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projectiles. Modern fighter gun systems also feature ranging radar and lead computing electronic gun sights to ease the problem of aim point to compensate for projectile drop and time of flight (target lead) in the complex three dimensional maneuvering of air-to-air combat. However, getting in position to use the guns is still a challenge. The range of guns is longer than in the past but still quite limited compared to missiles, with modern gun systems having a maximum effective range of approximately 1,000 meters. High probability of kill also requires firing to usually occur from the rear hemisphere of the target. Despite these limits, when pilots are well trained in air-to-air gunnery and these conditions are satisfied, gun systems are tactically effective and highly cost efficient. The cost of a gun firing pass is far less than firing a missile, and the projectiles are not subject to the thermal and electronic countermeasures than can sometimes defeat missiles. When the enemy can be approached to within gun range, the lethality of guns is approximately a 25% to 50% chance of "kill per firing pass".
1654:, began arriving in numbers. These fighters outperformed Japanese fighters in all respects except maneuverability. Other problems with Japan's fighter aircraft also became apparent as the war progressed, such as their lack of armor and light armament, which had been typical of all pre-war fighters worldwide, but the problem was particularly difficult to rectify on the Japanese designs. This made them inadequate as either bomber-interceptors or ground-attack aircraft, roles Allied fighters were still able to fill. Most importantly, Japan's training program failed to provide enough well-trained pilots to replace losses. In contrast, the Allies improved both the quantity and quality of pilots graduating from their training programs. By mid-1944, Allied fighters had gained air superiority throughout the theater, which would not be contested again during the war. The extent of Allied quantitative and qualitative superiority by this point in the war was demonstrated during the
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of kills achieved by radar guided missiles also surpassed 50% of total kills for the first time by 1991. Since 1991, 20 of 61 kills worldwide have been beyond-visual-range using radar missiles. Discounting an accidental friendly fire kill, in operational use the AIM-120D (the current main
American radar guided missile) has achieved 9 kills out of 16 shots for a 56% Pk. Six of these kills were BVR, out of 13 shots, for a 46% BVR Pk. Though all these kills were against less capable opponents who were not equipped with operating radar, electronic countermeasures, or a comparable weapon themselves, the BVR Pk was a significant improvement from earlier eras. However, a current concern is electronic countermeasures to radar missiles, which are thought to be reducing the effectiveness of the AIM-120D. Some experts believe that as of 2016 the European
47:
789:
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fire of about 0.4 kg (0.88 lb) per second. In WWII rifle caliber machine guns also remained common, though usually in larger numbers or supplemented with much heavier 0.50 caliber machine guns or cannons. The standard WWII American fighter armament of six 0.50-cal (12.7mm) machine guns fired a bullet weight of approximately 3.7 kg/sec (8.1 lbs/sec), at a muzzle velocity of 856 m/s (2,810 ft/s). British and German aircraft tended to use a mix of machine guns and autocannon, the latter firing explosive projectiles. Later
British fighters were exclusively cannon-armed, the US were not able to produce a reliable cannon in high numbers and most fighters remained equipped only with heavy machine guns despite the US Navy pressing for a change to 20 mm.
773:, and an assortment of improvised weapons. Many of these proved ineffective as the pilot had to fly his airplane while attempting to aim a handheld weapon and make a difficult deflection shot. The first step in finding a real solution was to mount the weapon on the aircraft, but the propeller remained a problem since the best direction to shoot is straight ahead. Numerous solutions were tried. A second crew member behind the pilot could aim and fire a swivel-mounted machine gun at enemy airplanes; however, this limited the area of coverage chiefly to the rear hemisphere, and effective coordination of the pilot's maneuvering with the gunner's aiming was difficult. This option was chiefly employed as a defensive measure on two-seater reconnaissance aircraft from 1915 on. Both the
2075:
3120:. Great care has been taken in designing its layout and internal structure to minimize RCS over a broad bandwidth of detection and tracking radar frequencies; furthermore, to maintain its VLO signature during combat operations, primary weapons are carried in internal weapon bays that are only briefly opened to permit weapon launch. Furthermore, stealth technology has advanced to the point where it can be employed without a tradeoff with aerodynamics performance, in contrast to previous stealth efforts. Some attention has also been paid to reducing IR signatures, especially on the F-22. Detailed information on these signature-reduction techniques is classified, but in general includes special shaping approaches,
2177:
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However, only 4 of the 76 radar missile kills were in the beyond-visual-range mode intended to be the strength of radar guided missiles. The United States invested over $ 10 billion in air-to-air radar missile technology from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Amortized over actual kills achieved by the U.S. and its allies, each radar guided missile kill thus cost over $ 130 million. The defeated enemy aircraft were for the most part older MiG-17s, −19s, and −21s, with new cost of $ 0.3 million to $ 3 million each. Thus, the radar missile investment over that period far exceeded the value of enemy aircraft destroyed, and furthermore had very little of the intended BVR effectiveness.
3065:
1080:
1444:
2907:". Air force inventories were cut. Research and development programs working on "fifth-generation" fighters took serious hits. Many programs were canceled during the first half of the 1990s, and those that survived were "stretched out". While the practice of slowing the pace of development reduces annual investment expenses, it comes at the penalty of increased overall program and unit costs over the long-term. In this instance, however, it also permitted designers to make use of the tremendous achievements being made in the fields of computers, avionics and other flight electronics, which had become possible largely due to the advances made in
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2125:, the world's first jet-fighter wing. It was considerably faster than contemporary piston-driven aircraft, and in the hands of a competent pilot, proved quite difficult for Allied pilots to defeat. The Luftwaffe never deployed the design in numbers sufficient to stop the Allied air campaign, and a combination of fuel shortages, pilot losses, and technical difficulties with the engines kept the number of sorties low. Nevertheless, the Me 262 indicated the obsolescence of piston-driven aircraft. Spurred by reports of the German jets, Britain's
1076:, that is, preset to shoot at an angle by ground crews so that their bullets would converge on a target area a set distance ahead of the fighter. Rifle-caliber .30 and .303 in (7.62 and 7.70 mm) calibre guns remained the norm, with larger weapons either being too heavy and cumbersome or deemed unnecessary against such lightly built aircraft. It was not considered unreasonable to use World War I-style armament to counter enemy fighters as there was insufficient air-to-air combat during most of the period to disprove this notion.
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318:
engines, eliminating sharp corners and diverting any reflections away from the radar sets of opposing forces. Various materials were found to absorb the energy from radar waves, and were incorporated into special finishes that have since found widespread application. Composite structures have become widespread, including major structural components, and have helped to counterbalance the steady increases in aircraft weight—most modern fighters are larger and heavier than World War II medium bombers.
975:
3542:
maximum advantage of complicated missile parameters in both attack and defense against competent opponents does take considerable experience and skill, but against surprised opponents lacking comparable capability and countermeasures, air-to-air missile warfare is relatively simple. By partially automating air-to-air combat and reducing reliance on gun kills mostly achieved by only a small expert fraction of fighter pilots, air-to-air missiles now serve as highly effective force multipliers.
3244:(AMCA), a medium weight stealth fighter jet designated to enter into serial production by late 2030s. India also had initiated a joint fifth generation heavy fighter with Russia called the FGFA. As of 2018 May, the project is suspected to have not yielded desired progress or results for India and has been put on hold or dropped altogether. Other countries considering fielding an indigenous or semi-indigenous advanced fifth generation aircraft include South Korea, Sweden, Turkey and Pakistan.
