Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

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ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT 175 Enemy RQ missiles cause two serious problems for the low-wingloaded gunfighter. Since an attacker can fire at much greater range with these weapons, initial visual detection of an attack is more difficult. In addition, the missile further complicates the chances of this fighter being able to escape once it is engaged. Tactics for the gunfighter would not change appreciably, however, with angles tactics still being appropriate. Maintaining an angular advantage at close range with angles tactics effectively removes the RQ missile threat. When the high-T/W bogey is not also equipped with a gun, the pilot of the low-wing-loaded gunfighter can be even more aggressive. Lack of a short-range, all-aspect weapon leaves the bogey defenseless against radical lead turns, and makes it more difficult for the bogey pilot to capitalize on an overshoot by the gunfighter. A fighter without a gun ... is like an airplane without a wing. Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF During the early years of the Vietnam conflict the low-wing-loaded, low-T/W MiG-17 Fresco opposed the U.S. F-4 Phantom. With nearly a ten-year technology advantage, a powerful air-to-air radar, semi-active radar-guided Sparrow missiles, RQ heat-seeking Sidewinders/ and supersonic speed capability, the Phantom might have been considered more than a match for the subsonic, guns-only MiG-17. Several extenuating circumstances, however, greatly altered the balance. The long-range, allaspect Sparrow missile, for instance, often could not be used, since it was usually impossible to identify the target as hostile except visually at close range. By that time the MiG-17 was probably inside the weapon's minrange capabilities and tended to remain there during subsequent maneuvering. Since this missile was not "dogfight compatible," and the Phantoms generally lacked gun armament, only the RQ Sidewinder remained viable against the more maneuverable MiG. Even so, energy tactics should have allowed the F-4 to escape or to remain neutrally engaged until the MiG pilot lost sight or had to retire. Unfortunately for the Americans, the Phantom crews often were poorly trained in energy techniques, were faced with a much smaller enemy aircraft that was hard to track visually, and sometimes lacked the combat endurance for extended engagements far from their bases. These circumstances often led to hardturning engagements, to the advantage of the MiGs. The MiGs also were generally blessed with better ground-based radar control and could spot and identify the Phantoms at long distances because the F-4 engines smoked badly. Therefore, the MiGs often reached a firing position, or at least gained substantial advantage, before being detected. The Vietnamese pilots, however, generally lacked the proficiency necessary to take full advantage of their many opportunities, and they lost somewhat more fighters than they downed in air combat. Late in the war, U.S. Navy pilots reaped the benefits of improved air combat training provided by the newly formed Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at Miramar Naval Air Station in California. The following excerpt is found in Fox Two by Commander Randy "Duke" Cunningham. In this engagement Cunningham and his backseat Radar Intercept Officer, "Willie" Driscoll (sometimes called "Irish"), bagged their fifth
1 76 ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT victory (third on this mission) to become the first U.S. aces in Vietnam. They were flying a F-4J Phantom with semi-active radar Sparrow and heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles (no guns); their opponent was a battlewise Vietnamese ace in a MiG-17 Fresco that was probably equipped only with guns (although at the time some were rumored to be carrying heatseeking Atoll missiles). Under these combat conditions the F-4 is estimated to have a T/W advantage of about 20 percent, but a wing loading 80 percent greater than that of the MiG. Cunningham attempted to employ energy tactics in this fight and met with little success against the wellflown bogey. Frustrated, Duke finally pulled a desperate gamble and won. Incidentally, "Fox Two" is a radio call used to warn other friendly aircraft in the area of an impending Sidewinder missile launch. As we headed for the coast at 10,000 feet, I spotted another airplane on the nose, slightly low, heading straight for us. It was a MiG-17. I told Irish to watch how close we could pass the MiG to take out as much lateral separation as possible so he could not convert as easily to our six o'clock. We used to do the same thing against the A-4s back at Miramar since the two aircraft were virtually identical in performance. This proved to be my first near-fatal mistake. . . . A-4s don't have guns in the nose. The MiG's entire nose lit up like a Christmas tree! Pumpkin-sized BBs went sailing by our F-4.1 pulled sharply into the pure vertical to destroy the [enemy's] tracking solution. As I came out of the six-G pull-up I strained to see the MiG below as my F-4 went straight up. I was sure it would go into a horizontal turn, or just run as most had done in the past. As I looked back over my ejection seat I got the surprise of my life: there was the MiG, canopy to canopy with me, barely 300 feet away! ... I began to feel numb. My stomach grabbed at me in knots. There was no fear in this guy's eyes as we zoomed some 8,000 feet straight up. I lit the afterburners and started to outclimb my adversary, but this excess performance placed me above him. As I started to pull over the top, he began shooting. My second near-fatal mistake—I had given him a predictable flight path, and he had taken advantage of it. I was forced to roll and pull to the other side. He pulled in right behind me. Not wanting to admit this guy was beating me, I blurted to Willie, "That S.O.B. is really lucky! All right, we'll get this guy now!" I pulled down to accelerate with the MiG at my four o'clock. I watched and waited until he committed his nose down, then pulled up into him and rolled over the top, placing me at his five o'clock. Even though I was too close with too much angle-off his tail to fire a missile, the maneuver placed me in an advantageous position. I thought I had outflown him—overconfidence replaced fear. I pulled down, holding top rudder, to press for a shot, and he pulled up into me, shooting! I thought, "Oh, no maybe this guy isn't just lucky after all!" He used the same maneuver I had attempted, pulling up into me and forcing an overshoot—we were in the classic rolling scissors. As his nose committed I pulled up into him. In training I had fought in the same situation. I learned if my opponent had his nose too high, I could snap down, using the one G to advantage, then run out to his six o'clock before he could get turned around and get in range. As we slowed to 200 knots, I knew it was time to bug out. . . . The MiG's superior turn radius, coupled with higher available G at that speed,
