NationMaster - Encyclopedia: 4th generation jet fighter

Aircraft classified as fourth generation jet fighters are those in service approximately from 1980–2010, representing the design concepts of the 1970s. Fourth generation designs are heavily influenced by lessons learned from the previous generation of combat aircraft. Representative fighters include the "teen" series of American fighters (F-14, F-15, F-16, and F/A-18) and the Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27. The growing costs and the demonstrated success of multi-role aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II gave rise to the popularity of multi-role fighters. Long-range air-to-air missiles, originally thought to make dogfighting obsolete, proved less influential than expected; designers responded with a renewed emphasis on maneuverability. Image File history File links Derived from public domain images featured at: http://commons. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Download high resolution version (2792x1627, 714 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2792x1627, 714 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier-capable strike fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: ) is a fighter aircraft designed for the air superiority role in the Soviet Union. ... Soviet Su-27 in-flight. ... â€œF-4â€ redirects here. ... A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launches an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... This article is about the aerial combat maneuver. ...

The rapid advance of microcomputers in the 1980s and 90s permitted rapid upgrades to the avionics over the lifetimes of these fighters, incorporating system upgrades such as AESA, digital avionics buses, and IRST. Because of the drastic enhancement of capabilities in these upgraded fighters and in new designs of the 1990s that reflected these new capabilities, the designation 4.5th generation is sometimes used to refer to these later designs. It is intended to reflect a class of fighters that are evolutionary upgrades of the 4th generation to incorporate integrated avionics suite, advanced weapons, and elements of stealth technology (but not true stealth).^[1]^[2] The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Note: Sometimes the 90s is used as shorthand for the 1990s, the 1890s, or other such decades in various centuries. ... Avionics is a portmanteau which literally means aviation electronics. ... APAR AESA An Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), also known as active phased array radar is a revolutionary type of radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small transmit/receive (T/R) modules. ... An infra-red search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infra-red sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation such as jet aircraft and helicopters. ... F-117 stealth attack plane Stealth technology is a sub-discipline of electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and other detection methods. ...

A prime example of this generation is the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a growth version of the 1970s Hornet design. While the basic aerodynamic features are largely the same, the Super Hornet features improved avionics in the form of an all-glass cockpit, a solid-state AESA active phased array radar, new engines, the structural use of composite materials to reduce weight, a slightly modified shape to minimize its radar signature, and IRST. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft that entered service in 1999 with the United States Navy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the ultrasonic and medical imaging application, see phased array ultrasonics. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineering materials made from two or more components. ...

4th generation aircraft

Aircraft that entered service

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder, also known as the Fighter China-1 (FC-1) Fierce Dragon [1] in China, is a single-seat multirole fighter aircraft developed by China and Pakistan. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x662, 714 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Fighter aircraft Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x662, 714 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Fighter aircraft Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... Image File history File links Soviet_MiG-29_DF-ST-99-04977. ... Image File history File links Soviet_MiG-29_DF-ST-99-04977. ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: ) is a fighter aircraft designed for the air superiority role in the Soviet Union. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 579 pixelsFull resolution (1081 Ã— 782 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)JF-17 Thunder - First public appearance in Islamabad, on 23rd March 2007, during fly past of National Day Joint Services Parade. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 579 pixelsFull resolution (1081 Ã— 782 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)JF-17 Thunder - First public appearance in Islamabad, on 23rd March 2007, during fly past of National Day Joint Services Parade. ... The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder, also known as the Fighter China-1 (FC-1) Fierce Dragon [1] in China, is a single-seat multirole fighter aircraft developed by China and Pakistan. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Mirage 2000 is a French-built multirole fighter jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: ) is a fighter aircraft designed for the air superiority role in the Soviet Union. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Soviet Su-27 in-flight. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... The Shenyang J-11 is an advanced fighter in the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... This article is about the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighter aircraft. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... British Aerospace (BAe) was a UK aircraft and defence systems manufacturer, now part of BAE Systems. ... April 7th 2003: an AV-8B Harrier Jump Jet takes off from the assault ship USS Nassau, to engage targets over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom The Harrier II is a family of second generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft of the late 20th... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Grumman logo The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2006 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[2]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier-capable strike fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine fighters, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. ... This article is about the military alliance. ...

