Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

168 ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT
for the missile. In such cases "RQ only" missiles can assume all-aspect
capabilities. Against a well-flown bogey, however, this situation is quite
difficult to generate, and even if it was possible it might take longer than
combat endurance or prudence in the combat environment would allow.
Against a bogey of known limited combat endurance, however, energy
tactics do offer a means of remaining neutrally engaged until the bogey
pilot is forced to retire for fuel considerations. At that time he becomes
quite vulnerable. Running the opponent out of gas is as good as shooting
him.
Because of the constraints of the weapon, the immediate goal of energy
tactics in the RQ missile scenario might well be causing the opponent to
lose sight. Use of extension/pitch-back tactics, as shown in Figure 4-7, can
be quite effective for this purpose, especially against a larger bogey. The
extension from time "2" to time "3" in this example presents the bogey
pilot with a tail-aspect view of the rapidly retreating energy fighter. This
reduced presented area and extended range while the bogey is in a high-G
turn (which reduces the pilot's visual acuity by lowering blood pressure to
his eyes) enhances the probability that the bogey pilot will lose sight
during this segment.
You can't fight what you can't see.
Unknown
Another factor of prime concern to the energy fighter pilot is sun
position. Whenever practical, each extension and pitch-back should be
made in the direction of the sun, forcing the opponent to look up-sun as
much as possible. This is particularly important in the RQ missile scenario,
since maintaining sight is more difficult for the bogey pilot in such
situations, and the presence of the sun also may preclude a heat-seeking
missile shot during the extension or subsequent pitch-back. Both these
factors are so critical in this scenario that some preengagement consideration
and maneuvering, or even a level nose-to-tail turn after the first pass,
may be justified so that the extension and pitch-back can be made toward
the sun.
During the pitch-back itself, profiling should be used whenever practical
to make visual acquisition even more difficult. Arriving at the top of
the pitch-back (time "4" in Figure 4-7), the pilot of the energy fighter
should attempt to pass directly over the bogey and use lag pursuit, as
depicted, to spiral down toward the firing envelope. Great attention should
be paid to remaining in the bogey's hard-to-watch high six o'clock region
during this approach so that the energy fighter is more difficult to reacquire
if the bogey pilot has lost sight. Although reaching the RQ firing envelope
may be difficult, the prospects are greatly enhanced if the bogey pilot has
lost sight, since the usual tendency is for him to relax his turn noticeably
under these conditions. If this process does not cause the opponent to lose
sight, further extension/pitch-back attempts can be made as combat endurance
permits.
If during a diving attack it becomes apparent that the bogey pilot has not
lost sight, the energy fighter can continue hot-side lag pursuit, forcing the