Read-Ahead Fire

Read-Ahead Fire is a gameplay technique introduced in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.

In normal circumstances, long/mid-range air combat requires the player to get into lock-on range, then assault the target with heatseeking missiles. Skilled pilots, however, can predict the target's flight trajectory and fire their ordnance, thus leading the enemy to fly straight into the player's projectiles. Hence, Read-Ahead Fire is, by all means and purposes, target deflection applied to air combat.

Usage
In order to engage Read-Ahead Fire, the player must first pursue an enemy aircraft, then observe the target's movements. When the player acquires target lock-on and the target is in the right position, the message "SHOOT" will be displayed in the middle of the player's HUD. Players must then quickly react and fire during this time window.

Read-Ahead Fire provides a high boost to projectile accuracy; most missiles fired by the player will have an extremely high impact rate. However, note that Read-Ahead Fire is not failproof: in order to score successful hits, you must consider the target's position during the firing window.

Trivia

 * Read-Ahead Fire dates back to Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. However, unlike Ace Combat 6, Read-Ahead Fire is much less effective in combat. Not only is the "SHOOT" fire indicator present only in first-person view; target leading is much less effective than in AC6.