The Scissors Maneuver
The scissors is a defensive maneuver in which a series of turn reversals is executed in an attempt to achieve offensive potential after an overshoot by an attacker. To successfully employ the scissors, the defender needs an initial turn overshoot. In a defensive turn, if an attacker attempts to position himself in his opponent’s angular velocity cone by remaining in the plane of his turn, the defender is provided the opportunity to generate an overshoot. The overshoot places the attacker on the opposite side of the defender’s angular velocity cone. If the defender continues to turn in the same direction after the overshoot, the attacker will be presented the opportunity to maneuver toward his opponent’s six-o’clock position, simply because the defender will be turning away from the attack. To prevent this, the defender must initiate a turn reversal as the attacker passes through his flight path. The decision as to when to execute this reversal will depend upon the attacker’s rate of overshoot and his angle-off. A good “rule-of thumb” is: rapid turn overshoot, early reversal; slow turn overshoot, late reversal. The turn reversal will rotate the defender’s angular velocity cone away from the attacker. This will place the attacker at a high angle-off and will cause him, once again, to cross the defender’s flight path. See figure 22. The defender has now forced the attacker into a scissors maneuver.
We can see – by geometric inspection – that the aircraft which has the shorter turn radius and the lower velocity, will force the other to the 12-o’clock position. In this maneuver, the defender has the advantage. By virtue of forcing the attacker to overshoot, he has lower velocity and if he employs the proper technique, he can easily place the attacker at 12-o’clock. To accomplish this, each turn reversal should be a rudder reversal, at max-performance. If aileron is applied, the defender will roll off in the wrong direction, or be forced to release back-pressure to execute the reversal. This, of course, will increase turn radius. A nose-high attitude accomplishes two things: (1) It reduces the defender’s horizontal turning component, and (2) It reduces the defender’s vector velocity in the horizontal plane. The reduction in the horizontal turning component and vector velocity is a result of maneuvering through both the vertical and horizontal planes. In other words, we are employing the pull of one-G gravity to provide a greater radial G and a lower velocity. Maximum power should be used in this maneuver, because its force vector opposes the one-G gravity and is directed toward the inside of the turning circle. This provides the defender the opportunity to maneuver through the vertical plane, and thereby diminish his horizontal turning component. In addition, since power provides a lower stall speed, it allows the defender to tighten his turn radius at a given airspeed as well as reduce airspeed to the lowest possible point. This means that if the defender performs a nose-high rudder reversal with power on, he will reduce his turn and velocity components to their smallest state and, if the attacker doesn’t counter in like manner, he will be quickly forced to the 12-o’clock position. The defender now becomes the attacker.
If the attacker counters effectively, and forces the defender below him, the defender should maneuver in phase with the attacker. This provides the attacker a visual disadvantage since the defender will be directly beneath him. In an attempt to maneuver, in relation to the defender, the attacker will be force to roll excessively in one direction or the other. This increases his stall speed and forces him forward and down toward his opponent’s flight path. The moment the attacker notices this, he probably will reduce his bank and maneuver as smoothly as the defender, with a resultant standoff. If, and when, this occurs,, the defender must employ afterburner, relax G and dive 180° away from his opponent. He should initiate this maneuver immediately after the attacker has made his last observation, when the attacker does not have visual contact. This affords the defender the opportunity to gain considerable longitudinal separation and places the attacker in an overhead attack with a negative delta Mach. The defender will be out of gun range and the attacker will be provided the worst possible situation for a missile launch. (NOTE: Tactical analysis of the dive-away will be discussed later.)
When employing the scissors maneuver, a pilot should attempt to secure an advantage as quickly as possible – certainly by the second turn reversal. If not, he will lose airspeed rapidly, therefore maneuverability, and will be prevented from ever acquiring an advantage. Instead, he will find himself in a standoff, with marginal control – an easy set-up for another attacker (or his immediate opponent, if the opponent has a superior aircraft).