304:
688:
2422:. With a primary air-defense role, emphasis was placed on the ability to intercept strategic bombers flying at high altitudes. Specialized point-defense interceptors often had limited range and few, if any, ground-attack capabilities. Fighter-bombers could swing between air-superiority and ground-attack roles, and were often designed for a high-speed, low-altitude dash to deliver their ordnance. Television- and IR-guided air-to-surface missiles were introduced to augment traditional
2962:"Half-generation" designs are either based on existing airframes or are based on new airframes following similar design theory to previous iterations; however, these modifications have introduced the structural use of composite materials to reduce weight, greater fuel fractions to increase range, and signature reduction treatments to achieve lower RCS compared to their predecessors. Prime examples of such aircraft, which are based on new airframe designs making extensive use of
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track a target anywhere within the pilot's vision. The AIM-9X development cost was U.S. $ 3 billion in mid to late 1990s dollars, and 2015 per unit procurement cost is $ 0.6 million each. The missile weighs 85.3 kg (188 lbs), and has a maximum range of 35 km (22 miles) at higher altitudes. Like most air-to-air missiles, lower altitude range can be as limited as only about one third of maximum due to higher drag and less ability to coast downward.
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3166:
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1184:. The later German design was earlier in its design cycle, and had more room for development and the lessons learned led to greatly improved models in World War II. The Russians failed to keep up and despite newer models coming into service, I-16s remaining the most common Soviet front-line fighter into 1942 despite being outclassed by the improved Bf 109s in World War II. For their part, the Italians developed several monoplanes such as the
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158:
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211:
1200:(more famous for his 'peace in our time' speech), the entire British aviation industry was retooled, allowing it to change quickly from fabric covered metal framed biplanes to cantilever stressed skin monoplanes in time for the war with Germany, a process that France attempted to emulate, but too late to counter the German invasion. The period of improving the same biplane design over and over was now coming to an end, and the
285:. Wings were made thinner and swept back to reduce transonic drag, which required new manufacturing methods to obtain sufficient strength. Skins were no longer sheet metal riveted to a structure, but milled from large slabs of alloy. The sound barrier was broken, and after a few false starts due to required changes in controls, speeds quickly reached Mach 2, past which aircraft cannot maneuver sufficiently to avoid attack.
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2110:. Guns and cannon remained the principal armament. The need to obtain a decisive advantage in maximum speed pushed the development of turbojet-powered aircraft forward. Top speeds for fighters rose steadily throughout World War II as more powerful piston engines developed, and they approached transonic flight-speeds where the efficiency of propellers drops off, making further speed increases nearly impossible.
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fighters which by surprise or maneuver attain a good firing position have achieved the kill about one third to one half the time, no matter what weapons were carried. The only major historic exception to this has been the low effectiveness shown by guided missiles in the first one to two decades of their existence. From WWI to the present, fighter aircraft have featured machine guns and
3476:, which was first fielded in 1991 as the AIM-7 replacement, and which has no firm retirement date as of 2016. The current AIM-120D version has a maximum high altitude range of greater than 160 km (100 mi), and cost approximately $ 2.4 million each (2016). As is typical with most other missiles, range at lower altitude may be as little as one third that of high altitude.
1907:
2418:, became de-emphasized in both cases. The interceptor was an outgrowth of the vision that guided missiles would completely replace guns and combat would take place at beyond-visual ranges. As a result, strategists designed interceptors with a large missile-payload and a powerful radar, sacrificing agility in favor of high speed, altitude ceiling and
1879:, a purpose-built night fighter, was the only fighter of the war that incorporated radar into its original design. Britain and America cooperated closely in the development of airborne radar, and Germany's radar technology generally lagged slightly behind Anglo-American efforts, while other combatants developed few radar-equipped fighters.
885:. Garros' modified monoplane first flew in March 1915 and he began combat operations soon after. Garros scored three victories in three weeks before he himself was downed on 18 April and his airplane, along with its synchronization gear and propeller was captured by the Germans. Meanwhile, the synchronization gear (called the
1702:, which powered the vast majority of World War II fighters, grew more powerful: at the beginning of the war fighters typically had engines producing between 1,000 hp (750 kW) and 1,400 hp (1,000 kW), while by the end of the war many could produce over 2,000 hp (1,500 kW). For example, the
2736:(IRST) sensors became widespread for air-to-ground weapons delivery, and appeared for air-to-air combat as well. "All-aspect" IR AAM became standard air superiority weapons, which permitted engagement of enemy aircraft from any angle (although the field of view remained relatively limited). The first long-range
3153:(EW) jamming functions. Other technologies common to this latest generation of fighters includes integrated electronic warfare system (INEWS) technology, integrated communications, navigation, and identification (CNI) avionics technology, centralized "vehicle health monitoring" systems for ease of maintenance,
1436:
Soviets increasingly were able to challenge the
Luftwaffe, and while the Luftwaffe maintained a qualitative edge over the Red Air Force for much of the war, the increasing numbers and efficacy of the Soviet Air Force were critical to the Red Army's efforts at turning back and eventually annihilating the
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as weapons, and they are still considered as essential back-up weapons today. The power of air-to-air guns has increased greatly over time, and has kept them relevant in the guided missile era. In WWI two rifle (approximately 0.30) caliber machine guns was the typical armament, producing a weight of
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Fighters were typically armed with guns only for air to air combat up through the late 1950s, though unguided rockets for mostly air to ground use and limited air to air use were deployed in WWII. From the late 1950s forward guided missiles came into use for air to air combat. Throughout this history
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However, continuing heavy development investment and rapidly advancing electronic technology led to significant improvement in radar missile reliabilities from the late 1970s onward. Radar guided missiles achieved 75% Pk (9 kills out of 12 shots) in operations in the Gulf War in 1991. The percentage
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used by the USAF had kill rates of approximately 7% and was considered a failure. The AIM-9B Sidewinder introduced later achieved 15% kill rates, and the further improved AIM-9D and J models reached 19%. The AIM-9G used in the last year of the
Vietnam air war achieved 40%. Israel used almost totally
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The AESA radar offers unique capabilities for fighters (and it is also quickly becoming essential for
Generation 4.5 aircraft designs, as well as being retrofitted onto some fourth-generation aircraft). In addition to its high resistance to ECM and LPI features, it enables the fighter to function as
3088:
sensors incorporated for air-to-air combat as well as for air-to-ground weapons delivery in the 4.5th generation fighters are now fused in with other sensors for
Situational Awareness IRST or SAIRST, which constantly tracks all targets of interest around the aircraft so the pilot need not guess when
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Currently the cutting edge of fighter design, fifth-generation fighters are characterized by being designed from the start to operate in a network-centric combat environment, and to feature extremely low, all-aspect, multi-spectral signatures employing advanced materials and shaping techniques. They
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technologies in the 1980s and 1990s. This opportunity enabled designers to develop fourth-generation designs – or redesigns – with significantly enhanced capabilities. These improved designs have become known as "Generation 4.5" fighters, recognizing their intermediate nature between the 4th and 5th
2831:, are true multirole warplanes, designed as such from the start. This was facilitated by multimode avionics that could switch seamlessly between air and ground modes. The earlier approaches of adding on strike capabilities or designing separate models specialized for different roles generally became
2751:
Another revolution came in the form of a stronger reliance on ease of maintenance, which led to standardization of parts, reductions in the numbers of access panels and lubrication points, and overall parts reduction in more complicated equipment like the engines. Some early jet fighters required 50
1195:
From the early 1930s the
Japanese were at war against both the Chinese Nationalists and the Russians in China, and used the experience to improve both training and aircraft, replacing biplanes with modern cantilever monoplanes and creating a cadre of exceptional pilots. In the United Kingdom, at the
321:
Because of the importance of air superiority, since the early days of aerial combat armed forces have constantly competed to develop technologically superior fighters and to deploy these fighters in greater numbers, and fielding a viable fighter fleet consumes a substantial proportion of the defense
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are notable exceptions). The continually rising cost of fighters, however, continued to emphasize the value of multirole fighters. The need for both types of fighters led to the "high/low mix" concept, which envisioned a high-capability and high-cost core of dedicated air-superiority fighters (like
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Fighter designs also took advantage of new electronics technologies that made effective radars small enough to carry aboard smaller aircraft. Onboard radars permitted detection of enemy aircraft beyond visual range, thereby improving the handoff of targets by longer-ranged ground-based warning- and
2090:
The timeframes associated with each generation remain inexact and are only indicative of the period during which their design philosophies and technology employment enjoyed a prevailing influence on fighter design and development. These timeframes also encompass the peak period of service entry for
317:
With the steady improvements in computers, defensive systems have become increasingly efficient. To counter this, stealth technologies have been pursued by the United States, Russia, India and China. The first step was to find ways to reduce the aircraft's reflectivity to radar waves by burying the
299:
In the 1970s, turbofans replaced turbojets, improving fuel economy enough that the last piston engine support aircraft could be replaced with jets, making multi-role combat aircraft possible. Honeycomb structures began to replace milled structures, and the first composite components began to appear
260:
and some were capable of speeds approaching 400 mph (640 km/h). Most fighters up to this point had one engine, but a number of twin-engine fighters were built; however they were found to be outmatched against single-engine fighters and were relegated to other tasks, such as night fighters
3479:
In the
Vietnam air war radar missile kill reliability was approximately 10% at shorter ranges, and even worse at longer ranges due to reduced radar return and greater time for the target aircraft to detect the incoming missile and take evasive action. At one point in the Vietnam war, the U.S. Navy
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case the missile homes in on radar signals transmitted from launching aircraft and reflected from the target. This has the disadvantage that the firing aircraft must maintain radar lock on the target and is thus less free to maneuver and more vulnerable to attack. A widely deployed missile of this
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capability, the ability to use the lower heat of air to skin friction on the target aircraft to track from the front and sides. The latest (2003 service entry) AIM-9X also features "off-boresight" and "lock on after launch" capabilities, which allow the pilot to make a quick launch of a missile to
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Generation 4.5 fighters first entered service in the early 1990s, and most of them are still being produced and evolved. It is quite possible that they may continue in production alongside fifth-generation fighters due to the expense of developing the advanced level of stealth technology needed to
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Growth in air-combat capability focused on the introduction of improved air-to-air missiles, radar systems, and other avionics. While guns remained standard equipment (early models of F-4 being a notable exception), air-to-air missiles became the primary weapons for air-superiority fighters, which
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The third generation witnessed continued maturation of second-generation innovations, but it is most marked by renewed emphases on maneuverability and on traditional ground-attack capabilities. Over the course of the 1960s, increasing combat experience with guided missiles demonstrated that combat
2160:
Despite their advantages, the early jet-fighters were far from perfect. The operational lifespan of turbines were very short and engines were temperamental, while power could be adjusted only slowly and acceleration was poor (even if top speed was higher) compared to the final generation of piston
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also advanced during the war. The rifle-caliber machine guns that were common on prewar fighters could not easily down the more rugged warplanes of the era. Air forces began to replace or supplement them with cannons, which fired explosive shells that could blast a hole in an enemy aircraft –
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Fighter armament eventually began to be mounted inside the wings, outside the arc of the propeller, though most designs retained two synchronized machine guns directly ahead of the pilot, where they were more accurate (that being the strongest part of the structure, reducing the vibration to which
268:
engines were replacing piston engines as the means of propulsion, further increasing aircraft speed. Since the weight of the turbojet engine was far less than a piston engine, having two engines was no longer a handicap and one or two were used, depending on requirements. This in turn required the
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the missile is guided to the vicinity of the target by internal data on its projected position, and then "goes active" with an internally carried small radar system to conduct terminal guidance to the target. This eliminates the requirement for the firing aircraft to maintain radar lock, and thus
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proving particularly effective in the lower-altitude combat typical of the
Eastern Front. The Soviets were also helped indirectly by the American and British bombing campaigns, which forced the Luftwaffe to shift many of its fighters away from the Eastern Front in defense against these raids. The
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The primary driver of fighter innovation, right up to the period of rapid re-armament in the late 1930s, were not military budgets, but civilian aircraft racing. Aircraft designed for these races introduced innovations like streamlining and more powerful engines that would find their way into the
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Now that higher reliabilities have been achieved, both types of missiles allow the fighter pilot to often avoid the risk of the short-range dogfight, where only the more experienced and skilled fighter pilots tend to prevail, and where even the finest fighter pilot can simply get unlucky. Taking
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radar guided missiles in a row without a hit. Between 1958 and 1982 in five wars there were 2,014 combined heat-seeking and radar guided missile firings by fighter pilots engaged in air-to-air combat, achieving 528 kills, of which 76 were radar missile kills, for a combined effectiveness of 26%.
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20 mm rotary cannon that is standard on current
American fighters fires a projectile weight of about 10 kg/s (22 lb/s), nearly three times that of six 0.50-cal machine guns, with higher velocity of 1,052 m/s (3450 ft/s) supporting a flatter trajectory, and with exploding
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unbearable to pilots who attempted maneuvering dogfights typical of the First World War, and their fighters were instead optimized for speed and firepower. In practice, while light, highly maneuverable aircraft did possess some advantages in fighter-versus-fighter combat, those could usually be
1050:
Fighter development stagnated between the wars, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, where budgets were small. In France, Italy and Russia, where large budgets continued to allow major development, both monoplanes and all metal structures were common. By the end of the 1920s,
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of work by a ground crew for every hour the aircraft was in the air; later models substantially reduced this to allow faster turn-around times and more sorties in a day. Some modern military aircraft only require 10-man-hours of work per hour of flight time, and others are even more efficient.
2008:
In the 1950s, the British developed mixed-power jet designs employing both rocket and jet engines to cover the performance gap that existed in turbojet designs. The rocket was the main engine for delivering the speed and height required for high-speed interception of high-level bombers and the
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Attempts were made with handheld weapons such as pistols and rifles and even light machine guns, but these were ineffective and cumbersome. The next advance came with the fixed forward-firing machine gun, so that the pilot pointed the entire aircraft at the target and fired the gun, instead of
530:
As a part of military nomenclature, a letter is often assigned to various types of aircraft to indicate their use, along with a number to indicate the specific aircraft. The letters used to designate a fighter differ in various countries. In the English-speaking world, "F" is often now used to
486:
that were no longer competitive as aerial combat fighters were relegated to ground attack. Several aircraft, such as the F-111 and F-117, have received fighter designations though they had no fighter capability due to political or other reasons. The F-111B variant was originally intended for a
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built with a wooden frame covered with fabric, and a maximum airspeed of about 100 mph (160 km/h). As control of the airspace over armies became increasingly important, all of the major powers developed fighters to support their military operations. Between the wars, wood was largely
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performance. The two aircraft had different strengths and weaknesses, but were similar enough that victory could go either way. While the Sabres focused primarily on downing MiGs and scored favorably against those flown by the poorly-trained North Koreans, the MiGs in turn decimated US bomber
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and even hovering capabilities. Maneuver performance remains important and is enhanced by thrust-vectoring, which also helps reduce takeoff and landing distances. Supercruise may or may not be featured; it permits flight at supersonic speeds without the use of the afterburner – a device that
2200:(soon re-designated F-80) was more prone to wave drag than the swept-wing Me 262, but had a cruise speed (660 km/h (410 mph)) as high as the maximum speed attainable by many piston-engined fighters. The British designed several new jets, including the distinctive single-engined
2086:
It has become common in the aviation community to classify jet fighters by "generations" for historical purposes. No official definitions of these generations exist; rather, they represent the notion of stages in the development of fighter-design approaches, performance capabilities, and
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The U.S. government has defined 4.5 generation fighter aircraft as those that "(1) have advanced capabilities, including— (A) AESA radar; (B) high capacity data-link; and (C) enhanced avionics; and (2) have the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments."
2668:(FLCS), which in turn was enabled by advances in computers and in system-integration techniques. Analog avionics, required to enable FBW operations, became a fundamental requirement, but began to be replaced by digital flight-control systems in the latter half of the 1980s. Likewise,
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encountered an enemy airplane while on a reconnaissance flight over Austria-Hungary which fired at his aircraft with a revolver, so Tomić fired back. It was believed to be the first exchange of fire between aircraft. Within weeks, all Serbian and Austro-Hungarian aircraft were armed.
