Heads-Up Display Modes 35 - Metaboli

122 Air Combat Basics
If you’re near its effective altitude limit, you might be able to engage afterburners
and quickly climb above it. This, however, poses two potential problems. First,
you’ll present a nice, easy target while climbing. Second, by increasing altitude
you increase the likelihood of being detected by other air defenses or aircraft.
Evading Missiles
Missiles are tough opponents; they are, in general, 2–3 times faster, can pull 3–4
times mores g than you, and are small and hard to track visually. Successfully
evading a missile depends on many factors, such as how quickly you detect the
missile and how deep you are within the weapon’s launch envelope. Depending
on the circumstances, you have several evasive maneuvers to choose from;
choose the wrong one and the missile, quite literally, will follow you for the rest of
your simulated life.
Fortunately (for the target aircraft), missiles are bound by the same laws of physics
as the aircraft they chase. That is, despite having much more power available than
aircraft, they bleed speed in a turn just like a fighter, and missile turn- rate and turnradius
performance depend on the missile’s overall energy state. The trick to
defeating missiles, therefore, is making them run out of energy before they get to
you.
Launch Warnings
Launch warnings come from a variety of sources. In some circumstances, a
wingman might see the launch and issue an appropriate warning over the radio. In
some cases, your radar warning receiver might indicate the enemy is tracking you.
In most cases, though, the best indication of an inbound missile is visual
detection. When in hostile territory, constantly scan the area around you for puffs
of smoke (indicating a launch) or long smoke trails that extend behind most
missiles while the motor burns. Remember to scan the ground as well as the sky,
as these indicators may betray a SAM launch as well as an air-to-air launch.
Keep in mind that once the missile’s motor burns out, it will stop producing a
smoke trail, so early detection is critical. Long-range air-to-air missiles generally
climb to high altitude, then dive on the target, so be especially alert for rainbowshaped
smoke trails coming toward you!
Knowledge Is Power
Your first weapon is knowledge - knowledge about your enemy’s capabilities and
his position. For example, assume that a U.S.-built AMRAAM has a nominal range
of 45 km at 5,000 m. You’ve conducted a thorough radar sweep of the area ahead
of you and are certain that the only targets around are a pair of F-15s about 40 km
away. Suddenly, you see the tell-tale smoke trails of inbound missiles. Since you
know these missiles were fired near maximum range, you can probably out-run
them. Execute a corner-speed, turn 180° away, then unload to 1 g, and accelerate
directly away by diving at 30–45° at full afterburner.
Success depends primarily on how quickly the target can turn (a clean fighter may
be able to pull a 9 g turn, a heavily laden jet may be limited to 5 g) and how quickly
it can accelerate after that turn. If you receive warning of the launch soon enough,
you stand a good chance of out-running the missile. If you’re late picking up the
missile or the target waits until you’re deep in the launch zone before firing, this
method probably won’t work.