This can be used when the primary cause of overshooting is excess speed. Basically it consists of maintaining position astern but outside the turn radius of the defending fighter. In this manner both speed advantage and initiative are retained, the attacker matching the defender's rate of turn in degrees per second while remaining concealed in the blind spot beneath the defender's tail. Lag pursuit is best countered by tightening the turn into a spiral dive. The temptation is to reverse and commence scissoring, but this is a good way to die if the attacker is on the ball.
LAG PURSUIT ROLL
This is used when at close range with a high overtake, high speed and high angle-off. The defender gets the nose high and rolls to the outside of the turn. He uses maximum g to pull the nose up and towards the target. This puts him in a ± 30° angle-off missile envelope.
When overshooting is mainly the result of excess speed, position can be maintained outside the radius of the defender's turn by matching his rate of turn, thus maintaining both speed and initiative. The pursuer is hidden beneath the defender's tail, which could cause him to make an error. This is called lag pursuit.