The Herbst maneuver is an air combat maneuver which uses post-stall technology such as thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine or motor in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle....

 and advanced flight controls to achieve high angles of attack

Angle of attack

Angle of attack is a term used in fluid dynamics to describe the angle between a reference line on a lifting body and the vector representing the relative motion between the lifting body and the fluid through which it is moving...

. The Herbst maneuver allows an aircraft to quickly reverse direction using a combination of high angle-of-attack and rolling

Flight dynamics

Flight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...

. Though categorized with Pugachev's Cobra

Pugachev's Cobra

In aerobatics, Pugachev's Cobra is a dramatic and demanding manoeuvre in which a plane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises the nose momentarily to the vertical position and slightly beyond, before dropping it back to normal flight. It uses a potent engine thrust to maintain approximately...

, which is popular at airshow

Airshow

An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....

s, the Herbst maneuver is considered more useful in combat.

The Herbst maneuver was named after Dr. Wolfgang Herbst, an employee of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm

Messerschmitt

Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...

 (MBB). Herbst was the initiator of the Rockwell SNAKE, which formed the basis for the Rockwell-MBB X-31

Rockwell-MBB X-31

|-See also:-References:*Jenkins, Dennis R., Tony Landis, and Jay Miller. . NASA, June 2003.*USAF & NATO Report RTO-TR-015 AC/323//TP-1 .-External links:* * * *...

project, and one of the original developers of post-stall technology. The Herbst maneuver was first performed by a X-31 on April 29, 1993.

External links

• "X-31 in flight, Herbst maneuver." (NASA video)
• "X-31 Demonstrating High Angle of Attack - Herbst Maneuver." (NASA photo)
• USAF & NATO Report RTO-TR-015 AC/323/(HFM-015)/TP-1 (2001)