Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

TACTICAL INTERCEPTS 351
interceptor's nose is pointed directly at the target through most of the turn
to minimize the area of the fighter that is visible to the bogey pilot. The
interceptor pilot needs a rough idea of the amount of displacement that is
required. Having gained this displacement, the interceptor pilot must
know at what target range, or conversion range, the intended conversion
turn will bring the interceptor behind the bogey at the desired trail position.
Taken together, the desired displacement and the conversion range
define the "conversion point," which is the interceptor pilot's initial goal.
Assume for this example that the conversion range is 8 nautical miles
(8 NM) with 20,000 ft displacement. At time "I" the target is 30 NM away
and the interceptor's radar weapons system computes about 2° of target
aspect. With a little mental gymnastics the interceptor pilot can estimate
his displacement using the formula:
100 x TAA (degrees) x Range (NM) = Displacement (ft).
In this case, 100 x 2° x 30 NM = 6,000 ft, so more displacement is
required. (Some weapons systems also compute this displacement for the
pilot.) The interceptor pilot, therefore, takes a cut away from the bogey's
flight path, being careful not to turn so far that his radar antenna gimbal
limits are exceeded. The actual magnitude of this displacement turn
should be great enough to generate the required displacement prior to the
conversion range.
Between times " 1" and "2" the interceptor pilot continuously monitors
range, TAA, and displacement. At 20 NM range, aspect is determined to be
about 10°, yielding the desired 20,000 ft displacement. Now the interceptor
must maintain that displacement until conversion range (8 NM). To
achieve this the interceptor turns to parallel the bogey's course at time
"2," and simply drives in to 8 NM range, time "3." At this point the
conversion turn is commenced and results in the interceptor rolling out at
the desired distance behind the target. This distance is generally planned
to be in the heart of the interceptor's RQ weapons-firing envelope. When
this weapons range is short, such as for guns, much care must be exercised
in the final stages of the conversion turn to avoid overshooting the bogey's
flight path at close range.
The conversion range for this intercept is predicated primarily on the
time required for the interceptor to complete its conversion turn. This
time determines the interceptor's final roll-out distance behind the target.
Figure 10-3. Stern-Conversion Intercept