Re:An F-22 test pilot on the Raptor's flight control system
by scarier on Sunday July 12, 2020 @03:54AM
(#23809668)
There are advantages to look-up and look-down depending on the tactic you're employing. It might work well against a radar with a known vulnerability to this type of maneuver, although I'm not sure I would employ it as a general tactic against generic Doppler radars (ignoring kinematic issues here, but they're very much a concern even if the maneuver is both doable and effective).
There are plenty of other ways to skin the cat that I would suggest reaching for before this. We've been fighting with and against Doppler radars for a long time...
Meanwhile, the ~120+ degree change in AoA combined with HMCS means that there is a good possibility of shooting off your won missile, putting the enemy in the defensive. Given the advantage in energy of the R-77 this can lead to a situation where even if your missile fails, you have a subsequent energy and position advantage.
Bleeding off the missile's energy and preserving your own is not necessarily the best strategy if your enemy has an energy advantage that is sufficient to prevent you from taking the other hand despite your energy being sufficient to get a kill in a vacuum. If you react fast enough you may be able to throw off the missile or lock entirely and also get your own missile on target.