Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT 147
So far in this discussion it has been assumed that the pilot of the
high-T/W bogey will maneuver in the near-horizontal. He does, however,
have the steeply vertical option. Figure 4-4 shows how the angles fighter
pilot can cope with this situation. This illustration begins, as before, with
the head-on approach. The angles fighter pilot attempts to gain flight-path
separation for a lead turn, as in the previous examples; but this time, rather
than taking out this separation with a close head-on pass, the high-T/W
bogey immediately pulls up in the vertical. Because of the co-energy
assumption of this section, the angles fighter could zoom with the bogey at
this point. Even with a co-energy start, however, the greater Ps of the
high-T/W bogey during the zoom would ordinarily allow it to reach a
higher altitude. In cases where the Ps disparity is not too great, the angles
fighter may be able to zoom high enough to threaten a gun shot at the top,
forcing the bogey back down for a lead turn. In practice, however, there is
usually no assurance of being co-energy at the initial pass. If instead the
bogey should have a considerable energy advantage at this point, attempting
to zoom with it could be disastrous. If unable to threaten the bogey on
top, the pilot of the angles fighter may find himself too slow to defend
against the bogey diving from above. Later in the engagement, after the
angles fighter pilot has had time to ensure energy parity, zooming with the
bogey can be attempted more safely. In that case a maneuver sequence
similar to that described by Figures 3-2 and 3-3 might force the bogey back
down for a lead turn. If he is too low on energy to threaten a gun shot on top,
the pilot of the angles fighter can resort to the tactic illustrated by Figure
3-7 (i.e., hiding beneath the bogey to force it down).
Figure 4-4. Angles Fight: Case 3