Cobra Turn

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. John Turner of BAE considers^{[1][dead link][citation needed]} 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 Vectoring In Forward Flight" or VIFFing maneuver. In theory VIFFing allows the aircraft to effectively slow down or stop while the enemy overshoots, leaving the aircraft in a favorable position to attack the enemy^[2]). 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.

References

1. ^ See interview (What interview? Where can it be found? Unverifiable reference) with John Turner of BAE Systems in DD Video's Su-27: The Flanker Story
2. ^ "That Magnificent Flying Machine". Time. 1982-06-07. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951776,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 

Gordon, Y. Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker: Air Superiority Fighter. Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-029-7.