Cancelled aircraft

Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... The FMA SAIA 90 is an air superiority aircraft designed and planned by the FMA (Fabrica Militar de Aviones) with collaboration of Dornier in the mid 80s, which was the last stage of ACA project, a project started by the Proceso de ReorganizaciÃ³n Nacional for an Argentine fighter... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Chengdu J-9 was a designation assigned to a light air superiority fighter under Project 33 (not to be confused with Mig-33) that never went past initial studies. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... The IAI Lavi (Hebrew: ×œ×‘×™×, Young Lion) was a combat aircraft developed in Israel in the 1980s. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Mirage 4000 was a prototype jet fighter developed by Dassault Aviation as a twin engine version of their Mirage 2000. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland. ... PZL-230 Skorpion, second (F) version. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... The IAR-95 Spey was a Romanian project for a supersonic fighter jet. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_SFR_Yugoslavia. ... Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croatian (spoken throuout the territory), Slovenian, Macedonian, Albanian, Hungarian (all official), and languages of other nationalities. ... The Novi Avion is a 4th-generation, supersonic multirole fighter jet of cropped delta-canard platform, which was designed by Yugoslavia but cancelled just before production began. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Northrop F-20 Tigershark (initially F-5G) was a privately financed fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the USA, starting in 1975 and offered for sale starting in the 1980s and formally ending in the early 1990s. ... The Northrop YF-17 Cobra was a prototype lightweight day fighter aircraft designed for the U.S. Air Forces Light Weight Fighter (LWF) technology evaluation program. ...

4.5th generation

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (880x702, 311 KB) Typhoon T1 ZJ808 of No. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (880x702, 311 KB) Typhoon T1 ZJ808 of No. ... This article is about a fighter aircraft. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Su-35 cockpit The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO designation: Flanker-E) is an advanced fighter aircraft flown by the Russian Air Force. ...

Aircraft that entered service

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... This article is about a fighter aircraft. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The logo of the Dassault Rafale program. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... For the aircraft previously incorrectly known as MiG-35, see Mikoyan Project 1. ... The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO reporting name Flanker-C) is an agile military aircraft developed by Russias Sukhoi Aviation Corporation and introduced into operational service in 1996. ... The Sukhoi Su-33 (NATO reporting name Flanker-D) is a naval military aircraft produced by Russian firm Sukhoi in 1982 for aircraft carriers. ... Su-35 cockpit The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO designation: Flanker-E) is an advanced fighter aircraft flown by the Russian Air Force. ... The Sukhoi Su-37 (NATO designation: Flanker-F) is a Russian multi-role jet fighter aircraft. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... For the manufacturer of Saab cars, see Saab Automobile. ... The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin or Gryphon) is a fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft that entered service in 1999 with the United States Navy. ... The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle is an American-built all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-15E Strike Eagle is a modern United States all-weather strike fighter, designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter The F-2 is a Japanese-American fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with a 60/40 split in manufacturing between Japan and the USA. General Electric (Engine), Kawasaki, Honeywell, Raytheon... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... The Chengdu J-10 (æ¼å, JiÄn 10) is a multirole fighter aircraft designed and produced by the Peoples Republic of Chinas Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) for the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... The Sukhoi Su-30MKK[1] is a modification of the Su-27 SK manufactured since 1999 by KNAAPO, JSC. It is considered an upgraded version of Sukhoi Su-30. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, (Modernised-Commercial-Indiski), is the variant of the Sukhoi Su-30. ...

Cancelled aircraft

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... F-16XL in flight The F-16XL is a derivative of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, with a cranked arrow delta wing that is over twice the size of that of the F-16. ...

5th generation aircraft

Download high resolution version (1200x943, 171 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1200x943, 171 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... Image File history File links S-37_in_flight1_jno_rvb. ... Image File history File links S-37_in_flight1_jno_rvb. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

In service

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ...

Scheduled to enter active service

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. ... The Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) is the official designation of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence used for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... The PAK FA (or PAK-FA), also known as the Sukhoi Su-50 is a fifth-generation fighter jet which is being developed by Russia. ...

Technology demonstrators

* Built, flown and tested (one unit only) - but design not selected for active service

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 was a prototype fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force. ... The Boeing X-32 was a multi-purpose jet fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter contest. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Mikoyan Project 1. ...

