Air Combat Maneuvering
Flight Procedures
HORIZONTAL SCISSORS
From the defensive perspective, the horizontal scissors, Figure 23, exploits an in-close horizontal
overshoot. Force the bandit into a horizontal overshoot by making a hard or break turn into him.
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Attacker
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Defender
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Figure 23: HORIZONTAL SCISSORS (DEFENSIVE)
Remember, deciding to use a break turn greatly reduces your energy package leaving you with little left
to do anything else. As the bandit crosses your six, pull up into the vertical while reversing to maximize
the overshoot (nose-high reversal). How much nose-high attitude you attain depends on your initial
energy package, but it should be roughly 60 to 70 degrees nose-high. After spotting the bandit at about
the 4 or 8 position, pull toward the bandit’s six by placing your lift vector aft of the bandit’s aircraft, thus
reducing your forward vector. While rapidly decelerating through 200 kts, continue the roll to about
120 degrees AOB, which will help lower your nose to prevent excessive loss of airspeed (less than
100 KIAS). A little bottom rudder will help start the nose down. Allow your nose to fall toward the
horizon without letting it fall on or below the horizon. Reduce your AOB to 45 degrees and establish
140-150 kts and 20 units AOA, i.e., maximum AOA without accelerated stall.
Remember, you have initiated this fight because it improved your position to do it. As the scissors
develops, you must continuously update your status. If you cannot keep the bandit in the forward
quarter, he has merely to take the turning room available and shoot you. Don’t take refuge in the low Pk
of this particular high-angle gunshot. It is track crossing rate (TCR) that matters here, not angles. The
(10-98) Original
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