[Solved] Hunter-Killer Approaches Despite Being Slower

[Dioxine]

When you fight in air combat with Hunter Killer, the 'careful stance' button does not allow you to keep distance, even if your craft is faster and your weapons outrange the Hunter Killer. Not sure if this qualifies as 'bug', but it looks not-okay to me.

[Meridian]

There is no 'careful stance' button when you're attacked by a HK.
(there is also no 'standard stance' button)

The button, which is located at the same location as the 'careful stance' button would be normally, is called 'evasive maneuvers'.
It didn't exist at the beginning, and was added in February 2018:

Feature 5: Added evasive maneuvers support when fighting HKs

- HK has 50% of its usual chance to hit (=AFTER considering all other bonuses/maluses)
- craft has double the weapon reload time (in this case 2x aggressive reload time)
- the icon for "Cautious attack" was reused, but target distance is the same as for aggressive attack
- only available when the craft has at least one weapon

Note: even though it is on the same place as "Cautious" button, it doesn't use any cautious logic! It has different target distance and different reload base time. And different translation (STR_EVASIVE_MANEUVERS)

[Dioxine]

Thank you for answer, now I remember this now. Sorry.

[psavola]

But shouldn't there be a way to keep the UFO at a distance (assuming your weapon range is longer than the UFOs) if your craft is faster? Or does this happen by default (I don't recall if I have ever had a craft faster than HKs.)

[Vakrug]

The most obvious answer:
Turn air combat speed to minimum.
When alien vessel approaches your craft too close, click "retreat" button.
When alien vessel leaves your weapons range, click "attack" button.
When you get proficient with this, add another craft to this equation. 

[psavola]

Good to know. I didn't even know you can adjust the air combat speed (under Geoscape in options). All my HK air combats have always gone so fast they are over in less than a second. You have to have had to have very good reflexes to do anything at all.