Is aiming manual?

Mostly not: lock a target and turrets track on their own.

• Your job is piloting to keep them on target.
• Tab locks a target. Ones near your cursor come first; otherwise enemy players, then NPC ships, mines and boss mounts, then attack drones. Tab again within 0.5 s cycles; Tab on your locked target unlocks it.
• You can only lock a contact inside your sensor range with a clear line of sight. Beyond that (up to 10 km) it shows as a blip you can't target.
• Some weapons are aimed manually. Missile launchers aim at your cursor. Matching torpedo launchers share one hotkey; with no turrets fitted, Tab fires your largest group of matching launchers.
• The Vanguard Lance fires only along your ship's heading, so turn into your target.
• Shots can miss: you'll see 'miss' in the damage log. Turrets track based on the target's signature radius.