Cobra Turn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cobra Turn is a fighter aircraft maneuver. It is a variation on the Pugachev's Cobra where the aircraft performs the pull-up, but instead of returning to level flight applies rudder or thrust vectoring and turns downward. Many experts[who?] consider the Pugachev's Cobra to have little use in air combat maneuvering (It could, however, also be argued that the combat effect is likely to be similar to the "thrust vector 'up'" maneuver successfully used by RAF and Royal Navy Harriers during the Falklands War, and results in the aircraft effectively stopping while the enemy overshoots, leaving the aircraft in a position for a straightforward missile attack on the enemy[1]). The Cobra Turn first gained widespread attention after it was performed by the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-35 and Su-37 at various European airshows. The Su-37 was also the first aircraft to demonstrate the "Super-cobra". Since then the F-22A Raptor has also demonstrated the capability to perform the Cobra Turn (from level flight) due to its thrust vectoring capability.
[edit] References
Gordon, Y. Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker: Air Superiority Fighter. Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-029-7.