In development

The American F-22 Raptor, put into service in 2004, is often regarded^{[citation needed]} as the first of a new generation of fighters, termed the fifth generation. One of the key design differences between the F-22 and preceding designs is an emphasis on stealth. The in-development F-35 Lightning II (formerly Joint Strike Fighter) has also been designed for stealth, and the F-22 has influenced^{[citation needed]} the continued development of the 4th generation designs, and the shape of design work for other countries' long-term fighter development projects (for instance, the Russian PAK FA). Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... According to the reports of the Janes Defence Weekly, China has already launched its next generation stealth aircraft fighter programme, and Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... The KFX is South Koreas project to develop an indigenous fighter aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The ATD-X Shinnshinn is Japans aircraft which is being developed by Ministry of Defense (Japan) Technical Research and Development Institute for research. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... B-2 Spirit stealth bomber of the U.S Air Force. ... The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Design considerations

Performance

Performance has traditionally been one of the most important design characteristics, as it enables a fighter to gain a favourable position to use its weapons while rendering the enemy unable to use theirs. This can occur at long range (beyond visual range or BVR) or short range (within visual range or WVR). At short range, the ideal position is to the rear of the enemy aircraft, where it is unable to aim or fire weapons and the hot exhaust makes a good target for IR-guided missiles. At long range, while optimal positions are not so clear, it is nonetheless an advantage to intercept enemy aircraft before they reach their targets.

These two scenarios have competing demands — interception requires excellent linear speed, while WVR engagements require excellent turn rate and acceleration. Prior to the 1970s, a popular view in the defence community was that missiles would render WVR combat obsolete and hence maneuverability useless. Combat experience proved this untrue due to the poor quality of missiles and the recurring need to identify targets visually. Though improvements in missile technology may make that vision a reality, experience has indicated that sensors are not foolproof and that fighters will still need to be able to fight and maneuver at close ranges. So whereas the premier third-generation jet fighters (e.g., the F-4 and MiG-23) were designed as interceptors with a secondary emphasis on maneuverability, interceptors have been relegated to a secondary role in the fourth generation, with a renewed emphasis on maneuverability. â€œF-4â€ redirects here. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: ; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable geometry, swept-wing fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. ...

There are two primary contributing factors to maneuverability — the amount of power delivered by the engines, and the ability of the aircraft's control surfaces to translate that power into changes in direction. Air combat maneuvering (ACM) involves a great deal of energy management, where energy is roughly the sum of altitude and airspeed. The greater energy a fighter has, the more flexibility it has to move where it wants. An aircraft with little energy is immobile, and a defenceless target. Note that power does not necessarily equal speed; while more power gives greater acceleration, the maximum speed of an aircraft is determined by how much drag it produces. Herein lies the trade-off. Low-drag configurations have small, stubby, highly swept wings that disrupt the airflow as little as possible. However, that also means they have greatly reduced ability to alter the airflow to maneuver the aircraft. Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) is the art of maneuvering a combat aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. ...

There are two rough indicators of these factors. A plane's turning ability can be roughly measured by its wing loading, defined as the mass of the aircraft divided by the area of its lifting surfaces. A highly loaded wing has little capacity to produce additional lift, and so has limited turning ability, whereas a lightly loaded wing has much greater potential lifting power. A rough measure of acceleration is a plane's thrust-to-weight ratio. Thrust-to-weight ratio (where weight means weight at the Earths surface) is a dimensionless parameter characteristic of rocket and jet engines, and of vehicles propelled by such engines (typically space launch vehicles and jet aircraft). ...

Thrust vectoring

Thrust vectoring is a new technology being introduced to further enhance a fighter's turning ability. By redirecting the jet exhaust, it is possible to directly translate the engine's power into directional changes, more efficiently than via the plane's control surfaces. The technology has been fitted to the Mikoyan MiG-35, Sukhoi Su-30MKI and later derivatives, and F-22 Raptor. The U.S. explored fitting the technology to the F-16 and the F-15, but only introduced it on the F-22 Raptor. There is some indication that the J-10 and Typhoon may eventually be refitted with thrust vectoring. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1232 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 4th generation jet fighter Mikoyan MiG-35 Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1232 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 4th generation jet fighter Mikoyan MiG-35 Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... The Mikoyan Project 1. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the aircraft previously incorrectly known as MiG-35, see Mikoyan Project 1. ... Sukhoi Su-30 MKI (NATO reporting name Flanker-H)[1] is a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, jointly-developed by Russias Sukhoi Corporation and Indias Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15S/MTD (Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator) is a modified variant of the F-15 Eagle, developed as a technology demonstrator, the F-15S/MTD carried out research for studying the effects of vectored thrust and enchanced maneuverability. ...

Supercruise

Supercruise is the ability of aircraft to cruise efficiently at supersonic speeds without the afterburner. Because of parasitic drag effects, fighters carrying external weapons stores encounter excessive drag near the speed of sound, making it impossible or prohibitively fuel-consuming to break the sound barrier. Though fighters easily break Mach 1 and 2 in clean configurations on afterburner, and the English Electric Lightning was able to break Mach 1 without the use of afterburner, these were academic exercises as they were not carrying combat loads. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The English Electric Lightning (later the BAC Lightning) was a supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, particularly remembered for its great speed and natural metal exterior. ...