120:
relative to the target aircraft. The success or failure of a combatant's efforts to gain air superiority hinges on several factors including the skill of its pilots, the tactical soundness of its doctrine for deploying its fighters, and the numbers and performance of those fighters.
2020:
was a successful design, and was planned for production when economics forced the British to curtail most aircraft programs in the late 1950s. Furthermore, rapid advancements in jet engine technology rendered mixed-power aircraft designs like Saunders-Roe's SR.53 (and the following
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with just a few hits, but their slower rate of fire made it difficult to hit fast-moving fighters in a dogfight. Eventually, most fighters mounted cannons, sometimes in combination with machine guns. The British epitomized this shift. Their standard early war fighters mounted eight
611:
The equipment necessary for daytime flight is inadequate when flying at night or in poor visibility. The night fighter was developed during World War I with additional equipment to aid the pilot in flying straight, navigating and finding the target. From modified variants of the
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to replace the Zero, but only in small numbers, and by then Japan lacked the trained pilots or sufficient fuel to mount an effective challenge to Allied attacks. During the closing stages of the war, Japan's fighter arm could not seriously challenge raids over Japan by American
1997:
projects aimed at developing high speed, point-defense aircraft. Later variants of the Me 262 (C-1a and C-2b) were also fitted with "mixed-power" jet/rocket powerplants, while earlier models were fitted with rocket boosters, but were not mass-produced with these modifications.
573:
As fighter types have proliferated, the air superiority fighter emerged as a specific role at the pinnacle of speed, maneuverability, and air-to-air weapon systems – able to hold its own against all other fighters and establish its dominance in the skies above the battlefield.
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showed that guns still had a role to play, and most fighters built since then are fitted with cannon (typically between 20 and 30 mm (0.79 and 1.18 in) in caliber) in addition to missiles. Most modern combat aircraft can carry at least a pair of air-to-air missiles.
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versus the more reliable radial models continued, with naval air forces preferring the radial engines, and land-based forces often choosing inlines. Radial designs did not require a separate (and vulnerable) radiator, but had increased drag. Inline engines often had a better
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The primary characteristics of this sub-generation are the application of advanced digital avionics and aerospace materials, modest signature reduction (primarily RF "stealth"), and highly integrated systems and weapons. These fighters have been designed to operate in a
985:
The use of metal aircraft structures was pioneered before World War I by Breguet but would find its biggest proponent in Anthony Fokker, who used chrome-molybdenum steel tubing for the fuselage structure of all his fighter designs, while the innovative German engineer
2227:, along with their armament of two 23 mm (0.91 in) cannons and a single 37 mm (1.5 in) cannon. Nevertheless, in the first jet-versus-jet dogfight, which occurred during the Korean War on 8 November 1950, an F-80 shot down two North Korean MiG-15s.
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directing fighters onto German attacks and the advantages of fighting above Britain's home territory allowed the RAF to deny Germany air superiority, saving the UK from possible German invasion and dealing the Axis a major defeat early in the Second World War. On the
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are also seeking a stake in the project. Spain officially joined the Franco-German project to develop a Next-Generation Fighter (NGF) that will form part of a broader Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) with the signing of a letter of intent (LOI) on February 14, 2019.
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bomber (first flew in 1989). Although no stealthy fighters per se appeared among the fourth generation, some radar-absorbent coatings and other L-O treatments developed for these programs are reported to have been subsequently applied to fourth-generation fighters.
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aircraft. A better solution for a single seat scout was to mount the machine gun (rifles and pistols having been dispensed with) to fire forwards but outside the propeller arc. Wing guns were tried but the unreliable weapons available required frequent clearing of
832:
of 1916 used this system with considerable success, however, this placement made aiming and reloading difficult but would continue to be used throughout the war as the weapons used were lighter and had a higher rate of fire than synchronized weapons. The British
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bombers, and generally had a shorter range, they were cheaper to produce and maintain and their maneuverability made it easier for them to hit moving targets such as motorized vehicles. Moreover, if they encountered enemy fighters, their ordnance (which reduced
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the guns were subjected). Shooting with this traditional arrangement was also easier because the guns shot directly ahead in the direction of the aircraft's flight, up to the limit of the guns range; unlike wing-mounted guns which to be effective required to be
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also used the same tactics with some success, although they were unable to stem the tide of Japanese advances there. By 1943, the Allies began to gain the upper hand in the Pacific Campaign's air campaigns. Several factors contributed to this shift. First, the
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Accurate data on modern gun pass cost is difficult to acquire, but during the Korean War was approximately $ 120. In 1970 a heat seeking missile shot was approximately $ 7000, and a radar guided missile shot about $ 40,000. (Stevenson, "The Pentagon Paradox",
2579:. Despite numerous shortcomings that would not be fully addressed until newer fighters, the Phantom claimed 280 aerial kills (more than any other U.S. fighter) over Vietnam. With range and payload capabilities that rivaled that of World War II bombers such as
2105:
The first generation of jet fighters comprised the initial, subsonic jet-fighter designs introduced late in World War II (1939–1945) and in the early post-war period. They differed little from their piston-engined counterparts in appearance, and many employed
3398:. There are two main variations, heat-seeking (infrared homing), and radar guided. Radar missiles are typically several times heavier and more expensive than heat-seekers, but with longer range, greater destructive power, and ability to track through clouds.
3443:. In this extensive conflict Israel scored 171 of 261 total kills with heat-seeking missiles (65.5%), 5 kills with radar guided missiles (1.9%), and 85 kills with guns (32.6%). The AIM-9L Sidewinder scored 19 kills out of 26 fired missiles (73%) in the 1982
648:
are vulnerable due to their low speed, large size and poor maneuvrability. The escort fighter was developed during World War II to come between the bombers and enemy attackers as a protective shield. The primary requirement was for long range, with several
750:, but would later modify pre-war racing aircraft into armed single seaters. It was quickly found that these were of little use since the pilot couldn't record what he saw while also flying, while military leaders usually ignored what the pilots reported.
1094:, popular during World War I, quickly disappeared, its development having reached the point where rotational forces prevented more fuel and air from being delivered to the cylinders, which limited horsepower. They were replaced chiefly by the stationary
970:
machine guns, which were easier to synchronize than other types, firing through the propeller arc. Gun breeches were in front of the pilot, with obvious implications in case of accidents, but jams could be cleared in flight, while aiming was simplified.
2354:
fuselages. Widespread use of afterburning turbojet engines made these the first production aircraft to break the sound barrier, and the ability to sustain supersonic speeds in level flight became a common capability amongst fighters of this generation.
1010:
all-metal airframe technology demonstration aircraft of late 1915. While Fokker would pursue steel tube fuselages with wooden wings until the late 1930s, and Junkers would focus on corrugated sheet metal, Dornier was the first to build a fighter (the
3046:
achieve aircraft designs featuring very low observables (VLO), which is one of the defining features of fifth-generation fighters. Of the 4.5th generation designs, the Strike Eagle, Super Hornet, Typhoon, Gripen, and Rafale have been used in combat.
1041:
In April 1917, during a brief period of German aerial supremacy a British pilot's average life expectancy was calculated to average 93 flying hours, or about three weeks of active service. More than 50,000 airmen from both sides died during the war.
