User Guide

Countering the low yo-yo involves reversing your bank when the attacker starts his dive. If you
reverse and climb, you’ll have a huge altitude advantage in the next phase of “negotiations.”
Immelmann Turn
Immelmanns are a flashy way to reverse direc-
tion. Pull the fighter into a climb, and when you
go over the top and become inverted, roll the
aircraft upright and center the stick. You gain
altitude and reverse direction at the same time.
You will also lose many knots of airspeed. But if
you’ve got an enemy on your tail, this move will
put you in a head-on position. The best way to
counter an Immelmann is to climb with your
target; don’t let him get too much of an altitude
advantage.
AIR-TO-AIR TARGETING
The primary objective of air combat is to shoot down your enemy with as little risk to yourself as
possible. Your weapon choices for air-to-air combat are medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs and
short-range AIM-9J and -9M Sidewinders. Your primary concerns when launching missiles are: the
speed you are travelling, the speed of the target and the target aspect angle. Some air-to-air
weapons are classified as “all aspect,” meaning they can engage the target no matter which way it is
headed relative to you. Guns are considered all-aspect weapons. Some weapons are rear-aspect-
only, meaning that you must fire them from behind the target. All-aspect weapons are easier to use,
and are usually more expensive.
The section below is a “how to” guide for the air-to-air weapons in Strike Commander.
Medium Range
The AIM-120 AMRAAM is the only radar-guided AAM in the Wildcat arsenal. It is highly
maneuverable, has a very accurate semi-active radar guidance system with computerized target
discrimination and a range of 2 to 40 nautical miles. The long range of the AMRAAM make it ideally
suited for BVR (beyond visual range) engagements. Using the AMRAAM is simple: Launch at the
furthest range possible (but no more than 30 or 35 nm) and climb slowly toward your target. If the
AMRAAM misses, you need to put yourself in a good position for the ensuing close range fight. You
could also launch and turn around in order to assess the effects of the weapon while keeping the
enemy at arm’s length.
Short Range
The AIM-9J and -9M Sidewinders are short ranged infrared homing missiles built for use in
dogfights. The -9J is a rear-aspect-only weapon. The seeker head has to lock on the engine heat of
the target, so you have to get the position advantage on your target in order to get a solid lock. The -
9J is also vulnerable to distraction by flares and even the sun. The -9M is an all-aspect weapon, so
you can take frontal shots with it. It will not lock on the sun (having a more sensitive seeker head)
and is less prone to mistake a flare for a plane. The problem with both missiles is that there is no
way to ensure they will go after the target they were launched at if there is another viable heat
source (another plane) in their view cone. Be advised that firing a Sidewinder close to a friendly
plane is risky.
Guns
The F-16 comes equipped with the M61A1 20mm Vulcan cannon. It will serve you well in the heat of
a chaotic dogfight. It fires 100 20mm shells every second. One in five of these rounds is a tracer, so
you can see where the fire is going. The range of this weapon is only about 4000 feet, but its
enormous rate of fire makes it lethal within that range.
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Immelmann