Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, SIMILAR AIRCRAFT 127
not recommended, since angles tactics offer a much greater probability of
success.
Multiple-Weapons Scenarios
Quite often, modern fighters are equipped with more than one class of
weapon, most usually a gun in combination with either RQ or all-aspect
missiles. This weapons situation forces the tactician to decide which
envelope he wishes to satisfy; that is, which will be his primary weapon.
Guns and Rear-Quarter Missiles
As discussed in the RQ missile section, the gun snapshot envelope is
considerably easier to satisfy once a fighter is engaged against a similar
opponent. For this reason it is recommended that the gun be considered the
primary weapon in this scenario, with the long-range capabilities of the
missile serving to preclude the opponent's separation and escape.
Both the angles and the energy methods detailed in the guns-only
section can be effective, with angles tactics probably preferable unless the
pilot has extensive training in energy techniques. In many cases, relative
advantage at the first pass will determine the best choice of tactics. Once
the fighter has achieved a reasonable snapshot position, the bogey pilot
must be concerned with maneuvering to defeat the opponent's weapon
rather than with his aircraft, which usually leads to further offensive gains
by the attacking fighter. After the fighter has a substantial position advantage,
it becomes very difficult for the bogey to gain enough separation in an
escape attempt to preclude a missile shot. Such a shot then forces the
bogey pilot to turn hard back toward the attacker to defeat the missile,
bringing him back into the attacker's gun range. This process continues
until the bogey no longer has the energy to defeat the gun shot or to escape
the missile.
Guns and All-Aspect Missiles
In this case the choice of the primary weapon largely depends on the
quality of the missile in the maneuvering environment, or its "dogfight
compatibility." A dogfight-compatible missile has a short min-range in
relation to fighter turn radius (i.e., less than two turn radii against maneuvering
targets in the forward quarter), little or no weapons system delay
once the envelope is satisfied, and off-boresight capability that is usable in
highly dynamic maneuvering situations. Such missiles are usually preferable
to guns, primarily because of higher lethality. Unless the missile has
at least two of these three qualities, however, the gun snapshot envelope
may be easier to satisfy than the missile envelope. In this case the gun
should be the primary weapon, and the missile can deter escape, as with
the RQ weapon.
When the all-aspect missile is compatible with the maneuvering environment,
it becomes the weapon of choice. Angles tactics should be
employed in this case, preferably the nose-to-tail procedure illustrated in
Figure 3-11. Regardless of whether this method or one of the nose-to-nose