Air RB · Field manual
Energy and Positioning
You do not win by turning harder. You win by managing energy and position. Speed and altitude trade constantly; do not burn both chasing a short opening. Stay in a part of the fight where you can dive, extend or climb without committing blind. If you are slow with no altitude, you have fewer options. Maintain enough energy to choose when to engage and when to leave.
Judge your energy against the opponent
Your speed alone does not tell you whether you have an advantage. Consider altitude, heading and the ability to regain energy too. If you are at similar speed but lower, the opponent can convert altitude into speed in a dive. If you are faster but climbing away, judge where that climb will leave you.
Energy becomes useful when it creates position: a shot, separation, or room to deny the opponent an attack. A speed advantage spent turning back into an unfavorable engagement may accomplish none of those.
Commit only with an exit
Before diving in, know where you will go afterward. If the angle closes or more enemies appear, you need a workable extension or climb path. Check the aircraft that could intercept that exit, not just the one you intend to attack.
Spend energy for a useful position
A tight turn is worth its cost when it creates a credible shot or denies one. If it does neither, stop tightening the turn and reassess how to separate or change the engagement.
Climbing also needs a purpose. Climb when you have separation and time; pulling up with someone close behind trades your speed for their shot. Do not assume vertical movement makes an otherwise unfavorable fight into an energy trap.
Know when to leave
If keeping your nose on the target requires an increasingly deep turn, or you are slowing with several enemies nearby, treat that as a warning that the commitment is deteriorating. Choose a route toward support or space you have checked. Climb once the separation is real.
Ask yourself during the fight: can I leave? If the answer is no, identify what has committed you and avoid spending your last options on a doubtful shot. Fix the positioning problem before the next pass.