5 videos that show how the F-22 Raptor is an awesome dogfighting machine
SUMMARY
The F-22 Raptor is a maneuverable fighter.
Here are some videos of the F-22 Raptor demonstrating what it can do
1. Near-vertical climb immediately after a ridiculously short takeoff
The F-22 show starts as soon as the jet leaves the ground. Following a short takeoff the airplane goes straight into the vertical.
BONUS: Flashing the crowd
It's not an advanced maneuver, but the F-22 generally uses it's first or second pass along the show line to "flash" the crowd, opening its weapon bay doors to let the crowd see where the missiles and bombs are carried.
2. J-Turn (Herbst maneuver)
The J-Turn is a way of slowing down fast by putting the jet into a controlled stall. The maneuver requires vectored thrust for the pilot to control the pitch of the plane after it stalls. A NASA graphic explains the maneuver step-by-step.
3. Mongo flip
The mongo flip is basically a glorified backflip. Air show aficionados may notice it's similarity to a "Kulbit maneuver." The Kulbit is basically the same except the Kulbit is using inertia, gravity, and the flow of air to tumble the plane while the Mongo is a flip controlled by vectored thrust from the F-22s engines. The Mongo Flip is tighter than the Kulbit due to this extra control. If you can't tell exactly what's going on in the mongo flip, check out this newspaper graphic that illustrates the mongo flip and the cobra, shown below.
4. Cobra maneuver
The Cobra Maneuver is a classic air combat move made even more effective by the Raptor's vectored thrust. A pilot being pursued would draw the enemy in close, execute the Cobra and spit the bandit out in front of him, kind of like Maverick's move in 'Top Gun'. The F-22 Raptor is capable of executing the maneuver to 140 degrees, nearly laying on its back, but always in control courtesy of vectored thrust.
5. Here's the full show . . .
This video shows a full demonstration of the F-22, showing how demo pilot puts everything together.
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