The "Kulbit" (also known as the "Frolov chakra") is an

aerial maneuver Aerobatic maneuvers are flight paths putting aircraft in unusual attitudes, in air shows, dogfights or competition aerobatics. Aerobatics can be performed by a single aircraft or in formation with several others. Nearly all aircraft are capab ...

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n pilots in which the aircraft performs an extremely tight loop, often not much wider than the length of the aircraft itself. It differs from the traditional inside loop as it uses

post-stall In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', p. 486. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. This occurs when th ...

maneuvering capabilities, a type of supermaneuverability. Like most post-stall maneuvers, it demonstrates pitch control outside the normal flight envelope wherein pitch control is made possible by having aerodynamic flow over the aircraft's

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stabilator A stabilator is a fully movable aircraft horizontal stabilizer. It serves the usual functions of longitudinal stability, control and stick force requirements otherwise performed by the separate parts of a conventional horizontal stabilizer and e ...

s. The name "Kulbit" is derived from the Russian Кульбит, meaning " somersault". The alternate name, "Frolov's Chakra", refers to Russian test pilot Yevgeni Frolov, the pilot who first carried out the maneuver, while "

chakra Chakras (, ; sa , text=चक्र , translit=cakra , translit-std=IAST , lit=wheel, circle; pi, cakka) are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, or the esoteric or ...

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yogic Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

term, meaning "vortex" or "whirlpool". The Kulbit drastically decreases the aircraft's speed and could theoretically be used to cause a pursuing aircraft to overshoot its target. The maneuver is closely related to the famous " Pugachev's Cobra" maneuver, but the Kulbit completes the loop that the Cobra almost immediately cuts off.

Aircraft known to be able to execute the "Kulbit"

The following aircraft are currently known to be able to execute the "Kulbit": * MiG-29OVTDouble Kulbit by MiG-29OVT
/ref> * Sukhoi Su-30 * Sukhoi Su-35 * Sukhoi Su-37Kulbit by SU-37
/ref> * Su-47 Berkut * Sukhoi Su-57 *

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...

Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine
F-22 Raptor Kulbit video
/ref> All have performed the Kulbit in airshow displays in the past.

References

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071107080830/http://www.electronicaviation.com/video/download/23/file Video showing the Su-30MKI Flanker showing off its Thrust Vectoring and doing a Cobra and a Kulbit {{Aerobatics Aerial maneuvers