Vertical roll air combat maneuver series#

This process is repeated as often as the pilot decides, and the plane resembles a leaf falling from the sky, slipping from one side to another, as it drifts toward the ground. While the Falling Leaf maneuver involves the pilot performing a controlled stall (or bringing an aircraft to a virtual stop) and descending toward the ground, the stall induces a spin in the aircraft, which the pilot counters using thrust-vector controls in the engine that begins a spin in the opposite direction. The Pugachev’s Cobra maneuver involves the pilot rapidly lifting the aircraft’s nose so much so that it would turn 90 degrees vertical to the ground with the pilot facing the sky, which results in the airframe forming an enormous airbrake, causing rapid slow-down of the airplane, the pilot has to make use of the engine thrust to maintain a near-constant altitude throughout this entire move.

Vertical roll air combat maneuver series#

The single-engine J-10B dazzled the audience at the air show by performing a series of impressive maneuvers during a 15-minute performance which included the famous Pugachev’s Cobra and the Falling Leaf. In December 2015, China signed a deal to acquire 24 Su-35S fighters from Russia, which is believed to have gained the country’s scientists and engineers access to the thrust-vector technology used in Russian jet engines.Īfter that, in 2018, China showcased its fourth-generation J-10B fighter equipped with the WS-10B-3 TVC (Thrust-Vector Control) engine at the Zhuhai Air Show, revealing that the country has developed the technology. China’s Tryst With Thrust-Vectoring Technology The WS-15 is designed to produce a thrust of 177.93 kN, compared to the 160.14 kN thrust generated by the AL-31F M2 engine currently in use. However, the WS-10 engines face severe quality-control issues that have hindered their mass production, often replacing them with Russian engines.įurthermore, in the long run, China intends to equip its J-20 fighter jets with WS-15 ‘Emei’ engines, designed to compete with the Pratt & Whitney F-119 that powers the F-22 Raptors, but the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the testing and development work on the Emei. The technology will enable the J-20 pilot to redirect the engine’s thrust by tilting the exhaust nozzles side by side as well as up and down, just like the F-22 or the Russian fourth-generation Su-30, Su-35, and MiG-35 fighters, and the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter.Īs EurAsian Times discussed earlier, China has long struggled to master jet engine technology which requires deep expertise across various disciplines such as combustion, fluid dynamics, materials, control theory, etc.Ĭhina produced the WS-10 Taihang turbofan engine as part of its drive to completely replace the Russian-made AL-31F turbofans. US Scrambles F-15 Air Superiority Fighter To Shoot Down Iranian Mohajer-6 DroneĪ short clip of fifteen seconds shows the Mighty Dragon performing a vertical climb, shortly after which it makes turns and glides with its nose up.Ĭhina has long been working to develop the thrust vector controls for the WS-10C engines in the J-20, to bring the fighter’s performance closer to the American F-22 Raptor. Russia Accepts Military Inferiority Says Most UAVs Don’t Meet Technical & Tactical Requirements Space is only part of what they are about.Īs far as roll rate, yes the Hornet will probably have a slower rate than a Sukhoi (the plane in your diagram) or the Extra 330.A video has emerged of China’s J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ performing complex maneuvers at low speed, suggesting the fifth-generation aircraft may have finally acquired the much-awaited thrust vectoring capability. NASA website has some great info on these and other topics about aerodynamics. If you’re really interested in this, search for wing dihedral and wing foil design. This is truely advanced piloting far beyond normal flight. Pitching up, slightly before beginning the roll will help and you can see that in your diagram.Īcrobatic ac have wings designed for this and other maneuvers, so they appear to make it look easy, but it’s not. Then as you pass inverted and returning to upright, you’ll need to apply right rudder and pull stick to keep the nose up. As you go inverted you’ll need ease off the rudder and push forward on stick to keep the nose up.

Learning about aerodynamics is a must.īut basically as you start to roll, let’s say to the right, the nose will start to drop, so you add a little left rudder to keep the nose up. See casuals post for more info, explains it well.įor your slow roll it takes practice, practice and more practice.