Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT 185
This was going to be fun. I knew he could turn inside the heavy Thunderbolt;
if I attempted to hold a tight turn the Spitfire would slip right inside me.
I knew, also, that he could easily outclimb my fighter. I stayed out of those
sucker traps. First rule in this kind of a fight: don't fight the way your
opponent fights best. No sharp turns; don't climb; keep him at your own
level.
We were at 5,000 feet, the Spitfire skidding around hard and coming in on
my tail. No use turning; he'd whip right inside me as if I were a truck loaded
with cement, and snap out in firing position. Well, I had a few tricks, too. The
P-47 was faster, and I threw the ship into a roll. Right here I had him. The Jug
could outroll any plane in the air, bar none. With my speed, roll was my only
advantage, and I made full use of the manner in which the Thunderbolt could
whirl. I kicked the Jug into a wicked left roll, horizon spinning crazily, once,
twice, into a third. As he turned to the left to follow, I tramped down on the
right rudder, banged the stick over to the right. Around and around we went,
left, right, left, right. I could whip through better than two rolls before the
Spitfire even completed his first. And this killed his ability to turn inside me.
I just refused to turn. Every time he tried to follow me in a roll, I flashed away
to the opposite side, opening the gap between our two planes.
Then I played the trump. The Spitfire was clawing wildly through the air,
trying to follow me in a roll, when I dropped the nose. The Thunderbolt
howled and ran for earth. Barely had the Spitfire started to follow—and I was a
long way ahead of him by now—when I j erked back on the stick and threw the
Jug into a zoom climb. In a straight or turning climb, the British ship had the
advantage. But coming out of a dive, there's not a British or a German fighter
that can come close to a Thunderbolt rushing upward in a zoom. Before the
Spit pilot knew what had happened, I was high above him, the Thunderbolt
hammering around. And that was it—for in the next few moments the
Spitfire flier was amazed to see a less maneuverable, slower-climbing Thunderbolt
rushing straight at him, eight guns pointed ominously at his cockpit. 4
V/STOL and Helicopter Tactical Considerations
Progress in aviation and weapons technology has begun to result in several
types of "unconventional" fighter aircraft. Among these are vertical/short -
takeoff and -landing (V/STOL) fighters, and helicopters.
V/STOL versus Conventional Fighters
There are currently two distinct variations in V/STOL design. The first of
these to be considered is the thrust-vector type, typified by the British
Harrier. This design has four jet exhaust nozzles that can be pivoted to
direct the exhaust directly astern, or downward, or even slightly forward.
Two nozzles are located behind and two forward of the CG, so that the
aircraft can be supported in a hover by the four downward columns of jet
exhaust, much like the legs of a four-poster bed. The Harrier has only a
single engine, but fighters of this type with multiple engines could follow.
While it is at very slow speeds the fighter's attitude is controlled by small
reaction jets of engine bleed air located in the nose and/or tail and on the
wing tips.
In order to takeoff and land vertically, this fighter must have a T/W of
greater than 1. When the aircraft is heavily loaded with fuel and ordnance,