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Fighter Combat TACTICS AND MANEUVER
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Preface ix Acknowledgments xv Abbre
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CONTENTS Vll Single-Side Offset 353
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X PREFACE tactics varied greatly, a
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Xll PREFACE current void of informa
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Acknowledgments Much of the credit
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Abbreviations AAA anti-aircraft art
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Fighter Combat TACTICS AND MANEUVER
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2 FIGHTER WEAPONS although fixed to
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4 FIGHTER WEAPONS some firing range
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Table 1-1. American Aircraft Guns T
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8 FIGHTER WEAPONS angle is also dep
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10 FIGHTER WEAPONS the ballistics o
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12 HGHTER WEAPONS often bars of lig
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14 FIGHTER WEAPONS This system has
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16 FIGHTER WEAPONS required firing
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18 FIGHTER WEAPONS With a disturbed
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20 FIGHTER WEAPONS We were both fly
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22 FIGHTER WEAPONS The predictor LC
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24 FIGHTER WEAPONS The next best th
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26 FIGHTER WEAPONS tracking G, shor
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28 FIGHTER WEAPONS defender's inten
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30 FIGHTER WEAPONS and acrobatic ma
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32 FIGHTER WEAPONS Missile Propulsi
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34 FIGHTER WEAPONS Missile Guidance
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36 FIGHTER WEAPONS straight path. T
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38 FIGHTER WEAPONS target to correc
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40 FIGHTER WEAPONS sensor systems,
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42 FIGHTER WEAPONS Since CW radars
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44 FIGHTER WEAPONS Missile Fuzes Th
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46 FIGHTER WEAPONS prised of many i
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48 FIGHTER WEAPONS The maneuvering
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50 FIGHTER WEAPONS racy being about
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52 FIGHTER WEAPONS then slowing the
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54 FIGHTER WEAPONS Shooter and targ
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56 FIGHTER WEAPONS will exhibit lar
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58 FIGHTER WEAPONS (RWR), that an e
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60 FIGHTER WEAPONS barrel-rolling a
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2 Basic Fighter Maneuvers I fly clo
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64 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS the comb
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66 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS himself
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68 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS speed ad
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70 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS pursuit
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72 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS Figure 2
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74 Figure 2-7. Low Yo-Yo BASIC FIGH
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76 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS The pote
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80 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS In case
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82 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS capitali
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84 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS one (the
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86 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS his exte
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90 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS the boge
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92 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS subseque
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94 Figure 2-22. Defensive Spiral BA
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96 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS usually
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3 One-versus-One Maneuvering, Simil
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100 ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, SIM
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Page 215 and 216: 196 SECTION TACTICS, TWOVERSUS-ONE
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Page 229 and 230: 210 SECTION TACTICS, TWO-VERSUS-ONE
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226 SECTION TACTICS/ TWOVERSUS-ONE
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228 SECTION TACTICS, TWOVERSUS-ONE
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230 SECTION TACTICS, TWO-VERSUS-ONE
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Section Tactics, Two-versus-Two The
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238 SECTION TACTICS, TWOVERSUS-TWO
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256 SECTION TACTICS, TWC-VERSUS-TWO
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7 Division Tactics The essence of l
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268 DIVISION TACTICS design began t
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270 DIVISION TACTICS so called beca
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272 DIVISION TACTICS "4." At time "
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274 DIVISION TACTICS Figure 7-8. Se
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276 DIVISION TACTICS Lieutenant Eug
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278 DIVISION TACTICS away, the free
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280 DIVISION TACTICS cloud) is now
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282 DIVISION TACTICS Figure 7-13. G
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284 DIVISION TACTICS defensive look