With improvements to engine power output and careful aeronautical design of weapons stores, it is now possible for fighters to supercruise with combat loads. The Typhoon and the F-22 are the only modern fighters with this ability. Dassault claims the Rafale to be able to supercruise but this claim has yet to be demonstrated. The F-22 can supercruise at Mach 1.5+. The Typhoon is believed to have supercruise ability just above Mach 1.

Avionics

Avionics is a catch-all phrase for the electronic systems aboard an aircraft, which have been growing in complexity and importance. The main elements of an aircraft's avionics are its sensors (Radar and IR sensors), computers and data bus, and user interface. Because they can be readily swapped out as new technologies become available, they are often upgraded over the lifetime of an aircraft. Details about these systems are highly protected. Since many export aircraft have downgraded avionics, many buyers substitute domestically developed avionics, (sometimes considered superior to the original). For example, the Sukhoi Su-30MKI sold to India, the F-15I and F-16I sold to Israel, and the F-15K sold to South Korea. Sukhoi Su-30 MKI (NATO reporting name Flanker-H)[1] is a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, jointly-developed by Russias Sukhoi Corporation and Indias Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... The F-15E Strike Eagle is a modern United States all-weather strike fighter, designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines. ...

The primary sensor for all modern fighters is radar. The U.S. pioneered the use of solid-state AESA radars,^{[citation needed]} which have no moving parts and are capable of projecting a much tighter beam and quicker scans. It is fitted to F-15C, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the block 60 (export) F-16, and will be used for all future American fighters. A European coalition GTDAR is developing an AESA radar for use on the Typhoon and Rafale, Russia has an AESA radar on MIG-35 and the newest SU-27 versions. For the next generation F-22 and F-35, the U.S. will utilize Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) capacity. This will spread the energy of a radar pulse over several frequencies, so as not to trip the radar warning receivers that all aircraft carry. For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... An Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) is a type of radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small transmission/reception modules that each scan a small fixed area, negating the need for a moving antenna. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft that entered service in 1999 with the United States Navy. ... GTDAR is a European consortium for the development of the AMSAR Active Electronically Scanned Array. ... A low probabililty of intercept radar has the characteristic that it is unlikely to be detected by passive radar detection equipment (such as a radar warning receiver - RWR) while it is searching for or tracking a target. ... Typically fitted to military aircraft, radar warning receivers (RWR) detect the radio emmissions of radar systems, whether ground-based or on-board other aircraft. ...

In reaction to the increasing American emphasis on radar-evading stealth designs, the Soviet Union turned to alternate sensors. This drove them to emphasize infra-red search and track (IRST) sensors, first introduced on the American F-101 Voodoo and F-102 Delta Dagger fighters in the 1960s, for detection and tracking of airborne targets. These are essentially a TV camera in the IR wavelength, passively measuring the emitted IR radiation from targets. However, as a passive sensor it has limited range, and contains no inherent data about position and direction of targets - these must be inferred from the images captured. To offset this, IRST systems can incorporate laser range-finders in order to provide full fire-control solutions for cannon fire or launching missiles. German Mig-29 using helmet-displayed IRST systems were able to acquire a missile lock with greater efficiency than USAF F-16 in wargame exercises. IRST sensors have now become standard on Russian aircraft. With the exception of the F-14D (officially retired as of September 2006), no 4th generation Western fighters carry built-in IRST sensors for air-to-air detection, though the similar FLIR is often used to acquire ground targets. The next-generation Eurofighter Typhoon (beginning with Tranche 1 Block 5 aircraft,^[6] while previously build aircraft are being retrofited since spring 2007^[7]), F-22 and F-35 will all have built-in IRST sensors. Begining in 2012 the Super Hornet will also have an IRST.^[8] An infra-red search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infra-red sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation such as jet aircraft and helicopters. ... The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military aircraft flown by the USAF and the RCAF. Initially designed as a long-range bomber escort (known as a penetration fighter) for the Strategic Air Command, the Voodoo served in a variety of other roles, including the fighter bomber, all-weather... The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger fighter aircraft was part of the backbone of the United States air defenses in the late 1950s. ... A laser range-finder is a device which uses a laser beam in order to determine the distance to a reflective object. ... A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is a Russian fighter aircraft used in the air superiority role. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ... A forward looking infrared (FLIR) system is a television camera that takes pictures in infrared. ... The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta fighter aircraft, very similar to the US-German Rockwell-MBB X-31 prototype and designed and built by a consortium of European nations formed in 1983. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a military fighter aircraft designed by the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

