Supermaneuverability

In modern air combat, science and engineering, coupled with new technologies have strongly influenced the capabilities of fighter aircraft. These aircraft are faster, deadlier, more advanced, and more maneuverable than ever before. However, one intriguing concept has revolutionized dogfighting and modern air combat. The concept of supermaneuverability. 

Supermaneuverability is defined by the United States Defence Technical Information Center (DTIC) as “the capability of a fighter aircraft to execute tactical maneuvers with controlled side slipping and at angles of attack beyond maximum lift.” These aircraft can “maintain a high degree of maneuverability below corner velocity, and at least limited attitude control without altitude loss below stall speed. Such an aircraft is capable of maneuvers that are impossible with a purely aerodynamic design.” Explained simply, supermaneuverable aircraft can conduct maneuvers at extremely high angles of attack (the angle at which the chord of an aircraft's wing meets the relative wind), even when at stall speeds, where normal aircraft would experience a loss of lift and would depart flight. 

In order to be supermaneuverable, an aircraft must be designed differently. One of these unique characteristics that supermaneuverable aircraft feature is thrust vectoring. According to NASA, “Some modern fighter aircraft can change the angle of the thrust by using a movable nozzle. The ability to change the angle of the thrust is called thrust vectoring, or vectored 

thrust.” As shown by this free-body diagram from NASA, aircraft with thrust vectoring capabilities can change the angle of their thrust, thus changing the direction of the net force. Supermaneuverable aircraft can use thrust vectoring technology to maintain attitude control and also increase their maneuverability by being able to direct their thrust according to the direction of their maneuvers. Because of these unique capabilities, many of the world’s most powerful dogfighting aircraft, that is aircraft that excel in within-visual range combat against other aircraft, are supermaneuverable. This includes the United States Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 among others. All in all, supermaneuverability allows dogfighting aircraft to be more maneuverable, controllable, and deadlier than ever before.