In aerobatics, the cobra maneuver (often shortened to the cobra), also called dynamic deceleration, among other names, is a dramatic and demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed abruptly raises its nose momentarily to a vertical and slightly past vertical attitude, causing an extremely high angle of attack and momentarily stalling the plane, making a full-body air brake before dropping back to normal position, during which the aircraft does not change effective altitude.

It is sometimes called Pugachev's Cobra named after Viktor Pugachev, the first pilot to bring the maneuver to the public eye.

The maneuver relies on the ability of the plane to be able to quickly change angle of attack (alpha) without overloading the airframe, and sufficient engine thrust to maintain nearly constant altitude through the entire move, but also post-stall stability and aerodynamics that allows for the recovery to level flight. The maneuver demands accurate pitch control, alpha stability and engine-versus-inlet compatibility for the aircraft, as well as a high skill level on the part of the pilot.

The cobra maneuver is an example of supermaneuverability, specifically poststall maneuvering. The Herbst maneuver and the helicopter maneuver are similar post-stall maneuvers that are often executed by 4.5th Generation and 5th Generation fighter aircraft employing thrust vectoring.

The maneuver is typically performed at air shows, but could be used as a last-ditch maneuver to force a chaser to overshoot in close-range air combat. The maneuver has never been verified in real combat, although it has been used during mock dogfights and border protection.

Execution (Sukhoi Su-27)

In the case of the Su-27, to execute the maneuver the pilot initially disengages the angle of attack limiter of the plane, normally set at 26°. This action also disengages the g limiter. After that, the pilot pulls back hard on the stick. The aircraft reaches an angle of attack of 90–120° with a slight gain of altitude and a significant loss of speed. When the elevator is centered, the drag at the rear of the plane causes a torque that makes the aircraft pitch forward. At the same time, the pilot adds power to compensate for the reduced lift.

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