The tactical implications of the computing and data bus capabilities of aircraft are hard to determine. A more sophisticated computer bus would allow more flexible uses of the existing avionics. For example, it is speculated that the F-22 is able to jam or damage enemy electronics with a focused application of its radar. A computing feature of significant tactical importance is the datalink. All of the modern European and American aircraft are capable of sharing targeting data with allied fighters and from AWACS planes (see JTIDS). The Russian MiG-31 interceptor also has some datalink capability, so it is reasonable to assume that other Russian planes can also do so. The sharing of targeting and sensor data allows pilots to put radiating, highly visible sensors further from enemy forces, while using that data to vector silent fighters toward the enemy. The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) is an L-band TDMA network radio system used by the United States armed forces and their allies to support data communications needs, principally in the air and missile defense community. ... Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound The Mikoyan MiG-31 (NATO reporting name Foxhound) is a high-speed interceptor developed to replace the MiG-25. ...

Cost

The per unit cost is difficult to accurately determine, as the amortization of a large development cost over a varying number of units produced can greatly vary the price. Moreover, the purchase price does not reflect lifetime costs of maintenance, parts, and training. A useful guide to costs come from export prices, which are widely reported, and represent a mix of the marginal cost of production plus some recouperation of development costs.

The logo of the Dassault Rafale program. ... This article is about a fighter aircraft. ... Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 Fighter The F-2 is a Japanese-American fighter aircraft manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with a 60/40 split in manufacturing between Japan and the USA. General Electric (Engine), Kawasaki, Honeywell, Raytheon... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is a Russian fighter aircraft used in the air superiority role. ... For the aircraft previously incorrectly known as MiG-35, see Mikoyan Project 1. ... Soviet Su-27 in-flight. ... The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO reporting name Flanker-C) is an agile military aircraft developed by Russias Sukhoi Aviation Corporation and introduced into operational service in 1996. ... Sukhoi Su-30 MKI (NATO reporting name Flanker-H)[1] is a variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, jointly-developed by Russias Sukhoi Corporation and Indias Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force. ... The HAL Tejas (Sanskrit: : Radiant) is an advanced, lightweight, supersonic multirole fighter aircraft being developed by India. ... The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder, also known as the Fighter China-1 (FC-1) Fierce Dragon [1] in China, is a single-seat multirole fighter aircraft developed by China and Pakistan. ... The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin or Gryphon) is a fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. ... The AIDC Ching-kuo (經國), also known as the Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF), is a military aircraft produced by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation based in Taichung for the Republic of China Air Force in 1994 along the same general lines as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. ... The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a carrier-based fighter/attack aircraft that entered service in 1999 with the United States Navy. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. ...

Maintenance demands

As militaries make growing use of Operations Research and other management techniques from the corporate world to examine the effectiveness of hardware, a growing emphasis is being placed on maintenance and reliability. A prime example of this is the F/A-18 Hornet. While unimpressive on paper compared to its contemporaries, it incorporated a low-maintenance design. As a result, its mean time between failure is three times greater than any other Navy strike aircraft, and requires half the maintenance time. These greatly elevated its sortie rate and made it more effective than aircraft that were superior in a 1 on 1 comparison but which were more often than not unavailable to fight. The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier-capable strike fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. ...

Also the Gripen has an incredibly low maintenance cost,^{[citation needed]} partly because 5-10 'maintenance men' can re-arm it in 10 minutes, and it can use virtually anything flat and 400 meters long as a runway. Some have speculated that a Gripen squadron could be sent on a long range mission, and while it is gone a runway could be built where there was wilderness before, which, conceptually, could almost double its range.

Stealth technology

Stealth technology is an extension of the notion of visual camouflage to modern radar and IR detection sensors. While not rendering an aircraft "invisible" as is popularly conceived, stealth makes an aircraft much more difficult to discern from the sky, clouds, or distant aircraft, conferring a significant tactical advantage. While the basic principles of shaping aircraft to avoid detection were known at least since the 1960's, it was not until the availability of supercomputers that shape computations could be performed from every angle, a complex task. The use of computer-aided shaping, combined with radar-absorbent materials, produced aircraft of drastically reduced radar cross section (RCS) and were much more difficult to detect on radar. F-117 stealth attack plane Stealth technology is a sub-discipline of electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and other detection methods. ...

