[Ol' Dan Tucker]

With its two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines vectoring their 35,000lb of afterburning thrust through +/-20º as an integral part of the flight-control system, the F-22 proves itself to be surprisingly agile, performing helicopter turns, tailsides and backflips.

My, how times change.

When Sukhoi put TVN on their fighters, all the US fighter-jocks pooh-poohed it as unnecessary in a dogfight and how they'd love to have a Flanker try a cobra or other 3D manuever during combat.

Now that the F-22 has TVN, it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[doorgunner69]

Remember the older Sukhoi Flankers did it without vectored thrust. It was a crazy maneuver that required them to override the flight control system. For them, it was more of a stunt. It is the newer Sukhoi's that have vectored thrust.

Kirkwood, the lack of vectored exhaust nozzles is why the Russian planes look a bit sloppy, and with the flight control system bypassed, the pilot got no help with stability issues, had to do it seat-of-the-pants.