Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

392 APPENDIX
Figure A-3. Level Instantaneous Turn Rate and Radius
Performance
at any speed between Vc and slightly greater than Vs. Very slow airspeeds,
however, cause dramatic rises in level turn radius. The importance of
corner speed in optimizing instantaneous turn performance is highlighted
in Figure A-3.
Altitude also has a significant influence on instantaneous turn performance.
Figure A-4 depicts the variations for a typical jet fighter. At speeds
below Vc, both rate and radius performance are usually degraded (i.e.,
larger radii and slower turn rates) with increasing altitude, because of
reduced lift capability. At speeds above the corner, instantaneous turn
performance is generally limited only by structural strength, and so is
usually independent of altitude. Since the plots in Figure A-4 use true
airspeed for the horizontal scale, Vc is seen to increase with altitude. As
explained previously, however, Vc is normally nearly constant with altitude
when it is expressed in terms of indicated airspeed.
Energy Maneuverability
Beware the lessons of a fighter pilot who would rather fly a slide rule than
kick your ass!
Commander Ron "Mugs" McKeown, USN
Commander, U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School
2 Victories, Vietnam Conflict
Energy comes in many forms: heat, light, electromagnetism, etc. In
fighter performance the concern is primarily with mechanical energy,