User Guide

AIR-TO-AIR EVASION
No matter how good you get, eventually somebody is going to get on your six and hang there like a
rabid pit bull. The plane you fly is valuable and so are you. You have to know how to prioritize and
evade threats at all ranges. Remember: You have to be ready for anything, because you will not
know what the other guy has until he shoots it at you.
Long Range
A long-range missile such as the AMRAAM depends upon maintaining a radar lock. Therefore, your
job is to make the missile lose the lock on your plane. If you detect the launch at extreme range (35+
nm), the simplest thing to try is turning around. The missile will run out of fuel before it can catch
you. Closer in, you should try to get turned around and drop some chaff, then break hard so the
missile doesn’t just fly through the cloud and re-acquire you. Very close in you probably don’t need
to worry so much about AMRAAMs, since they will have trouble turning to hit you inside of 2
nautical miles or so.
Short Range
You have a bit less time to evade the short-range Sidewinders. The -9J is not nearly as accurate as
the -9M, and if you can draw it into the sun you can shake it. It’s pretty hopeless to try and shake
either of these missiles with maneuver. But since both are IR homing, you can try to divert them by
releasing flares, cutting the afterburner and breaking, or by flying close by another aircraft and
passing them — an enemy aircraft, unless you want to run out of friends.
Guns
Since guns work best with a small deflection angle, maintain a relative angle of greater than 45
degrees to your opponent. Try to minimize exposure to your underside and topside as you engage in
the dogfight.
AIR-TO-GROUND COMBAT
Ground attack missions pose a different type of problem: target acquisition at high attack speed.
The eye can distinguish a main battle tank at around a mile in full daylight, 100% visibility. At 450
knots, an F-16 will cover that distance in ten seconds. You will be within range for everything except
bombs in six seconds. You will have that time to see the target, select it (or line up the dot if you’re
on a bombing run), maneuver and take the shot. Many attack runs are executed at greater than 450
knots to minimize exposure to enemy anti-aircraft systems, so you may have even less time.
IR-Guided Weapons
The AGM-65D Maverick and the GBU-15 are guided by an imaging infrared seeker. These are two of
the most expensive weapons you can buy, so an accurate approach and delivery technique is
critical.
Get a radar lock on your target (use T). Approach
low, flying straight and level, at an approximate
altitude of 300 feet. At 1 or 2 miles from your
target, begin climbing above 500 feet while
maintaining speed. Launch when the crosshair
drifts over the target and the “IN RNG” note pops
up in the HUD. Extend into a hard break and hit
the afterburners. Check your rear hemisphere for
missiles and drop decoys if you’re being pursued.
Remember that the Maverick and the GBU -15 have
very little maneuverability and their true range is
determined by the speed and altitude you are flying
at when you launch them.
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IR Bombing