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286 DIVISION TACTICS In a dog-fight
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288 DIVISION TACTICS Americans empl
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8 Unlimited-Aircraft Tactics Of cou
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292 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS seve
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294 UN LIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS the
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296 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS beca
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298 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS I de
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300 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS post
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302 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS many
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304 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS poss
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306 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS posi
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308 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS may
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310 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS inte
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312 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS A go
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314 UNLIMITED-AIRCRAFT TACTICS doct
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Fighter Missions To use a fighter a
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318 FIGHTER MISSIONS Scenarios Sinc
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320 FIGHTER MISSIONS altitude, deta
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322 FIGHTER MISSIONS agency and the
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324 FIGHTER MISSIONS As previously
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326 FIGHTER MISSIONS cruise missile
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328 FIGHTER MISSIONS pattern gives
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330 FIGHTER MISSIONS have to coordi
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332 FIGHTER MISSIONS can be turned
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334 FIGHTER MISSIONS the enemy. Suc
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336 FIGHTER MISSIONS aircraft, and
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338 FIGHTER MISSIONS point for a di
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340 FIGHTER MISSIONS become major t
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342 Figure 9-3. Fighter-Escort Miss
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344 FIGHTER MISSIONS Figure 9-6. Fi
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10 Tactical Intercepts Confront the
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348 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS Figure 10-1
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350 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS desired alt
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352 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS If the turn
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356 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS range). If
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358 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS ment, and t
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360 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS Advantages
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364 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS leader thro
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366 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS immediate l
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368 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS awareness),
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370 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS and positio
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372 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS low, traili
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376 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS also have t
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378 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS Visual Scan
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380 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS Likely thre
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382 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS be best for
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384 TACTICAL INTERCEPTS target on t
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Appendix Fighter Performance Perfor
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APPENDIX Figure A-l. V-n Diagram di
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APPENDIX 391 Figure A-2. Aircraft T
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APPENDIX 393 Figure A-4. Instantane
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APPENDIX 395 neuverability may be d
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APPENDIX 397 Figure A-7. Engine Thr
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APPENDIX 399 tends to reduce pressu
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APPENDIX 401 Figure A-11. Typical H
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APPENDIX 403 cause the Ps = 0 line
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APPENDIX 405 In theory the energy t
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APPENDIX 407 aircraft surfaces. In
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APPENDIX 409 Outside the zero-Ps li
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APPENDIX 411 factor," which is the
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APPENDIX 413 this condition occurs,
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APPENDIX 415 speed control. Many of
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APPENDIX 417 short or swept wings a
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420 BIBLIOGRAPHY Johnson, Robert S.
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422 INDEX Canard controls, 32, 398
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424 High yo-yo. See Yo-yo, high H-M
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426 INDEX Pursuit: curves and traje
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428 INDEX Turns (continued] 191, 20
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Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

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