A Spanish pilot explains the anti-G suit that is used in all combat aircraft

@DefAviation ES 7·19·2023 · 6:04 0

Fighters are aircraft capable of carrying out very abrupt maneuvers in the closest air combat, also called "dog fights".

The complex start up process of a Spanish EF-18M Hornet fighter seen from very close
A Spanish Air Force mechanic explains the red ribbons of 'Remove before flight'

Obviously, in this type of combat the most sensitive part of the plane is the pilot, since it can withstand forces of up to 9G in positive vertical acceleration (the one that occurs when raising the plane), which under normal conditions causes blood flow to drop from head to toe. Due to lack of blood supply to the brain, the pilot can have blurred vision and even lose consciousness.

To prevent this, fighter pilots wear an anti-gravity suit, also known as an anti-G suit or vest. This swells in the legs and even the torso (depending on the model) to prevent the head from losing blood supply. The Spanish Ministry of Defense published an interesting video yesterday in which Commander Martínez Álvarez, head of the 111 Squadron of the 11th Wing of the Air Force, explains how this suit works and shows us how it is, specifically, the anti-gravity suit worn by the Eurofighter Typhoon pilots (the video is in Spanish, you can activate the automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):