Principles of Air Gunnery
Air to Air Gunnery Principles
Ok 1st thing to get your head round is this isnt easy so dont get disillusioned to early, your trying to hit a moving target from a moving platform with projectiles that follow curved paths at varying speeds! Lets look at each in turn
1. Projectile (bullet) time of flight [TOF]
If youve ever fired an arrow or thrown a stone youll have noticed that the projectile takes a finate length of time to reach the target, during this time forces come into play. Gravity, The longer the TOF the further the projectile drops. Areodynamic drag. the bullet deccelarates.
Therefore the closer you are the less these forces have effected your shot. TIP 1 GET CLOSE
Quote "You can have computer sights or anything you like, but I think you have to go to the enemy on the shortest distance and knock him down from point blank range. Youll get him from in close. At a long distance its questionable."
Colonel Erich "Bubi" Hartmann Luftwaffe 352 victories WW2
This Time of Flight [TOF] poses a problem as between pulling the trigger and impact the target will have moved. Maybe not much but then you dont have to miss by much to miss completely. If howver the target is directly in front of you either head to head or running away this movement will not have an effect on aim except in terms of gravity.
TIP 2 If the target is at an Angle to you LEAD IT
Quote " Im not a good shot, few of us are. To make up for this I hold my fire until I have a shot of less than 20% deflection and Im within 300 yrds. Good discipline on this score can make up for a great deal"
Lt.Colonel John C Meyer USAAF
Snap Shots and Tracking Shots
Tracking Shots
A tracking shot does exactly what it says on the tin, track your target from the rear of the target until such time as the bogies movements can be followed smoothly at a range suitable for the guns on the plane been flown, To do this you must stop the bogies vertical and lateral movements having an effect on your shot by "Saddling up" Get behind your bogie and inside his turn, you then have a choice to position his plane ahead of the gun sight Lag Pursuit once in range you then lift the gunsight over the top of him, give him the correct angle of deflection both in front (and remember gravity) above him and let her rip. Or position the target in front of him Lead Pursuit then apply the same principles, this is however risky as the bogie that pulls a sharp move can be lost under the nose of the plane. Or Pure Pursuit where you are following driectly behind, at first glance this would appear the easiest option however a plane from behind makes a very small target.
Tip 3
Learn to saddle up and practise Lag pursuit
As a guide in FB when a plane is turning to your left at 0.30m (300m) you will need to allow TWICE the height of the plane and AT LEAST 1.5 to 2 plane lenghts in front to score hits with .303 machine guns on a Hurricane or similar. In fun games Ill fire from anywhere from 0.35 down, however in more serious aircombat (VOW / VEF) I wont even think about firing till 0.25 usually 0.20 or closer.
Snap Shots
This shot presents itself often at the start of a dogfight when the planes 1st meet, the principle is simple to put as much lead as possible into the air so the bogie flys threw the lead. For example you are diving down to meet a target coming up fire as he lifts his nose in front of him as he disappears from sight stop, use your excess speed to bank hard and high, youll be amazed how often as you look over your shoulder your target has a oil, gycol or fuel leak Or sometimes the good old pilot Kill.
Another example is when closing on an existing DF to help out a wingman who is up the creek, you dont have time to track and lead his aggressor, hes owning your mate, so just blast straight at him and hit him hard.
More later :)
