Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

10
Tactical Intercepts
Confront the enemy with the tip of your sword against his face.
Miyamoto Musashi
Since the introduction of radar to the air combat scenario in World War
II, its advantages have been widely recognized and accepted. These advantages
include long-range warning of the approach of hostile aircraft, improved
efficiency in the interception of these aircraft, and the ability to
provide friendly fighters with an initial advantage over the enemy. At
night or in poor visibility, radar may provide the only practical means of
employing fighter aircraft; but even in good visibility and in the daytime,
radar's advantages can be critical to the success of any fighter mission. One
prominent example is the use of radar by the British in the Battle of Britain.
Early warning of German attacks allowed the British to use the more
efficient GAI defense concept to make the most effective use of limited
fighter resources, to intercept incoming raids at the greatest distance from
their target, to avoid German fighter sweeps, and, usually, to gain first
sight of the enemy.
The operational theory of radar and some of the techniques and limitations
involved in the employment of radar were covered in detail in the
first chapter of this book. Radars can be classified by their use for early
warning, acquisition or guidance. Early-warning radars are generally lowfrequency,
long-wavelength sets requiring large antennas. Their size
usually precludes their installation in fighters, so they are primarily used
for GCI/AIC control. They are characterized by relatively long range and
poor resolution. A single-aircraft target on an early-warning radar may be
displayed on the controller's scope as a "blip" of light representing several
miles in width, and many closely spaced aircraft may appear as a single
target. Control by use of such equipment is limited to bringing the fighters
close enough to the target for them to take over, either with their own
higher-resolution equipment or visually.
Fighter radars are generally of the acquisition type, which have higher
frequency, smaller antennas, shorter range, and better resolution. They