Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

160 ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT
If instead the pilot of the energy fighter intends to continue to work for
an effective firing position, he still should employ lag pursuit, forcing the
bogey to turn horizontally while the energy fighter is accelerating to
vertical-maneuvering speed for another wings-level pitch-back. Figure 4-8
shows this tactic. In this example the energy fighter pilot comes over the
top of the pitch-back at time "4" to find the bogey offset below, performing
a climbing lead turn. Realizing that insufficient altitude advantage is
available and too many angles have developed for an effective guns attack,
the energy fighter pilot pulls vertically downward and rolls into lag pursuit,
pointing the lift vector slightly behind the bogey. A rolling pull-out is
continued until the aircraft has accelerated to vertical-maneuvering speed,
and the roll is timed to place the energy fighter approximately opposite the
course of the bogey at level-off. This technique forces the bogey to turn
completely around again to pursue, and prevents it from gaining any
appreciable energy. At time "5" the energy fighter can go immediately
back up into a second extension and pitch-back, this time resulting in
greater altitude advantage and better attack possibilities. This process can
be repeated until an effective firing position is achieved or disengagement
is desired.
In the descent from times "4" to "5" in Figure 4-8, it is desirable to
complete the pull-out above the bogey's altitude. This keeps the bogey
turning nose-high, keeps it loaded-up, and does not permit it to turn more
efficiently nose-down after a vertical overshoot. Of much greater importance,
however, is the attainment of vertical-maneuvering speed before
the energy fighter pilot begins his next pitch-back. Scooping-out slightly
below the bogey's altitude generally does not present a problem. Large
vertical separations can, however, allow the bogey pilot to perform a
nose-low lead turn and reach a temporary firing position during the pullout.
If forced to pull out quickly to avoid this situation, the energy fighter
pilot should perform an unloaded level or diving acceleration after the
pull-out to gain vertical-maneuvering speed before he attempts another
pitch-back. It may be necessary to lower one wing or turn slightly to keep
sight of the bogey during this extension.
One viable alternative to the climbing-extension energy tactics just
discussed is the energy technique recommended for similar aircraft in the
last chapter, namely, the nose-to-nose turn series at near minimum vertical-maneuvering
speed, as depicted in Figure 3-4. In the case of an overly
aggressive bogey, or whenever the turn-performance advantage of the
angles fighter is not overwhelming, this technique may succeed in bleeding
the bogey's airspeed sufficiently to permit the energy fighter to zoom
safely and begin high-side guns passes.
One advantage of this method is that it facilitates keeping sight of a
smaller opponent, since separations during the engagement are greatly
reduced. The major drawback is that it may not be effective in the case of a
dissimilar fighter. A low-wing-loaded fighter generally sustains its turn
performance at a slower speed than its opponent, resulting in a smaller
turn radius. This smaller radius can result in angular gains against the
opponent in nose-to-nose maneuvers without bleeding energy. In addition,