Tactical Formation
Background
WEAPONS ENVELOPE
The basis for an air-to-air kill is flying the aircraft to the firing parameters necessary to employ a selected
weapon system successfully. Those parameters define the weapons envelope (Figure 3), in terms of
range and angle off the tail (AOT—fighter position off the bogey’s tail). A weapons envelope around the
bogey is three dimensional and dynamic based upon fighter and bogey airspeed, altitude, g, and specific
weapons capability. Firing from within the envelope greatly increases the probability of a kill (PK).
1/2 nm
1000'
1/2 nm
90
90
1500'
2 nm
60
2000'
(Sidewinder 30
Minimum Range)
Cold Side
40
Hot Side
Snap Guns
2 nm
Raking Guns
2 nm
Tracking Guns Kill
(Sidewinder Maximum Range)
Sidewinder Kill - Hot Side
Sidewinder Kill - Cold Side
Figure 3: WEAPONS FIRING ENVELOPE
The weapons firing envelopes for CNATRA are rear quarter envelopes only for snap guns, raking guns,
tracking guns, and sidewinders (FOX-2). Figure 3 illustrates maximum and minimum ranges and angle
off. The hot and cold side are functions of angle off and bogey direction of turn (intercept geometry). The
hot side refers to the area in the direction of turn relative to the bogey’s longitudinal axis. The cold side
refers to the area away from the direction of turn. Hot and cold do not refer to the heat source of the
target; they are only a function of intercept geometry. The heart of the IR envelope is 1 nm at the bogey’s
six.
(4-03) Original
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