1034:, so in-flight fires or structural failures were often fatal. Parachutes were well-developed by 1918 having previously been used by balloonists, and were adopted by the German flying services during the course of that year. The well known and feared
2567:, the first turbofan equipped with afterburner. The ambitious project sought to create a versatile common fighter for many roles and services. It would serve well as an all-weather bomber, but lacked the performance to defeat other fighters. The
1414:
air forces destroyed large numbers of Red Air Force aircraft on the ground and in one-sided dogfights. In the later stages on the Eastern Front, Soviet training and leadership improved, as did their equipment. By 1942 Soviet designs such as the
1286:
noted the effect of airpower: "Anyone who has to fight, even with the most modern weapons, against an enemy in complete command of the air, fights like a savage…" Throughout the war, fighters performed their conventional role in establishing
962:. The strong box structure of the biplane provided a rigid wing that allowed the accurate control essential for dogfighting. They had a single operator, who flew the aircraft and also controlled its armament. They were armed with one or two
280:
was fitted to day fighters, since due to ever increasing air-to-air weapon ranges, pilots could no longer see far enough ahead to prepare for the opposition. Subsequently, radar capabilities grew enormously and are now the primary method of
3417:
in the 1950s. These small missiles are easily carried by lighter fighters, and provide effective ranges of approximately 10 to 35 kilometres (6 to 20 mi). Beginning with the AIM-9L in 1977, subsequent versions of Sidewinder have added
1839:, F4U Corsair, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning all excelled as fighter-bombers, and since the Second World War ground attack has become an important secondary capability of many fighters. World War II also saw the first use of airborne
2161:
fighters. Many squadrons of piston-engined fighters remained in service until the early to mid-1950s, even in the air forces of the major powers (though the types retained were the best of the World War II designs). Innovations including
2622:" (for "Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action"). This approach emphasized aircraft designs capable of performing "fast transients" – quick changes in speed, altitude, and direction – as opposed to relying chiefly on high speed alone.
1566:, initially enjoying great success, as these fighters generally had better range, maneuverability, speed and climb rates than their Allied counterparts. Additionally, Japanese pilots were well trained and many were combat veterans from
3001:
Apart from these fighter jets, most of the 4.5 generation aircraft are actually modified variants of existing airframes from the earlier fourth generation fighter jets. Such fighter jets are generally heavier and examples include the
2505:(DACT) tactics and techniques. This era also saw an expansion in ground-attack capabilities, principally in guided missiles, and witnessed the introduction of the first truly effective avionics for enhanced ground attack, including
2359:
tracking-radars. Similarly, advances in guided-missile development allowed air-to-air missiles to begin supplementing the gun as the primary offensive weapon for the first time in fighter history. During this period, passive-homing
2087:
technological evolution. Different authors have packed jet fighters into different generations. For example, Richard P. Hallion of the Secretary of the Air Force's Action Group classified the F-16 as a sixth-generation jet fighter.
1936:'Fang', of which nearly 1200 were produced 1947–51. Over the course of the Korean War, however, it became obvious that the day of the piston-engined fighter was coming to a close and that the future would lie with the jet fighter.
592:
aircraft in the point-defence role, built for fast reaction, high performance and with a short range, and heavier aircraft with more comprehensive avionics and designed to fly at night or in all weathers and to operate over longer
2222:
that allowed flying closer to the speed of sound than straight-winged designs such as the F-80. The MiG-15s' top speed of 1,075 km/h (668 mph) proved quite a shock to the American F-80 pilots who encountered them in the
3128:
materials, extensive structural use of advanced composites, conformal sensors, heat-resistant coatings, low-observable wire meshes to cover intake and cooling vents, heat ablating tiles on the exhaust troughs (seen on the
1051:
however, those countries overspent themselves and were overtaken in the 1930s by those powers that hadn't been spending heavily, namely the British, the Americans, the Spanish (in the Spanish civil war) and the Germans.
1054:
Given limited budgets, air forces were conservative in aircraft design, and biplanes remained popular with pilots for their agility, and remained in service long after they ceased to be competitive. Designs such as the
1138:
types. Such designs typically had greater internal fuel capacity (thus longer range) and heavier armament than their single-engine counterparts. In combat, they proved vulnerable to more agile single-engine fighters.
2645:; while the reduced wing loading tends to lower top speed and can cut range, it increases payload capacity and the range reduction can be compensated for by increased fuel in the larger wing. The efforts of Boyd's "
1931:
wing to improve maneuver performance, and increased armament. The La-9 entered service in August 1946 and was produced until 1948; it also served as the basis for the development of a long-range escort fighter, the
1570:. They quickly gained air superiority over the Allies, who at this stage of the war were often disorganized, under-trained and poorly equipped, and Japanese air power contributed significantly to their successes in
2605:
Fourth-generation fighters continued the trend towards multirole configurations, and were equipped with increasingly sophisticated avionics- and weapon-systems. Fighter designs were significantly influenced by the
526:
aircraft, while commonly developing air-to-ground roles late in their careers. An interceptor is generally an aircraft intended to target (or intercept) bombers and so often trades maneuverability for climb rate.
737:
airplane was not expected to carry serious armament, but rather to rely on speed to "scout" a location, and return quickly to report, making it a flying horse. British scout aircraft, in this sense, included the
880:
machine gun he was provided had an erratic rate of fire and it was impossible to synchronize it with the propeller. As an interim measure, the propeller blades were fitted with metal wedges to protect them from
2872:, which involves the use of special "low-observable" (L-O) materials and design techniques to reduce the susceptibility of an aircraft to detection by the enemy's sensor systems, particularly radars. The first
4700:
1914:
Several prototype fighter programs begun early in 1945 continued on after the war and led to advanced piston-engine fighters that entered production and operational service in 1946. A typical example is the
2947:. Thrust vectoring to further improve transient maneuvering capabilities has also been adopted by many 4.5th generation fighters, and uprated powerplants have enabled some designs to achieve a degree of "
2489:
employed more sophisticated radars and medium-range RF AAMs to achieve greater "stand-off" ranges, however, kill probabilities proved unexpectedly low for RF missiles due to poor reliability and improved
1067:
were common even in the late 1930s, and many were still in service as late as 1942. Up until the mid-1930s, the majority of fighters in the US, the UK, Italy and Russia remained fabric-covered biplanes.
1255:
could split up at any time and attack on their own. The finger-four would be widely adopted as the fundamental tactical formation during World War Two, including by the British and later the Americans.
3610:
2375:(SARH) missiles could track and intercept an enemy aircraft "painted" by the launching aircraft's onboard radar. Medium- and long-range RF air-to-air missiles promised to open up a new dimension of
4771:
1847:
locate enemy bombers and fighters. Because of the bulkiness of these radar sets, they could not be carried on conventional single-engined fighters and instead were typically retrofitted to larger
1506:
in June 1944, the Allies had gained near complete air superiority over the Western Front. This cleared the way both for intensified strategic bombing of German cities and industries, and for the
1015:) made with pre-stressed sheet aluminum and having cantilevered wings, a form that would replace all others in the 1930s. As collective combat experience grew, the more successful pilots such as
4579:
451:
classes are dual-role, possessing qualities of the fighter alongside some other battlefield role. Some fighter designs may be developed in variants performing other roles entirely, such as
1955:, with only 66 having been delivered, and the type was withdrawn from service in 1947. The USAAF had ordered its first 13 mixed turboprop-turbojet-powered pre-production prototypes of the
2748:, one of the few variable-sweep-wing fighter designs to enter production. Even with the tremendous advancement of air-to-air missiles in this era, internal guns were standard equipment.
1216:
biplanes but many biplanes remained in front-line service well past the start of World War II. While not a combatant in Spain, they too absorbed many of the lessons in time to use them.
2618:
maintenance as an advantage in fighter combat. Boyd perceived maneuverability as the primary means of getting "inside" an adversary's decision-making cycle, a process Boyd called the "
373:). The UK changed to calling them fighters in the 1920s, while the US Army did so in the 1940s. A short-range fighter designed to defend against incoming enemy aircraft is known as an
3894:, 6 December 1929, Page 1273: "the type of single-seater fighter known as an "Interceptor" is a class of aircraft designed, as the title suggests, for intercepting hostile aircraft."
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3394:
The range limitations of guns, and the desire to overcome large variations in fighter pilot skill and thus achieve higher force effectiveness, led to the development of the guided
4862:
2614:
and mathematician Thomas Christie, based upon Boyd's combat experience in the Korean War and as a fighter-tactics instructor during the 1960s. E-M theory emphasized the value of
4635:
4509:
2540:), and provided greater accuracy and rates of fire. Powerplant reliability increased, and jet engines became "smokeless" to make it harder to sight aircraft at long distances.
