Thunderbird Fighter Pilot Reacts to Top Gun Maverick Dogfight SU-57 vs F-14 DCS

About this video

Max, a former F-15E combat pilot and F-16 Thunderbirds demonstration pilot, analyzes a DCS simulation recreating the Top Gun: Maverick dogfight between an F-14 and a Su-57. Max explains that the Su-57’s thrust vectoring allows it to essentially stop in mid-air like an Osprey, giving it a significant advantage in close combat that would be extremely difficult for an F-14 to counter. He suggests that the F-14’s only realistic chances would be getting the first shot to disable an engine, exploiting the Su-57’s poor rearward visibility, flying extremely low using terrain masking, or possibly even a mid-air collision to damage the enemy aircraft.

Key takeaways

• Max argues that the Su-57’s thrust vectoring capability allows it to stop in mid-air and rotate quickly, giving it an overwhelming advantage against fourth-generation fighters like the F-14 in close-range dogfights
• Max suggests the F-14’s best defensive strategies would be getting low to use terrain masking, exploiting the Su-57’s poor rearward visibility, or disabling one of its engines with an early gunshot
• Max notes that Russian pilots don’t practice defensive Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) according to his knowledge, as their mindset is to avoid becoming defensive in the first place

Episode details: published September 30, 2022 · 17.8K views · 12:29 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The analysis and commentary described are Max Afterburner’s, attributed to him — his channel includes hypothetical-scenario and news-react content, which is presented as his analysis, not established fact.

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