Chapter 1 - Lucas' Abandonware - Free

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Air-to-Air Combat
Air-to-air combat is the art of destroying the enemy in the air with
missiles or gun.
Detection
The first task is to find the enemy. Visually sighting the enemy was the
standard method of detection through World War I and most of the
World War II, but two innovations have undermined the pilot’s
reliance on his own eyes. The first is onboard radar, which increases
thepilot’smeansofforwarddetectionfarbeyond hisvisual range. The
second is the sheer speed of modern aircraft. Any manoeuvre
undertaken at supersonic speeds will cover a huge arc in the sky -
the chances of two opposed aircraft being within visual range of each
other are much slimmer than they were in the days of prop-driven
aircraft.
In Birds Of Prey, there are three means of detection. The first, again,
is by visual sighting. Even at long ranges, most aircraft appear as
single-pixel dots, and the observant pilot will notice these against the
sky, or ground. The second is by radar. In order to detect the enemy,
he must be somewhere in front of your aircraft's nose and within range
of your radar’s current setting. Make sure you’re in an air-to-air Radar
mode -Range-While-Search (RWS), Track-While-Search (TWS),
HUD, or Gun-Director (GUN). Press N to set the Radar mode and R
to set the range. The third means of detection is the Tactical Map
Display, which will show you the location of every aircraft in the
world. Obviously, no such device exists in reality (though many wish
it did!), so if you like realism, don’t use it.
Close & Attack
The second task is to close in and bring the enemy within range of
your weapon Press the Left Shift keytochange weapons. Obviously,
the longer your weapon’s range, the more “stand off” created and the
greater your advantage. Long- or medium-range missiles should be
employed first, followed by short-range missiles. Your gun should be
used as a last resort, when all of your missiles have been depleted.
When the target comes in range of your current weapon, the Target
Lock Indicator diamond appears. To fire, press the spacebar, the left
mouse button, or joystick button A.
Missile Guidance Types
There are three guidance types in Birds Of Prey: active radar homing,
semi-active radar homing, and infrared homing.
infrared (IR) Homing
Infrared homing missiles - or “heat seekers” - home in on heat
emissions created by the target’s engines. Though early IR homing
missiles were really only effective when aimed directly at the target’s
exhaust, modern heat seekers are “all aspect,” that is, capable of
being launched at the target from any direction. The seeker heads
have also beengreatly improved and are no longerpronetodistraction
by other heat sources such as the sun. The compact size of IR homing
missiles make them ‘much harder to be detected by any warning
devices on the target’s aircraft. The only disadvantage to these
weapons is that they are only effective at short ranges.
Semi-Active Homing
Semi-active homing missiles rely on your aircraft’s onboard radar to
illuminate the target, homing in on the returning radar. The advantage
to these missiles is that if they lose their target, they can easily reacquire
it as long as your radar provides illumination. The disadvantage
is that you must continue to fly toward the target after launch, thus
making yourself vulnerable to attack.
Active Radar Homing
No missile of any useful size could carry a radar unit large enough to
completelytracka targetfrom launch to impact-nonetheless, pilots
like weapons that don’t require prolonged radar illumination of their
prey. The active radar homing missile is a kind of compromise. Before
launch, your aircraft’s fire control computer takes the target’s current
speed and course and designates a point of interception. The missile
is then launched, whereupon it flies silently to the pre-arranged point,
switchingon its small active radar unit only in theterminal phase. The
big advantage to these weapons is that they’re “fire and forget”
weapons-once launched, the pilot is free to break away from the
engagement or simply move to a safer distance.
Guns
The advanced cannon in Birds Of Prey have a maximum range of 10
km, however, your chances of hitting greatly improve if the target is
within 6.5 km.
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