During the 1970's, the rudimentary level of stealth shaping (as seen in the faceted design of the F-117 Nighthawk) resulted in too severe a performance penalty to be used on fighters. Faster computers enabled smoother designs such as the B-2 Spirit, and thought was given to applying the basic ideas to decrease, if not drastically reduce, the RCS of fighter aircraft. These techniques are also combined with methods of decreasing the IR, visual, and aural signature of the aircraft. This article is about the stealth fighter. ... The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth heavy bomber, capable of deploying both conventional and nuclear weapons. ...

Recent American fighter aircraft development has focused on stealth, and the recently deployed F-22 is the first fighter designed from the ground up with a consideration for stealth. However, the stealthiness of the F-22 from angles other than head-on is not clear. The F-35 incorporates the same degree of stealth shaping, although its exposed rear turbine blades render it significantly less stealthy from the rear (the thrust vectoring nozzles of the F-22 also serve to conceal the turbine blades).^{[citation needed]} Several late 4.5th generation fighters have been given stealth shaping and other refinements to reduce their RCS, including the Super Hornet, Typhoon, and Rafale.

There are some reports that the Rafale’s avionics, the Thales Spectra, includes "stealthy" radar jamming technology, a radar cancellation systems analogous to the acoustic noise suppression systems on the De Havilland Canada Dash 8. Conventional jammers make locating an aircraft more difficult, but their operation is itself detectable; the French system is hypothesised to interfere with detection without revealing that jamming is in operation. In effect, such a system could potentially offer stealth advantages similar in effect to, but likely less effective than, the F-22 and F-35. However, it is unclear how effective the system is, or even whether it is fully operational yet. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2331x1800, 376 KB) Description : A Lockheed F-35 in flying Photographer : US Air Force http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2331x1800, 376 KB) Description : A Lockheed F-35 in flying Photographer : US Air Force http://www. ... The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... The Thales SPECTRA (SystÃ¨me de Protection et dÃ‰vitement des Conduites de Tir du Rafale, Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats to Rafale Aircraft) is an integrated defensive aids suite developed by Thales Group for the Dassault Rafale series of fighter aircraft. ... The de Havilland Canada DHC-8, popularly known as the Dash 8, is a series of twin-engined, medium range, turboprop airliners introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. ...

Research continues into other ways of decreasing observability by radar. There are claims that the Russians are working on "plasma stealth".^[9] Obviously, such techniques might well remove some of the current advantage of the F-22 and F-35, but American defence research also continues unabated. Plasma stealth is a proposed process that uses ionized gas to reduce the radar cross section (RCS) of an aircraft. ...

There are ways to detect fighters other than radar. For instance, passive infra-red sensors can detect the heat of engines, and even the sound of a sonic boom (which any supersonic aircraft will make) can be tracked with a network of sensors and computers. However, using these to provide precise targeting information for a long-range missile is considerably less straightforward than radar. A sonic boom produced by an airplane moving at twice the speed of caramel cheese. ...

Combat performance

F-15s have a combat record of 101 victories and zero losses in air to air combat.^[18] For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... MiG 25 Foxbat The MiG-25 (NATO reporting name Foxbat) is a high-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft produced by the Soviet Unions Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau. ... Scott Speicher (July 12, 1957â€“January 17, 1991?) was a U.S. Navy pilot, whose F/A-18 Hornet fighter was shot down during the Gulf War on January 17, 1991. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is a Russian fighter aircraft used in the air superiority role. ... Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger). ... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð° in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Combatants Eritrea Ethiopia Commanders Sebhat Ephrem Tsadkan Gebre-Tensae[3] Casualties Estimates vary: 19,000;[4][5] 20-50,000[6] 67,000[7] Estimates vary: 34,000[8] up to 60,000;[9] 60,000[10] 123,000[11][12] The Eritrean-Ethiopian War took place from May 1998... The Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name Flanker) is a Russian fighter aircraft designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (SDB). ...

Comparative analysis

It's misleading to extrapolate comparisons regarding these fighters from the combat history, as fighters function in a combined arms environment in which many other factors, including C⁴I (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence) assets and pilot training determine success. For example, the undefeated records of the F-15 and F-16 should not be taken as unambiguous indicators of their superiority as airframes, as their combat action involved action by American and Israeli pilots with superior training and C⁴I assets against poorly trained adversaries with much poorer C⁴I assets. C4I is a military term meant to summarize factors military theorists consider when planning how headquarters can control their subordinate units. ... The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the U.S. Air Force to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... C4I is a military term meant to summarize factors military theorists consider when planning how headquarters can control their subordinate units. ...

