Pursuit

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STBC    Helm    Maneuvers      Pursuit

Pure pursuit

• Also known as "nose-to-tail," pure pursuit is the ideal combat positioning: your ship's nose is directly behind the enemy ship's tail
• During pure pursuit, the enemy ship's tail will appear in the middle of the viewscreen
• When the enemy ship attempts evasive maneuvers to escape the pure pursuit, maintain lead pursuit and avoid falling into lag pursuit

Lead pursuit

• Lead pursuit occurs when your ship and the enemy ship being pursued are both turning, and your ship's flight path is in front of the enemy ship's flight path; your turn circle is "inside" the enemy ship's turn circle
• During lead pursuit, the enemy ship will appear on the "outside" half of the viewscreen
• If you are turning right, the enemy ship will appear on the left half of the viewscreen
• If you are turning left, the enemy will appear on the right half of the viewscreen
• Avoid crossing in front of the enemy ("overshooting") while in lead pursuit
• If the enemy is moving towards the outside edge (or has "fallen off" the outside edge) of the viewscreen, you are at risk of overshooting
• Decrease engine speed and/or rate of turn to avoid overshooting
• Ideally, during lead pursuit, the enemy ship will slowly be moving towards the centerline of the viewscreen, as you re-establish pure pursuit; however, if the enemy ship is moving too fast towards the centerline of the viewscreen during lead pursuit, it will cross over the centerline into the "inside" half of the viewscreen, and your lead pursuit will become a lag pursuit

Lag pursuit

This diagram depicts a ship in pursuit position (red triangle) chasing its target ship (blue triangle), and moving between pure pursuit (right side), lead pursuit (bottom), and lag pursuit (top left).

• Lag pursuit occurs when your ship and the enemy ship being pursued are both turning, and your ship's flight path is behind the enemy ship's flight path; your turn circle is "outside" the enemy ship's turn circle
• During lag pursuit, the enemy ship will appear on the "inside" half of the viewscreen
• If you are turning right, the enemy ship will appear on the right half of the viewscreen
• If you are turning left, the enemy will appear on the left half of the viewscreen
• Avoid "losing" the enemy during lag pursuit and allowing it to escape your firing arc
• If the enemy is moving towards the inside edge (or has "fallen off" the inside edge) of the viewscreen, you are at risk of losing the enemy
• An enemy lost during lag pursuit may come back around and enter a pursuit position behind you, or face you and initiate merger, depending on distance
• Increase engine speed or rate of turn to avoid losing the enemy during lag pursuit, and to re-establish pure or lead pursuit
• Alternatively, a reverse-engine turn may help recover an enemy lost during lag pursuit, or at least establish a merger position rather than allowing the enemy to take pursuit position behind you
• On the Aegis, engine intrusion may assist in correcting lag pursuit, by slowing down the enemy ship