Anon

I saw it do a zero airspeed roll(try that in a cessna) and inverted dive onto a hard turning F-16C on a CNN video segment. Greta Van Susteren was riding shotgun in the Viper. Google it, it's all over the web.

The F-22 has almost no practical AoA limit.

Hk40

Several years back I had a discussion on the same topic (ironically enough) and luckily I had a subscription to 'Flight Line' the in-house magazine from Lockheed Martin. The answer is Yes and No. Yes the F-22 can do the Pugachev Cobra - and not only that it goes beyond that! Here's my reply to him then based on the facts in Flight Line:
I've responded to a guy on-line in a news group to a very similar question. I was able to find some 'insider' info from Flight Line the in-house Lockheed Martin publication that yes, the F-22 can out maneuver and over Edward's AFB while testing had pushed the limits of extreme maneuver's. The once touted Pugechov Cobra was out done by a F22 pilot who pulled the aircraft back past vertical and was able to waggle side to side. Further was able to slow the aircraft pitch the nose down and also waggle side to side. The maneuver's make it clear that in a close in dog fight (as aposed to stand-off)the F-22 could 'stand itself on the head of a pin' and fire missiles at a moving target. Remember the above examples are the un-classified examples that were allowed to be published.....No one yet knows of the classified maneuver's that really 'push the envelope'.

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Franco Lolan

f22s training in Tyndall AFB, FL now. i live in SFL. its an honor

barrowaj

I'll bet that the F-22 can perform the cobra maneuver due to its thrust vectoring. Without it, I don't think that it would be possible. Judging from the large chord of the wing, the airflow would become detatched and stall at a lower than expected angle of attack. I'm also very doubtful that the F-22 could outdogfight an F-16. The smaller size of the F-16 should give it a higher roll rate and more maneuverability. In other words, I think that in a dogfight, its only the thrust vectoring that would save the F-22. But in the real world, where BVR engagements are common, radar cross section, avionics, and electronic systems are probably the determining factors.

Horrido

Even the F-14 can perform the cobra.

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Hk40

I seriously doubt that the Tomcat can perform anything close to a 'cobra' maneuver. I love the Tomcat in all that it is, however it was not intended to be that agile in the first place - nor as I believe the 14-D has no mds in that vien as well.

lemontree

Why is it a bull **** manuver?...

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lemontree

You must be joking. The tomcat is a superb fighter but it cannot do the cobra. (Tom cruse tried it in the movie Top Gun, please don't belive it )
I've seen it being done live in an air show. I'm sure in a dogfight this stuff would be useful.

khruschev

Because American planes can't perform it LOL :D
It seems to me that F-22 has only 2-D thrust vectoring, while the Russian aircraft under developpment, such as Su-37, Su-47, MiG 1.44, and probably Sukhoi PAK-FA, have 3-D thrust vectoring, which means it's nozzles can turn for all 360 degrees while those of an F/A-22 Raptor can't...
And by the way, if Raptor could really perform a Cobra maneuver, they would've shown it a billion times, since it would be the first Western-made aircraft which could really do it...
One more thing, even though Su-27 doesn't have thrust vectoring, it can easily perform a Cobra, so one more time, shame on F/A-22

barrowaj

The Sukhois and Mig you mention do not have 360 degree thrust vectoring. This would mean the exhaust could point in ANY direction. That is not possible. Those are all very impressive aircraft, and may be superior to the F-22 in terms of maneuverability, however, that was not what the F-22 was designed for. It was designed to blow those airplanes out of the sky before they could even detect it. Even the radar of the F-22 is designed so that old RWR systems will not easily pick up its pusles.

By the way, the main reason western aircraft can't do the cobra is that the flight control computers will not let them exceed the max. angle of attack far enough. That doesn't mean that they aren't maneuverable. In fact, the computer systems allow these aircraft (F-16, F-22) to be inherintly unstable and still fly, which makes them very maneuverable.

griftadan

lol i liked the video makers choice of music.

also-what exactly is the cobra maneuver?

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lemontree

Very valid point. It also could be that since the Americans do not depend too much of the concept of dogfights but on BVR kills, they may not consider the cobra as great shakes.

However, a good pilot in an older aircraft can out gun a top class fighter.

Maximus

load of crap!!

First, the "cobra maneuver" and "super-cobra" can only be done without any armament and with less than 50% or half the fuel tanks.....

Second, the "cobra maneuver" and "super-cobra" performed in a wrong way can cause serious damages and in fact, has attributed to numerous deaths of pilots at 15g.

Thirdly, the "cobra maneuver" and "super cobra" is only effective if the interceptor is really close and does not pick it up ....

Fourth, the "cobra maneuver" and "super-cobra" slows the Sukhoi down so much that if the interceptor spots the maneuver early enough and adjusts there is absolutely no way that the Sukhoi can survive.

Fifth, the only air maneuvers that the Sukhoi's can truly claim as a "no one else can do" is the "Super Cobra" and "Kulbit".
The Swedish did the famed "cobra maneuver" back in the 60's and it has been claimed, yet still unconfirmed, that a number of US aircraft (ie: F-22, etc.) can perform the standard "cobra maneuver".

ajaybhutani

I guess the whole idea is to show that the fighter is very agile and can handle even 15G.Further there might be some su30 tactical moves that we donot know of as any special fighter move if useful in war shouldnot be made public as that helps competitors prepare anti tactics for it.

MIKEMUN

What is this obsession of people with the Cobra maneuver?? Is it really that useful in combat??