Pugachev's Cobra

The Pugachev's Cobra is a flight maneuver commonly associated with the Su-27 Flanker aircraft family, and is a prime example of aircraft supermaneuverability. It is named so after Viktor Pugachyov (also romanized as Pugachev), a test pilot for the Sukhoi OKB who first performed the maneuver during the Paris Le Bourget airshow in 1989.

Ace Combat
In gameplay, the Pugachev's Cobra is commonly employed by Sukhoi-flying hostiles, including certain exceptions.

Air Combat
In Air Combat, enemy Su-27s were able to mislead the player's aim with Pugachev's Cobras.

Ace Combat 2
In Ace Combat 2, the Z.O.E. Commander in Fighter's Honor is capable of performing Pugachevs.

ACE COMBAT 04
The Pugachev's Cobra's most famous iteration, it is famously used by the Yellow Squadron. During the player's first Yellow encounter in Lifeline, the enemy aircraft will perform a Pugachev to escape from the player should they chase a Terminator too closely.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Assault Horizon marks the point where the Pugachev's Cobra becomes an actual battle maneuver. During the game's various fighter jet pursuit sequences, enemy Flankers will Cobra behind the player in an attempt to shoot them down-- due to the speed at which the game runs, scoring hits on stalled aircraft is virtually impossible. Players are able to counter pursuing Flankers.