Most maneuverable military jet?

Jack Johnson

New Member
I once saw a very impressive show by an SU-37 "Terminator" on the ILA in Germany. I know the SU-37 has been cancelled, however its vectore engines are also featured in the SU-35BM (At least thats what I heard)

So is the SU-35BM just as maneuverable as the SU-37? Are there any even more agile jets that posses the ability to emlploy weapons?
 

Kilo 2-3

New Member
Keep in mind that agility is not the only critical factor in a modern fighter aircraft. With the growth of long-range air-to-air weapons and comprehensive long-range sensor systems such as AESA, BVR combat will likely continue to dominate much of the aerial combat in coming wars.

Now, the dogfight is by no means dead. The capability to down an enemy at visual range is a skill fighter pilots across the world continue to hone. However, the ability to fire weapons like the AIM-132 ASRAAM or the AIM-9X at extreme "off boresight," angles will change the ways dogfights are fought.

RAAF tests with the ASRAAM have proved that the missile can engage a target directly behind the firing platform in testing conditions. Simply maneuvering out of your opponents boresight is no longer a guarantee of safety...

Plus, any pilot who does attempt a tail-sliding "cobra" maneuver burns vital kinetic energy, leaving him slow, and vulnerable for another enemy pilot to pick off.

If you ask, me, "which is the most maneuverable military jet?" is something of a moot point.

The real question is a holistic one: "which is the most effective fighter jet?" And that is a question we will never answer...

EDIT: Scorpion82, you are right, JackJohnson did not ask a question regarding effectiveness and I did get ahead of myself in responding to him. Usually such questions stray into "vs." discussions or other conversations which do not always reflect the multi-faceted nature of aerial warfare

However, this may not have been his intention, and I feel that I may have passed judgment on his question too soon. My apologies for any problems I may have caused.
 
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Scorpion82

New Member
Kilo,
that guy just asked about manoeuvrability and made no attempt to any comparison of overall effectiveness or combat performance.

@Jack Johnson,
TVC equipped aircraft are particularly manoeuvrable at slow speeds. TVC equipped fighters in service include the Su-30MKI/MKA/MKM and F-22A. There were some TVC equipped demonstrators as well such as the X-31, F/A-18 HARV, MiG-29OVT and others. Like the Su-37 the latter were all demonstrators.
The Su-35 might in fact exceed the manoevrability of the Su-35 mainly due its lower weight and stronger engines. The F-22 is also quite manoeuvrable, thrust is very important and can make the difference.
 
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dragonfire

New Member
Kilo,

@Jack Johnson,
TVC equipped aircraft are particularly manoeuvrable at slow speeds. TVC equipped fighters in service include the Su-30MK/MKA/MKM and F-22A. There were some TVC equipped demonstrators as well such as the X-31, F/A-18 HARV, MiG-29OVT and others. Like the Su-37 the latter were all demonstrators.
I hope you meant the Su-30 MKI as well there :)

@Jack Johnson
The Eurofighter Typhoon is also supposed to be very manoeuvrable as well
As far as manoeuvrability is concerned Fighters equipped with TVCapable engines will rule the roost amongst jet fighters, you can also check in on smaller jets and trainer jets used for air shows and races, they could have an advantage over the heavier fighters in smaller air spaces

The Su-35 might in fact exceed the manoevrability of the Su-35 mainly due its lower weight and stronger engines. The F-22 is also quite manoeuvrable, thrust is very important and can make the difference.
.

err.. you are comparing the Su-35's weight to Su-35 itself :confused:
 

Spetsznaz

New Member
Uh, hard questions, its going to have to be either the Sukhoi 37 or 47, forward swept wings provide excellent maneuverability

Also the X-29
 

Jack Johnson

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7
@Kilo 2-3: Yeah, I didnt meant its combat perfomance, I was just impressed by the agility of the SU-37 and wondered if there where any military jets out there that could even top that

The Su-35 might in fact exceed the manoevrability of the Su-35 mainly due its lower weight and stronger engines. .
.
You meant the SU-35 might exceed the manoevrability of the Su-37 right....?
 

B3LA

Banned Member
With a sports car it is possible to grade the agility/performance on a specific
model by setting up a course and measure the lap time.
The course should include parts of acceleration, breaking, tight turns et cetera.
Can the same method be applied on a fighter jet?
Can a theoretical value be estimated from known flight data?
 

BrassBalls2007

New Member
a Good Eg.

Keep in mind that agility is not the only critical factor in a modern fighter aircraft. With the growth of long-range air-to-air weapons and comprehensive long-range sensor systems such as AESA, BVR combat will likely continue to dominate much of the aerial combat in coming wars.

Now, the dogfight is by no means dead. The capability to down an enemy at visual range is a skill fighter pilots across the world continue to hone. However, the ability to fire weapons like the AIM-132 ASRAAM or the AIM-9X at extreme "off boresight," angles will change the ways dogfights are fought.

RAAF tests with the ASRAAM have proved that the missile can engage a target directly behind the firing platform in testing conditions. Simply maneuvering out of your opponents boresight is no longer a guarantee of safety...

Plus, any pilot who does attempt a tail-sliding "cobra" maneuver burns vital kinetic energy, leaving him slow, and vulnerable for another enemy pilot to pick off.

If you ask, me, "which is the most maneuverable military jet?" is something of a moot point.

The real question is a holistic one: "which is the most effective fighter jet?" And that is a question we will never answer...

EDIT: Scorpion82, you are right, JackJohnson did not ask a question regarding effectiveness and I did get ahead of myself in responding to him. Usually such questions stray into "vs." discussions or other conversations which do not always reflect the multi-faceted nature of aerial warfare

However, this may not have been his intention, and I feel that I may have passed judgment on his question too soon. My apologies for any problems I may have caused.
D 1st gulf war is a gd e.g. of Maneuverability vs BVR combat & ccs(command & control systems). It's true, multiple factors play a role in winnin.
 

Scorpion82

New Member
.
You meant the SU-35 might exceed the manoevrability of the Su-37 right....?
Correct, due its reportedly lower weight, 2.5 D TVC and stronger engines the Su-35 poses a better thrust/weight, thrust/drag ration and lower wing loading which is going to help increase its manoeuvrability. I suppose you saw the Su-37 back in 1998 at the ILA?
 

Jack Johnson

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
Correct, due its reportedly lower weight, 2.5 D TVC and stronger engines the Su-35 poses a better thrust/weight, thrust/drag ration and lower wing loading which is going to help increase its manoeuvrability. I suppose you saw the Su-37 back in 1998 at the ILA?
Yes indeed. That plane did some serious "SciFi"-looking stuff, looking at its manoeuvres gave you the impression it had some sort oft anti-grav generator straight from the Enterprise:D

At one point it literally "strafed" on its engines, relying solely on the thrust to stay airborne.
 

Scorpion82

New Member
I know I was there as well ;)
One of its main landing gear tires blew up on landing, I made a couple of photos when the aircraft was towed back through the crowd.
 
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