However, for purchasing considerations, nations often consider comparative analyses of fighters to fill their specific mission requirements. Additionally, joint exercises are often revealing about the performance of fighters in a system, even as their validity is compromised by the inherent assumptions about the systems on either side.

Controversial DERA study

Britain’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (now split into QinetiQ and DSTL) did an evaluation in 1994 (simulation based on the available data) comparing the Typhoon with some other modern fighters in how well they performed against an expected adversary aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-35. Due to the lack of information gathered on the 5th generation combat aircraft, the inability to take into account advances in avionics and weapons now fitted to the fighters tested, and lack of knowledge on the capabilities of the Su-35 during the time of this study it is not meant to be considered official and its results should be taken with a grain of salt. The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (normally known as DERA), was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) until July 2, 2001. ... QinetiQ (LSE: QQ.) (pronounced kÄ-nÄ•tÄk, as in kinetic energy) is a British defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former government agency DERA when it was split up in June 2001 (with the smaller part becoming Dstl). ... The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is an Executive Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). ... Su-35 cockpit The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO designation: Flanker-E) is an advanced fighter aircraft flown by the Russian Air Force. ...

The study used real pilots flying the JOUST system of networked simulators. Various western aircraft supposed data were put in simulated combat against the Su-35. The results were:

These results mean, for example, that in simulated combat, 4.5 Su-35s were shot down for every Typhoon lost. Missiles such as the KS-172 may be intended for large targets and not fighters, but their impact on a long range BVR engagement needs to be factored in. The Sukhoi Su-35 is a Russian fighter aircraft. ... â€œF-22â€ redirects here. ... This article is about a fighter aircraft. ... Su-35 cockpit The Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO designation: Flanker-E) is an advanced fighter aircraft flown by the Russian Air Force. ... The Rafale is a French twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a modern all-weather carrier-capable strike fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ...

The "F/A-18+" in the study was apparently not the current F/A-18E/F, but an improved version. All the western aircraft in the simulation were using an older version of the AMRAAM missile, except the Rafale which was using the MICA missile. This does not reflect the likely long-term air-to-air armament of Eurofighters (as well as Rafales), which will ultimately be equipped with the longer-range MBDA Meteor (while carrying the AMRAAM as an interim measure). The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram), is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM) capable of all weather day and night performance. ... The Rafale is a French twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ... The MBDA MICA (Missile dInterception et de Combat AÃ©rien, Interception and Air Combat Missile) is an anti-air multi-target, all weather, fire and forget missile system. ... The Meteor missile is a highly agile long-range air-to-air guided missile for future complex beyond-visual-range (BVR) threat scenarios built by MBDA. Meteor started out as the UK MoD Staff Requirement 1239, for a Beyond Visual Range Air-To-Air Missile (BVRAAM) system, to replace the...

Details of the simulation have not been released, making it harder to verify whether it gives an accurate evaluation (for instance, whether they had adequate knowledge of the Sukhoi and Raptor to realistically simulate their combat performance). Another problem with the study is the scenarios under which the combat took place are unclear; it is possible that they were deliberately or accidentally skewed to combat scenarios that favoured certain aircraft over others; For instance, long-range engagements favour planes with stealth, good radar and advanced missiles, whereas the Su-35’s alleged above-average maneuverability may prove advantageous in short-range combat. Nor is it clear whether the Su-35 was modeled with thrust vector control (as the present MKIs, MKMs have).

Additionally, the DERA simulation was made in the mid 90s with limited knowledge about the Radar Cross Section, the ECM and the radar performances of the actual aircraft: indeed, at that time, the 4th/5th generation fighters were all at the prototype stage.