725:
Another type of military aircraft formed the basis for an effective "fighter" in the modern sense of the word. It was based on small fast aircraft developed before the war for
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4478:
3258:
As of November 2018, France, Germany, China, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States have announced the development of a sixth-generation aircraft program.
3313:
in 2025–30 period. The USAF seeks a new fighter for the 2030–50 period named the "Next Generation Tactical Aircraft" ("Next Gen TACAIR"). The US Navy looks to replace its
2493:(ECM) for spoofing radar seekers. Infrared-homing AAMs saw their fields of view expand to 45°, which strengthened their tactical usability. Nevertheless, the low dogfight
2009:
turbojet gave increased fuel economy in other parts of flight, most notably to ensure the aircraft was able to make a powered landing rather than risking an unpredictable
4749:
3447:. But, in a conflict against opponents using thermal countermeasures, the United States only scored 11 kills out of 48 fired (Pk = 23%) with the follow-on AIM-9M in the
5223:
5194:
4834:
3720:
3212:
Other countries have initiated fifth-generation fighter development projects. In December 2010, it was discovered that China is developing the 5th generation fighter
849:
with a forward-firing gun whose bullets passed through the propeller arc was evident even before the outbreak of war and inventors in both France and Germany devised
5762:
132:, are designed from the outset for dual roles. Other fighter designs are highly specialized while still filling the main air superiority role, and these include the
4692:
3097:, helmet-mounted sights (not currently on F-22), and improved secure, jamming-resistant LPI datalinks are highly integrated to provide multi-platform, multi-sensor
1820:
and therefore decreased performance) could be jettisoned and they could engage enemy fighters, which eliminated the need for fighter escorts that bombers required.
1322:. In contrast, designers in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States believed that the increased speed of fighter aircraft would create
1613:) to take advantage of these strengths. These changes soon paid dividends, as the Allied ability to deny Japan air superiority was critical to their victories at
2676:
turbofan. The F-16's sole reliance on electronics and wires to relay flight commands, instead of the usual cables and mechanical linkage controls, earned it the
1491:
bombers, however, proved unable to fend off German interceptors (primarily Bf 109s and Fw 190s). With the later arrival of long range fighters, particularly the
491:, but it was canceled. This blurring follows the use of fighters from their earliest days for "attack" or "strike" operations against ground targets by means of
4666:
2866:(F-15C), one strike fighter squadron (F-15E), and two multirole fighter squadrons (F-16C). Perhaps the most novel technology introduced for combat aircraft was
1302:
Fighter design varied widely among combatants. The Japanese and Italians favored lightly armed and armored but highly maneuverable designs such as the Japanese
588:
The interceptor is a fighter designed specifically to intercept and engage approaching enemy aircraft. There are two general classes of interceptor: relatively
4805:
2133:, as they were faster than available piston-engined fighters at the low altitudes used by the flying bombs. Nearer the end of World War II, the first military
828:
and remained impractical until after the war. Mounting the machine gun over the top wing worked well and was used long after the ideal solution was found. The
345:. A given type may be designed for specific combat conditions, and in some cases for additional roles such as air-to-ground fighting. Historically the British
1883:
1330:
overcome by sound tactical doctrine, and the design approach of the Italians and Japanese made their fighters ill-suited as interceptors or attack aircraft.
1939:
This period also witnessed experimentation with jet-assisted piston engine aircraft. La-9 derivatives included examples fitted with two underwing auxiliary
2153:. By the end of the war almost all work on piston-powered fighters had ended. A few designs combining piston- and jet-engines for propulsion – such as the
5245:
4777:
3205:(CATOBAR) fighter, each of which has a different unit price and slightly varying specifications in terms of fuel capacity (and therefore range), size and
2457:
began to appear, replacing older "steam-gauge" cockpit instrumentation. Enhancements to the aerodynamic performance of third-generation fighters included
4892:
3113:. Overall, the integration of all these elements is claimed to provide fifth-generation fighters with a "first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability".
1890:
system involved mounting upward-facing cannon turrets, typically twin 20mm or 30mm guns, in the belly of German night fighters such as the Messerschmitt
1711:
4557:
1098:
though major advances led to inline engines gaining ground with several exceptional engines—including the 1,145 cu in (18,760 cm) V-12
4451:
3189:(JSF) program enrolls eight other countries as cost- and risk-sharing partners. Altogether, the nine partner nations anticipate procuring over 3,000
1771:
from a solid bullet striking a critical component of the aircraft, such as a fuel line or control cable, or the pilot. Cannons could bring down even
838:
4587:
4308:
3681:
4722:
1086:, which in various forms would be used through the 20s and into the 1930s by various European air arms, including that of the French and Spanish.
698:
The word "fighter" was first used to describe a two-seat aircraft carrying a machine gun (mounted on a pedestal) and its operator as well as the
5241:"Can U.S. air-to-air missiles hit their targets through today's enemy electronic warfare?", Military and Aerospace Electronics, 12 April 2016,
2033:
in level flight– met a similar fate for the same reason, and no hybrid rocket-and-jet-engine fighter design has ever been placed into service.
2783:
Unlike interceptors of the previous eras, most fourth-generation air-superiority fighters were designed to be agile dogfighters (although the
2501:
fighter-weapons school, which provided a graduate-level curriculum to train fleet fighter-pilots in advanced Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) and
5755:
5052:
3836:
946:
kicked off a competitive cycle of improvement among the combatants, both sides striving to build ever more capable single-seat fighters. The
4228:
1734:-powered fighters entered combat in 1944, too late to impact the war's outcome. The same year the Allies' only operational jet fighter, the
1513:
Allied fighters, by gaining air superiority over the European battlefield, played a crucial role in the eventual defeat of the Axis, which
1510:
of battlefield targets. With the Luftwaffe largely cleared from the skies, Allied fighters increasingly served as ground attack aircraft.
1251:
was composed of a leader and a wingman. This flexible formation allowed the pilots to maintain greater situational awareness, and the two
4531:
3743:
1784:, and late in the war often only cannons. The Americans, in contrast, had problems producing a cannon design, so instead placed multiple
1379:. This was a result of the tactical surprise at the outset of the campaign, the leadership vacuum within the Soviet military left by the
4856:
2536:
that use an electric motor to drive the mechanism of a cannon. This allowed a plane to carry a single multi-barrel weapon (such as the
1475:
while Allied fighters' main role was as bomber escorts. The RAF raided German cities at night, and both sides developed radar-equipped
857:, a Swiss engineer, had patented such a device in Germany in 1913, but his original work was not followed up. French aircraft designer
4288:
46:
4643:
4501:
3866:
2498:
4609:
4336:
1219:
The Spanish Civil War also provided an opportunity for updating fighter tactics. One of the innovations was the development of the "
5748:
3193:
fighters at an anticipated average FAC of $ 80–85 million. The F-35, however, is designed to be a family of three aircraft, a
1106:
increased in power several-fold over the period, going from a typical 180 hp (130 kW) in the 900 kg (2,000 lb)
858:
788:
781:
added a second crewman ahead of the engine in a pod but this was both hazardous to the second crewman and limited performance. The
2129:
entered production soon after, and the two entered service around the same time in 1944. Meteors commonly served to intercept the
4468:
1947:(the La-138); however, neither of these entered service. One that did enter service – with the U.S. Navy in March 1945 – was the
861:
patented a practical device in April 1914, but trials were unsuccessful because of the propensity of the machine gun employed to
702:. Although the term was coined in the United Kingdom, the first examples were the French Voisin pushers beginning in 1910, and a
291:
largely replaced guns and rockets in the early 1960s since both were believed unusable at the speeds being attained, however the
3236:
became the first fifth-generation fighter jets in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces on 2020, and launch missiles in the
3181:
in late 2005. The U.S. Air Force originally planned to acquire 650 F-22s, but now only 187 will be built. As a result, its unit
3042:
engine nozzles to enhance maneuvering. The upgraded version of F-16 is also considered a member of the 4.5 generation aircraft.
1038:, the "Red Baron", was wearing one when he was killed, but the allied command continued to oppose their use on various grounds.
