Which Fighter Jets Can Do The Cobra Maneuver?

In 1989, while flying a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet, Soviet test pilot Viktor Georgiyevich Pugachev did something that hadn't been done before: the Cobra Maneuver. It's gone by different names over the years, but the move is an example of supermaneuvrability, and it's not exactly easy to pull off. The Cobra Maneuver is best described as pitching an aircraft up in a radical move while maintaining altitude such that no climb is achieved. This results in the aircraft pointing its nose up 90 to 120 degrees before stabilizing back into normal operation.

What this achieves is essentially an air brake, as the wings of the aircraft act like a sail to slow its forward momentum. In a dogfight, the Cobra Maneuver can be used when an enemy is hot on a pilot's tail. By executing the move, they can fall behind the pursuing aircraft, turning the table, and making the pursuing plane the pursued. Several fighter jets can do the Cobra Maneuver, including the aforementioned Sukhoi Su-27, the General Dynamics NF-16 Vista, the Mikoyan MiG-29A, Saab J35 Drakens, and many others.

While there are a number of aircraft capable of performing the Cobra Maneuver, the real test is the pilot's skills, as it's not easy to pull off even under ideal conditions. At least, that was certainly true around the time that Pugachev did the Cobra Maneuver for the first time. The invention of thrust vectoring has made it easier to do in a variety of aircraft, but that wasn't available to Pugachev when he did it; however, this changed with later variants.

While most fighter jets with thrust vectoring capabilities are theoretically able to pull off a Cobra Maneuver, it hasn't been demonstrated in every aircraft out there. Still, it's not uncommon to see a skilled pilot pull one off at an air show, which is where the maneuver is most useful. In combat, the Cobra Maneuver is a gamble, as the jet is vulnerable during the move and a skilled pursuer can take advantage. Regardless, it's nonetheless an impressive feat, and it requires specific speed, thrust, and altitude to execute properly and safely.

The Soviet Union kept its new tactic under wraps for years, but Sweden sorted it out on its own. The Saab J35 Draken could pull it off, as could the Saab 37, though it couldn't do so at speeds exceeding 220 mph. Other aircraft that have demonstrated the maneuver include the Mikoyan MiG-29M OVT and the Chengdu J-10B TVC, both of which were demonstrator aircraft. More modern aircraft like the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 are also capable of executing the Cobra Maneuver, thanks to modern thrust vectoring.

The Cobra Maneuver isn't something that all pilots are trained on, but modern 4.5 and 5th-generation fighters theoretically have the capability. The F-22 demonstrated the Cobra Maneuver, but so can other nations' modern fighters, including the Su-57, which demonstrated the maneuver at a Chinese air show in 2024. While only some fighter jets could manage the Cobra Maneuver in the 20th century, it's far more accessible in the 21st century, thanks to improvements in thrust vectoring.