maneuvering. This ensures the ability to continue the rolling scissors,
retain the offensive, and generate further shot opportunities if the first shot
is unsuccessful.
The outcome of the rolling scissors with similar fighters is highly
dependent on relative energy states at initiation of the maneuver. Figure
3-4 illustrates a method by which the energy tactician can ensure that he
has an energy advantage over his opponent before the two fighters begin
the scissors. Prior to time "1" the fighters are in a forward-quarter
approach situation. A fancy radar may allow some insight into the oppo-