Pugachev/Cobra Maneuver - practical?
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The plan was to have two elements of two Flankers flying in very close formation so as to prevent AWACs breakout of four distinct targets. At the correct point in time/space, the two wingmen would cobra in order to rapidly enter the notch, while the two flight leads would hook turn away from the target. The notching Flankers would then descend, still in the notch, and sneak under the AWACS' coverage (or use ground clutter/terrain masking to mask their approach for as long as possible). Once they were in range for the shot, they would pop-up and engage the target.
Surely the closer the Flankers are to the AWACS the greater the risk of detection so terrain masking further out should be more effective and then there is no need for the Cobra tactic at all?
Arc - a variety of reasons are possible...
a) fuel burn - the obvious LL fuel burn vs high level fuel burn issue, thus spending as little time as possible at LL is a good plan.
b) not wanting to go LL over the FEBA/front line/whatever we're calling it now it doesnt exist! FEBA is usual a spikey cactus of lots of very capable LL AD systems (rapier, ZSU etc) to protect the front line guys from the likes of A-10/Frogfoot. I'd want to avoid going LL over it if at all possible! Potentially this notch tactic could allow you to head west over the FEBA somewhere north or south of the HVACAP, then notch and head north/south as appropriate and miss the worst of the GBAD.
c) probably a couple of others that it's too early in the morning to think about!
a) fuel burn - the obvious LL fuel burn vs high level fuel burn issue, thus spending as little time as possible at LL is a good plan.
b) not wanting to go LL over the FEBA/front line/whatever we're calling it now it doesnt exist! FEBA is usual a spikey cactus of lots of very capable LL AD systems (rapier, ZSU etc) to protect the front line guys from the likes of A-10/Frogfoot. I'd want to avoid going LL over it if at all possible! Potentially this notch tactic could allow you to head west over the FEBA somewhere north or south of the HVACAP, then notch and head north/south as appropriate and miss the worst of the GBAD.
c) probably a couple of others that it's too early in the morning to think about!
In answer to your original question: the cobra is an extra capability and as long you don't sacrifice other parameters any extra capability is welcome...
Is it practical? Not very but still useful. To get slow doesn't always mean to get dead.
There is no better way to reflect on this than to watch this brilliant pilot (again and again):
YouTube - Dogfights - MiG Killers of USS Midway (4 of 5)
That was deep in Indian country somewhere in between the densest AA network in the world, overhead the enemy airfield -Kep(effectively) in a 2v6 fight and he executed the F-4 version of the cobra (or at least its philosophy was the same). 400-450kts to 100-150kts in a blink, and that involved departing an F-4 at 1500ft!! Of course this maneouvre could probably only be executed by 10-15 pilots in the USN at the absolute maximum and these were to be mostly found at Topgun/VF-121 and VX-4 (Mugs McKeown was a Mig17 pilot at VX-4 before these kills).
Is it practical? Not very but still useful. To get slow doesn't always mean to get dead.
There is no better way to reflect on this than to watch this brilliant pilot (again and again):
YouTube - Dogfights - MiG Killers of USS Midway (4 of 5)
That was deep in Indian country somewhere in between the densest AA network in the world, overhead the enemy airfield -Kep(effectively) in a 2v6 fight and he executed the F-4 version of the cobra (or at least its philosophy was the same). 400-450kts to 100-150kts in a blink, and that involved departing an F-4 at 1500ft!! Of course this maneouvre could probably only be executed by 10-15 pilots in the USN at the absolute maximum and these were to be mostly found at Topgun/VF-121 and VX-4 (Mugs McKeown was a Mig17 pilot at VX-4 before these kills).
