Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

54 FIGHTER WEAPONS
Shooter and target speeds are critical elements in the aerodynamic range
of missiles. Increasing the speed of both aircraft tends to reduce the range
of rear-quarter missiles and increase forward-quarter range. Figure 1-11
shows typical range variations for co-speed shooter and target at various
Mach numbers, using .4 M as a reference. For example, with both shooter
and target aircraft at 1.0 M, forward-quarter missile range might increase
by over 50 percent, and rear-quarter range might decrease more than 30
percent, as compared with the same shots when the aircraft speeds are
.4 M. A target speed advantage over the shooter affects maximum aerodynamic
range even further, with the percentage impact being very sensitive
to the particular missile's average flight speed. The effect therefore varies
widely from missile to missile, but typically a 100-knot target speed
advantage (range increasing) decreases rear-quarter max-range 5 to 25
percent, with slower missiles suffering the greatest effect. Large target
speed advantages can also cause acquisition difficulties for many Dopplerradar
missiles fired from the rear.
In summary, the combined effects of low attitude, high speeds, and a
target speed advantage can yield a dramatic reduction in the rear-quarter
missile envelope. Greatest reductions in the forward quarter can be
achieved by low-altitude, slow-speed operation.
Missile minimum kinematic range can also be influenced by target
speed and altitude. Forward-quarter min-range is of greatest interest, since
during close-in visual combat with all-aspect missiles this limit is often
the most difficult to satisfy. In this instance high altitude and high speed
serve to increase minimum forward-quarter range. This is because of the
greater distance traveled by the target during the minimum fuze-arming
time of the missile and the quicker guidance reactions required for high-
Figure 1-11. Effects of Target/Shooter Speed on Missile
Range