Newsgroups: sci.military
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!cbnews!military
From: cga66@ihlpy.att.com (Patrick V Kauffold)
Subject: VIFF (was  The Snakebite/Pougachev's Cobra)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 90 03:39:33 GMT
Approved: military@att.att.com
Message-ID: <1990Oct19.033933.16625@cbnews.att.com>
References: <1990Oct15.033716.12587@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military-request@att.att.com
Lines: 36



From: cga66@ihlpy.att.com (Patrick V Kauffold)
>From article <1990Oct15.033716.12587@cbnews.att.com>, by paj <paj@gec-mrc.co.uk>:
> I saw this manouver done on the Soviet Su-27 Flanker on TV during the
> Farnborough Airshow.  Does it have any practical use, or is it just a
> neat display exercise (like the Harrier's bow)?
> 
> I imagine that it would cause rapid deceleration (causing the bogie to
> fly past into your sights) and might hide the engine well enough to
> lose any heat-seekers.  Even exhaust-seeking IR missiles might nip
> past under the tail since the exhaust jet no longer has the plane
> beyond it.
> 
> Paul.

Some news sources reported that the British used the VIFF maneuver
(Vectoring In Forward Flight) during the Falklands party, but I can't
remember reading any authoritative reports of results.

Supposedly, this was considered for use with the earlier AIM-9 models
which had to be fired from behind the target.  At deployment, the 
Brits had only the earlier Sidewinders (but were later armed with
AIM-9L).  It was supposed to work like this:

Harrier ahead, with a bandit on his tail.  In level flight, Harrier
pilot rotates the exhaust nozzles to full down (or just past to reverse)
position, resulting in a sudden loss of forward speed plus a rapid gain
in altitude.  The pursuing bandit overtakes and flies past (and under)
the Harrier, which quickly goes back to forward thrust and puts the
AIM-9 up the tailpipe.

Anyway, the Brits thought it had practical value.

Pat Kauffold