3781:
3556:
3439:, achieving 60 kills and 10 losses. However, Israel made much more use of steadily improving heat-seeking missiles in the 1973
2848:
1609:
possessed attributes such as superior firepower, ruggedness and dive speed, and the Allies soon developed tactics (such as the
1427:. Also, significant numbers of British, and later U.S., fighter aircraft were supplied to aid the Soviet war effort as part of
4743:
5430:
5304:
5160:
4419:
4369:
4114:
4087:
2650:
1539:
1172:
needed to test their latest aircraft. Each party sent numerous aircraft types to support their sides in the conflict. In the
51:
5220:
5203:
4828:
4136:
2629:, but Boyd and his supporters believed these performance parameters called for a small, lightweight aircraft with a larger,
2386:
featuring large mechanized armies and nuclear-weapon strikes led to a degree of specialization along two design approaches:
1706:, one of the few fighters in continuous production throughout the war, was in 1939 powered by a 1,030 hp (770 kW)
5333:
3944:
3712:
2575:, but emerged as a versatile strike-bomber nimble enough to prevail in air combat, adopted by the U.S. Navy, Air Force and
2294:
whose descendants remain in use as of 2021, were first introduced on swept-wing subsonic Demon and Cutlass naval fighters.
1571:
241:
replaced in part or whole by metal tubing, and finally aluminum stressed skin structures (monocoque) began to predominate.
5650:
5502:
4391:
IBP, Inc (March 2009), US Aviation and Aerospace Industry Handbook Volume 2 Military Equipment and Developments, p. 54–55
3146:
3077:
4922:
4247:
2680:
of "the electric jet". Electronic FLCS and FADEC quickly became essential components of all subsequent fighter designs.
5843:
3142:
1555:
1547:
4181:
2150:
5690:
5639:
5621:
5603:
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4272:
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missiles was only 7% early in the Vietnam War, but improved to approximately 15%–40% over the course of the war. The
3220:
took its maiden flight on 31 October 2012, and developed a carrier-based version based on Chinese aircraft carriers.
3190:
2145:(sparrow) to serve as a simple jet fighter for German home defense, with a few examples seeing squadron service with
2074:
1658:, a lopsided Allied victory in which Japanese fliers were shot down in such numbers and with such ease that American
532:
197:
175:
4799:
3240:
in 2022. Japan is exploring its technical feasibility to produce fifth-generation fighters. India is developing the
5542:
2568:
1399:
1130:" (called "destroyers" by the Germans). These were larger, usually twin-engined aircraft, sometimes adaptations of
4403:
3241:
2816:
2726:
2665:
2611:
2146:
1746:
wings, which improved high speed performance, also came into use on fighters such as the P-51 Mustang, while the
496:
4987:
The Machine Gun. History, Evolution, and Development of Manual, Automatic, and Airborne Repeating Weapons, vol I
3185:(FAC) is around US$ 150 million. To spread the development costs – and production base – more broadly, the
1350:—held air superiority, and the Luftwaffe played a major role in German victories in these campaigns. During the
758:
bolted metal deflector plates to the propeller so that it would not shoot itself out of the sky and a number of
746:. The French and the Germans didn't have an equivalent as they used two seaters for reconnaissance, such as the
5792:
5242:
2660:
The F-16's maneuverability was further enhanced by its slight aerodynamic instability. This technique, called "
2502:
2176:
179:
4884:
3064:
2924:" battlefield environment and are principally multirole aircraft. Key weapons technologies introduced include
1726:, and it was apparent that propeller-driven aircraft were approaching the limits of their performance. German
466:
and other "fighting scouts" of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. In World War II, the
5735:
5722:
5595:
3804:
3318:
3206:
3081:
3003:
2859:
2607:
2592:
2555:) offered longer range, more sophisticated night-attack systems or lower cost than supersonic fighters. With
2303:
2254:
as their primary jet fighter in the Korean War period, and it was one of the first jet fighters to employ an
2001:
The USSR experimented with a rocket-powered interceptor in the years immediately following World War II, the
1468:
1282:
World War II featured fighter combat on a larger scale than any other conflict to date. German Field Marshal
837:
and several French mountings were specifically designed for this kind of application, fitted with either the
653:
given the role. However they too proved unwieldy and vulnerable, so as the war progressed techniques such as
613:
4691:
Felix, Bate; Shalal, Andrea; Irish, John; Osmond, Ed; Pomeroy, Robin; Maclean, William (20 November 2018).
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generations, and their contribution in furthering development of individual fifth-generation technologies.
2626:
2439:
2100:
2026:
1655:
1583:
1456:
1368:
1291:
through combat with other fighters and through bomber interception, and also often performed roles such as
778:
507:
31:
4448:
2513:(ASM) equipped with electro-optical (E-O) contrast seekers – such as the initial model of the widely used
2082:
was one of the fastest aircraft of WWII and the first mass produced aircraft to use jet engine technology.
762:
were modified. The technique proved effective, however the deflected bullets were still highly dangerous.
221:
Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in
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5913:
5854:
4305:
3500:
3363:
3221:
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2403:
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in 1943 as a response to the increasing threat posed by Allied heavy bombers, particularly at night. The
1651:
1527:
1492:
1488:
1484:
1079:
1027:
developed innovative tactical formations and maneuvers to enhance their air units' combat effectiveness.
905:
877:
511:
236:
over the battlefield. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed by later standards, and most were
63:
17:
329:
at $ 47.2 billion in 2026: 35% modernization programs and 65% aircraft purchases, dominated by the
5371:
3689:
3085:
2894:
2733:
2576:
2490:
2391:
2312:
1662:
likened it to a great 'turkey shoot'. Late in the war, Japan began to produce new fighters such as the
1579:
1479:
for these battles. The Americans, in contrast, flew daylight bombing raids into Germany delivering the
854:
3637:. The English term fell out of favour during the late interwar years, though the designation P, as in
2134:
803:, after clearing the front line of German observation balloons with the first rocket attack in history
597:. Originating during World War I, by 1929 this class of fighters had become known as the interceptor.
459:. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, or other reasons.
6070:
5963:
5347:
3642:
3154:
2933:
2929:
2522:
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experienced by American fighters in the skies over Vietnam led the U.S. Navy to establish its famous
2231:
1956:
1876:
1672:
1647:
1480:
479:
366:
59:
37:
This article is about aircraft designed to combat other aircraft. For other usages of "fighter", see
3467:, which entered service in 1954 and was produced in improving versions until 1997. In more advanced
2262:
became the Royal Navy's first jet fighter. Radar was used on specialized night-fighters such as the
2048:, tested out by both the United States and the Soviet Union, and made obsolete with advancements in
1443:
5958:
4558:"Is China ready for aircraft carrier No 4? Talk swirls over stealth fighter jets at PLA naval base"
3551:
3459:
3405:
AIM-9 Sidewinder (underwing pylon) and AIM-120 AMRAAM (wingtip) carried by lightweight F-16 fighter
3282:
3134:
2956:
2877:
2661:
2615:
2372:
1959:
fighter, but this program was also canceled by VJ Day, with 80% of the engineering work completed.
1718:. Nevertheless, these fighters could only achieve modest increases in top speed due to problems of
1567:
1265:
38:
5049:
3832:
2521:(LGBs) became widespread in an effort to improve precision-attack capabilities. Guidance for such
2371:. Radar-guided (RF) missiles were introduced as well, but early examples proved unreliable. These
6004:
5931:
5812:
4773:
USAF: Next Generation Tactical Aircraft (Next Gen TACAIR) Materiel and Technology Concepts Search
4225:
3324:
The United Kingdom's proposed stealth fighter is being developed by a European consortium called
2921:
2673:
2564:
2506:
2482:
2458:
2395:
2215:
2061:
1974:
1968:
1635:
1614:
1296:
1270:
866:
755:
682:
568:
523:
456:
384:
168:
1495:, American fighters were able to escort far into Germany on daylight raids and by ranging ahead
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3314:
3262:
3229:
2940:
2840:
2773:
2714:
2638:
2560:
2510:
2185:
2049:
2002:
1952:
1792:
1543:
1395:
1292:
1083:
1035:
912:
racing airplane, with poor flight characteristics and a by now mediocre performance. The first
870:
665:
452:
444:
419:
125:
5323:
4359:
4104:
4077:
2113:
The first jets developed during World War II and saw combat in the last two years of the war.