Exercise reports

Friendly air forces regularly practice against each other in exercises, and when these air forces fly different aircraft some indication of the relative capabilities of the aircraft can be gained. The results of an exercise in 2004 pitting USAF F-15 Eagles against Indian Air Force Su-30MKs, Mirage 2000s, MiG-29s and even the elderly MiG-21 have been widely publicised, with the Indians winning "90% of the mock combat missions".^[19] Another report^[20]^{[not in citation given]} claims that the kind of systemic factors mentioned in the previous section were heavily weighted against the F-15s. According to this report, the F-15s were outnumbered 3-to-1 in some engagements. There have also been claims that the rules of the exercise allowed the Indian side the use of a simulated AWACS providing location information, and allowed them to use the full fire-and-forget active radar of simulated BVR missiles. The F-15s are claimed to have not been permitted to simulate the full range of the AIM-120 missile (restricted to 32–40 km when the full range for the AIM-120C is over 105km), and had to track the missiles all the way to the target (such as the method used for the older AIM-7 Sparrow), without using the fire-and-forget mode of the AIM-120. None of the F-15s were equipped with the latest AESA radars, which are fitted to some, but not all, of the USAF’s F-15 fleet. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1270x1024, 260 KB) Two F-15 Eagles (middle of V formation) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, fly with two Indian air force SU-30K Flankers (rear) and two Mirage 2000 aircraft during Cope India 04 Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1270x1024, 260 KB) Two F-15 Eagles (middle of V formation) from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, fly with two Indian air force SU-30K Flankers (rear) and two Mirage 2000 aircraft during Cope India 04 Source: http://www. ... The Indian Air Force (à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤à¥€à¤¯ à¤µà¤¾à¤¯à¥ à¤¸à¥‡à¤¨à¤¾ : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ... Sukhoi (pronounced [suk-oi]) (Ð¡ÑƒÑ…Ð¾Ð¹) is a major Russian military fighter aircraft manufacturer. ... A Mirage 2000 of the Indian Air Force The Mirage 2000 is a French-built multi-role fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range, Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram), commonly known to air crews as the Slammer, is a new generation air-to-air missile, developed as the result of an agreement between the United States and other NATO countries (see below). ... A RIM-7 Sea Sparrow being launched from the USS Essex (LHD-2). ...

In June 2005, a Royal Air Force Eurofighter pilot was reportedly able, in a mock confrontation, to avoid two pursuing F-15E fighter-bombers and outmanoeuvre them to get into a shooting position.^[21]

During Exercise Northern Edge 2006 in Alaska in early June, the F-22 reportedly proved its mettle against as many as 40 "enemy aircraft" during simulated battles. The Raptor is claimed to have achieved a 108-to-zero kill ratio at that exercise.^[22]

Notes

^ F-22 Tops Japan's Military Wish List.
^ ^a ^b The Gray Threat.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Devin L. Cate. The Air Superiority Fighter and Defense Transformation. Air University Press.
^ http://www.airpower.at/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2629 Austrian Eurofiger committee of inquiry: Knoll about Eurofighter and Stealth
^ Russia's fifth generation combat aircraft to fly by late 2008-Ivanov
^ http://www.publicservice.co.uk/pdf/dmj/issue31/DMJ31%200012%20A%20Brookes%20ATL.pdf
^ "Type Acceptance for Block 5 Standard Eurofighter Typhoon", www.eurofighter.com, Eurofighter GmbH, 2007-02-15. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
^ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/03/13/212600/ultra-hornet.html
^ http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/research_literature/aviation_articles/Aviation%20Week/topics/plasma_stealth/index.htm
^ Intelligence Community Assessment of the Lieutenant Commander Speicher Case, Iraq Operation Desert Storm Downed Pilot. Central Intelligence Agency, USA.
^ ACIG.
^ ^a ^b Sci.
^ F-16 Airframe.
^ F-16.
^ ^a ^b F-16 Timeline 1999.
^ Zap 16.
^ ACIG
^ [1]
^ Russian fighters superior, says Pentagon.
^ US F-15s Versus Indian Su-30s.^{[not in citation given]}
^ MacLeod, Murdo (19 June 2005). "Eurofighter a shooting star in clash with US jets"; Scotsman. Accessed on 29 September 2007.
^ F-22 excels at establishing air dominance.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

4th generation aircraft

Aircraft that entered service

Cancelled aircraft

4.5th generation

Aircraft that entered service

Cancelled aircraft

5th generation aircraft

In service

Scheduled to enter active service

Technology demonstrators

In development

Design considerations

Performance

Thrust vectoring

Supercruise

Avionics

Cost

Maintenance demands

Stealth technology

Combat performance

Comparative analysis

Controversial DERA study

Exercise reports

Notes

References

See also

Contents

4th generation aircraft GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Aircraft that entered service

Cancelled aircraft

4.5th generation

Aircraft that entered service

Cancelled aircraft

5th generation aircraft

In service

Scheduled to enter active service

Technology demonstrators

In development

Design considerations

Performance

Thrust vectoring

Supercruise

Avionics

Cost

Maintenance demands

Stealth technology

Combat performance

Comparative analysis

Controversial DERA study

Exercise reports

Notes

References

See also

4th generation aircraft