Western fighter pilots are not fwits and they train for such things and how to reacte or do what is appropriate in the circumstances when some clown in front being gunned or missiled does Pugachev in his/her pants. This is a direct quote from a former A4G pilot gone to SHARs [Sea Harrier] where not even VIFFing was done. Why? Because everyone knows about it and has a counter for it if they see it.

The writer’s opinion about Pugachev’s Cobra maneuver is the conventional one, but, according to one of Defense Review’s professional contacts, it’s inaccurate. The accompanying image (on right) is a graphical demonstration brief of how the Cobra maneuver can be used to shoot down the opposition in a dogfight (air-to-air combat). Click on it to enlarge it and view it properly. You’ll see it graphically demonstrates the following sequence:

1) Russian fighter pilot identifies target fighter aircraft location and speed. 2) Pilot gets a radar lock on target aircraft using the helmet sight cursor. 3) On flight/fire control command, pilot begins Cobra maneuver while IRS&T (Infrared Search & Track) continues to track the target aircraft. 4) Pilot launches air-to-air missile “over the shoulder”. The missile “knows” the expected target aircraft track. 5) The pilot pitches his fighter aircraft down and continues on mission while the missile intercepts the target fighter aicraft.