Danmon

Arcto10, it's ok. When the target is flying away from you (it's "cold") the range is DRASTICALLY reduced. Try to go higher and faster if you want or need more range. I took control of your track and manage to shoot at 14nm going higher and faster. You'll see the longest range VS a hot target (flying toward you), high speed, high altitude.

The highest and the fastest you are, the longer the range of your missiles. The angle of your target matters too. Against su27 AI anyway it's really easy to win in a head vs head. When you launch the 120 in your HUD (bottom) will appear a timer. At first you'll see the letter "T" followed by a number, wich is the seconds until the missile will start to track the target with his own radar. Once the missile starts to track the target on his own, the T will become a M, followed by the number of seconds until the expected hit. The smaller the distance between you and your target, the faster the T will become M. At very short distance the missile is active as soon as you launch it and you'll see only the M. So the best way is to track the target with your radar until the T becomes an M. Once the T becomes an M you can break the lock. If you break the lock before T expires, then the missile will turn on its radar and lock the nearest target. If the AI shoots at you before the T becomes M, you can turn left or right until the target is at the very edge of your radar cone. If it shoots after the T becomes M, then you can crank even more, becouse you dont' need to keep tracking the target. Anyway, when they shoot from far (i mean the AI... not humans) you can just slow down and keep going straight... the 120 will be active (the T will be M) before the 27 will reach you. Once the 120 is active infact the target will engage defensive and break the lock on you... so the 27 will go balistic. A human will be smart enough to go defensive without breaking the lock... I suggest you to read the manual anyway. There you'll find the basics.

To be honest I read No Guts No Glory, but it didn't help much. For the most part it focuses on formation tactics, but I usually fly offline vs AI so i'm basically always alone. It also covers defensive basic maneuvers, but as I said before, I already know the basic defensive maneuvers, in fact there no way the AI can shoot at me, but I have a hard time putting myself into position to shoot at them. That's why I went for the Shaw's book. It seems a much more complete text on the whole aerial fighting.

Thank Zilch. It seems great material! I'll go for the R.Shaw book. Just ordered!

Hi Zabusa. After your comment I searched the forum for links to real life manuals and I found it. Do you guys have any suggestion for good learning material for dogfight? I have no problem shooting down AI's in gun vs gun fight with f15 and su27 (the other 2 modules I have) but I can't do the same with f86. I know the very basics. I can deny the AI to get into firing position but I have hard time putting myself at their six. Unlike f15/su27 I dont have the energy I need one push of the throttle away... I think I need a better and deeper comprehension of the dogfight.

Hi, that's my first comment. I suggest NOT to buy it until it's finished. I bought it and I regret it. There's no training missions, no tutorial, no manual; basically nothing to do apart navigation, unless you like the frustrating feeling of dogfighting mig15s which defy the laws of gravity and physic. Learning curve it's horrible IMO. I mean that you learn quickly to takeoff, navigate, land and shoot down a slow An30 in a foggy mission but then you have to be really skilled to shoot down enemy fighters or complete the few missions that come with the module; and there's not a way (at least I didnt find it) to do something that would get you to that point step by step. So you quickly get to a point where you have 2 choises: 1) Boring navigation or even more boring shooting down of a An30; 2) Frustrating pointless dogfight/missions. Nothing in between! That's the problem. So if you have someone to fly with online then maybe it would be different but if you plan to play offline then you better put your money into something else.