Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

1
Fighter Weapons
Fighter aircraft exist to destroy other aircraft. The airplane itself may be
considered only a weapons platform designed to bring the weapons system
into position for firing. Fighter weapons have varied greatly over the years,
and each weapon has had unique requirements for successful employment.
The requirements might include effective ranges, aiming, relative
position of fighter and target, or any number of other factors. All of the
requirements of a particular weapon must be satisfied simultaneously in
order for the weapon to be used successfully. Meeting these weapons-firing
requirements, while frustrating those of the enemy, must therefore be the
goal of all fighter tactics and maneuvering.
Before fighter tactics can be discussed effectively, an understanding of
weapons systems must be developed, since these weapons are the driving
forces behind tactics. This chapter discusses the major classes of weapons
which have been used by and against fighter aircraft. Included in the
discussion are operating characteristics, operating limitations, and countermeasures
associated with these weapons.
Air-to-Air Guns
The most important thing in fighting was shooting, next the various tactics
in coming into a fight and last of all flying ability itself.
Lt. Colonel W. A. "Billy" Bishop, RAF
Probably the leading RAF Ace of WW-I
72 Victories
The gun is by far the most widely used and important air-to-air weapon
ever devised. The story of the adaptation of this weapon for aircraft use is
very interesting and has been the subject of several other works, so it will
only be treated in summary fashion here.
Aircraft guns may be classified as "fixed" or "flexible." Fixed guns are
installed in a stationary position relative to the aircraft, usually are forward
firing, and are aimed by pointing the entire fighter. Flexible guns,