"Kvochur's bell" manoeuvre performed by the Su-27 jets of the Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team. © Sputnik / Mikhail Syritsa
Sputnik: Not Just to Show Off: Russian Test Pilot Explains Challenges of Manoeuvring in Dogfights
Every new plane introduced to an air force behaves differently and with the introduction of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, Russian pilots have had to adapt their solo and formation flying skills as well as perform high-level aerobatic manoeuvres – something they have now successfully achieved.
The fighter jet manoeuvres usually seen at air shows, while appearing genuinely astonishing and jaw-dropping, actually serve practical purposes – to outperform an opponent, gain an upper hand, and ultimately win a dogfight.
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WNU Editor: You would think that living in the missile age would put an end to "dogfights" between fighter jets. Apparently not.
3 comments:
Its an old adage - A dogfight is a knife fight. In order to win a knife fight you need to get behind your opponent and shiv the pointy end into the guts of the other guy.
The trick is to get behind him.
In Vietnam, the kill ratio dropped very close to 4-5:1 when missile logic drove the battle then the Air Force and Navy brought back dogfighting; that’s why we have Top Gun type schools now.
During the early days of Viet Nam, Robert McNamara had the same notion that dogfighting was dead in the "age of missiles". Like so many things, the chief Whiz Kid was so, so wrong.
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