"Engagement Envelope for Air to Air Missiles" Topic

When i was avidly naval wargaming a number of years ago, i used Skytrex Rules for Modern Naval Warfare. In the air to air section, missiles were catagorized as having, for want of a better description to hand, engagement envelopes (ie they could engage only a certain number of height bands above/below the aircraft)I havent seen this/any mention of it in forums with regard to any of the more popular modern period rules. Am i missing something? Is it actually not that accurate/not considered that important?

As far as I know, it's more than a simple matter of range and how far a particular missile can run.

If radar is involved there are "look-up" and "look-down" considerations. Many systems can't do that, so a target technically in range can't be engaged.

If the missile is IR there are other problems such as the sun and other background heat sources.

One of the best games for air warfare is Air Superiority and Air Strike. They are detailed and fairly complex, but good none-the-less. If you know someone with these games, read through the rules on missiles and it will give you a good idea of their capabilities. J.D. Webster, the game author, was an A-6 or an A-7 pilot with many years of experience.

They are very important, but hard to represent on the game table.

Birds of Prey might include that info, but not sure, since the cost is out of my range currently for the rules. Apparently, they are very detailed.

Even if they were to be included though, the data is classified, so isn't available to most people, other than in general terms, for all but the oldest missiles. Most publicly available info is based upon conjecture, or marketing brochures from the manufacturers, that usually exaggerate real-world performance.

Generally, the engagement envelope is rather large in head-to-head closure ( assuming the missiles can engage the target from that aspect – many cannot ) , moderate from the side, and limited from the rear, due to the relative speeds of the aircraft and missiles.

I think most rules tend to try to abstract the data in their rules and missile to-hit values, rather than having you fly the missile to the target. Air War ( a complex boardgame ) used to do the latter.

Clash of Sabres addresses this by having different sized angle templates for various generations of missiles. Fox Two Reheat, if I recall, does the same.

See more about them here:

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I hope that helps.

Sincerely,

Rob
Topgun Marketing LLC
topgunace111 AT yahoo DOT com

J D Pluto Webster flew A-7's with the Navy and F-16s with the National Gaurd. He is also restoring a MiG 21 in his spare time!

Fatman

That is interesting. I was thinking mainly of "height bands" aspect due to what i recently read of the Falklands war (which seemed to reflect this aspect), which reminded me of the Skytrex rules. I hadnt really thought about the other aspects of the envelope, although i am familiar with some of thconcepts mentioned. I might consider using the the Skytrex rules on this as an experiment (if i can find them-I think they are buried in my parents attic)

I dont think i will be splashing out the cash either on Birds of Prey at that price (or complexity)

Birds of Prey is definitely worth the price – not only for the components, but also for the amazing design that makes the complexity of the simulation manageable.

JD sold the MiG a while back.

He did have an adventure when they had it up on stands and they opened the landing gear doors. Forgot that the '21 needs hydraulic pressure to hold the gear up if the doors are opened. Nearly decapitated him.

<quote>If radar is involved there are "look-up" and "look-down" considerations. Many systems can't do that, so a target technically in range can't be engaged.</quote>

This only matters for stabilized radar modes, which assume that the firing aircraft is flying straight and level. Useful for something like an F-14 firing Phoenix at bombers, not useful in a dogfight. For most other cases, "look up" doesn't matter because you can just pitch up and point at the target. "Look down" matters because of clutter. For modern doppler radars, it's much less of a problem. (And you pitch down to point at the target if you can't yo-yo under them.)

Birds of Prey shows specifically where these different radar modes allow you to lock-on.

<quote>I dont think i will be splashing out the cash either on Birds of Prey at that price (or complexity)</quote>

You do get a lot for your money. The sheer weight of the box is staggering.

How long does a typical one-on-one, or two-on-two engagement take in BoP?

It can take from one to two hours for people who know what they're doing. The game is based on six second turns, but there is a process to go through (very clearly numbered on the game aids) that takes up time. In essence, you determine the current state of your aircraft and then decide how much you want to change that (rolling and pitching). Then you move the aircraft and figure out what the results to your state are from having performed those moves. Pointing and engagement envelopes are very easily determined from your attitude, using the "PHAD" display on the control card and you go through another process to determine how your shot is affected by yours and the target's states. Missiles have a straight "flyout" range, based on conditions and type and then you find out if the target is within the engagement envelope of the missile. If it isn't, you try to maneuver the missile so it is. If that still doesn't do it, the missile goes ballistic.

Mind you, the above is a very generalistic way of describing how BoP works, but it should give you an idea. It's hard to convey just how easy it is to use the play aids and how graphically nice the game displays these states and handles calculations. Birds of Prey is unique in the board gaming arena- an air to air game that allows you to as realistically as possible fly your fighter in a knife fight. It's not easy to learn, but it is logical and intuitive once you learn.