1927:
design bureau sought to replace the La-7's wooden airframe with a metal one, as well as fit a
1471:
against German industry intended to wear down the Luftwaffe. Axis fighter aircraft focused on
893:'s firm was the first system to enter service. It would usher in what the British called the "
6016:
5994:
5921:
5891:
3121:
3102:
2761:
2683:
2368:
2267:
2263:
1864:
1120:
925:
820:
325:
The global combat aircraft market was worth $ 45.75 billion in 2017 and is projected by
311:
5317:. Vol. 9, no. 3. Whittier, California: The Society of World War I Aero Historians.
5219:
The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 20, available at
3930:
2326:
environment shaped the development of second-generation fighters. Technological advances in
1742:
construction, which improved their aerodynamic efficiency while adding structural strength.
5936:
5740:
4285:
3638:
3333:
3186:
2912:
2828:
2702:
2462:
2387:
2259:
2204:
2166:
2118:
2079:
1986:
1891:
1856:
1836:
1781:
1751:
1747:
1703:
1699:
1622:
1602:
1472:
1448:
1407:
1376:
1359:
1347:
1275:
1205:
1177:
1012:
853:
that could time the firing of the individual rounds to avoid hitting the propeller blades.
850:
808:
583:
540:
536:
519:
495:
or dropping small bombs and incendiaries. Versatile multi role fighter-bombers such as the
399:
374:
362:
330:
222:
133:
3858:
3688:. College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education. 22 September 2011. Archived from
3177:
Such aircraft are sophisticated and expensive. The fifth generation was ushered in by the
2532:
The third generation also led to the development of new automatic-fire weapons, primarily
2239:
formations and forced the withdrawal of numerous American types from operational service.
2157:– saw brief use, but by the end of the 1940s virtually all new fighters were jet-powered.
1981:, which made a successful maiden flight in March 1928. The only pure rocket aircraft ever
1147:
races, where competition grew so fierce, only national governments could afford to enter.
8:
5807:
5221:
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/files/2008_RAND_Pacific_View_Air_Combat_Briefing.pdf
3507:
3497:
3468:
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3237:
3117:
2967:
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2737:
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2597:
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2022:
1868:
1715:
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1639:
1626:
1606:
1598:
1594:
1551:
1432:
1311:
1228:
1197:
1030:
Allied and – before 1918 – German pilots of World War I were not equipped with
825:
661:
639:
594:
503:
409:
370:
326:
4235:, The Internet Encyclopedia of Science – Experimental Aircraft. Accessed 5 October 2008.
2363:
became commonplace, but early IR missile sensors had poor sensitivity and a very narrow
5531:
3511:
3503:
3414:
3395:
3310:
3158:
3150:
3011:
2975:
2908:
2868:
2797:
2718:
2698:
2466:
2283:
2271:
2041:
2017:
1948:
1872:
1707:
1643:
1503:
1339:
954:
of 1916 set the classic pattern followed by fighters for about twenty years. Most were
346:
288:
282:
4827:
Trimble, Stephen (May 2010), "Boeing plots return to next-generation fighter market",
2839:
being an exception in this regard). Attack roles were generally assigned to dedicated
2379:(BVR) combat, and much effort concentrated on further development of this technology.
2242:
The world's navies also transitioned to jets during this period, despite the need for
1898:. These guns were angled upwards to target the vulnerable underside of enemy bombers.
1687:
630:
The strategic fighter is a fast, heavily armed and long-range type, able to act as an
228:
Fighters continued to be developed throughout World War I, to deny enemy aircraft and
5941:
5908:
5797:
5772:
5686:
5680:
5635:
5617:
5599:
5576:
5570:
5538:
5488:
5470:
5451:
5441:
5426:
5402:
5375:
5351:
5329:
5300:
5282:
5156:
4365:
4268:
4144:
4110:
4083:
4056:
3940:
3936:
3278:
2777:
2688:
2556:
2518:
2367:(typically no more than 30°), which limited their effective use to only close-range,
2243:
2192:
The Americans began using jet fighters operationally after World War II, the wartime
1824:
1796:
1788:
1496:
1460:
1424:
1383:, and the general inferiority of Soviet designs at the time, such as the obsolescent
1351:
1315:
1209:
1185:
1168:
1162:
1151:
1073:
1056:
873:
782:
759:
747:
625:
424:
342:
106:
82:
78:
5313:
Blume, August G. (1968). Miller, Jr., Thomas G. (ed.). "Cross and Cockade Journal".
3773:
1589:
By mid-1942, the Allies began to regroup and while some Allied aircraft such as the
1517:
1451:, typical World War II fighter optimized for high level speeds and good climb rates.
1224:
792:
616:
in 1915, the night fighter has evolved into the highly capable all-weather fighter.
361:
called them "pursuit" aircraft until the late 1940s (using the designation P, as in
6038:
6033:
6028:
6009:
5999:
5896:
5886:
5820:
4420:"H.R.2647: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 – U.S. Congress"
3630:
3601:
3585:
3527:
3493:
3455:
3410:
3290:
3039:
2873:
2717:(MFD), all essential equipment as of 2019. Aircraft designers began to incorporate
2478:
2287:
2211:
2154:
1940:
1780:
machine guns, but by mid-war they often featured a combination of machine guns and
1618:
1590:
1575:
1507:
1372:
1355:
1343:
1201:
1189:
1144:
1060:
898:
815:, with the propeller mounted behind the pilot. The main drawback was that the high
734:
730:
483:
354:
102:
4469:"Chinese jet fighter 'sighting' raises fears over region's military power balance"
4427:
2985:
1923:'Fin'. Working through a series of prototypes, the La-120, La-126 and La-130, the
1887:
718:
5849:
5802:
5420:
5365:
5249:
5227:
5056:
4455:
4407:
4312:
4292:
4251:
4232:
4185:
4140:
4131:
3614:
3593:
3519:
3427:
3379:
3337:
3274:
3266:
3110:
2990:
2971:
2836:
2788:
2769:
2706:
2654:
2514:
2383:
2360:
2335:
2331:
2323:
2235:
2130:
2045:
1982:
1933:
1719:
1464:
1391:
1384:
1181:
1115:
1103:
1064:
939:
909:
845:, which due to their design were unsuitable for synchronizing. The need to arm a
834:
739:
645:
635:
556:
544:
471:
350:
117:
98:
4985:
2694:
Other innovative technologies introduced in fourth-generation fighters included
2672:(FADEC) to electronically manage powerplant performance was introduced with the
2308:
273:
to counter the much greater forces being applied to the pilot during maneuvers.
5978:
5973:
5946:
5447:
5048:"AIM-9X Sidewinder Air-to-air Missile", Raytheon Systems Company, available at
4636:"India withdraws from FGFA project, leaving Russia to go it alone – Jane's 360"
3622:
3531:
3473:
3440:
3217:
3130:
3125:
3035:
3031:
2904:
2903:
in 1992 led many governments to significantly decrease military spending as a "
2784:
2741:
2634:
2580:
2552:
2548:
2526:
2427:
2399:
2181:
2162:
2138:
2126:
1920:
1916:
1832:
1828:
1817:
1800:
1768:
1735:
1663:
1563:
1559:
1420:
1416:
1403:
1363:
1362:
proved roughly equal to Luftwaffe fighters. Additionally Britain's radar-based
1307:
1303:
1024:
1016:
894:
890:
816:
714:
631:
499:
are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types.
448:
440:
432:
428:
389:
233:
129:
5661:
5511:
5133:
The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 28.
5124:
The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 27.
4361:
Shaping U.S. military forces: revolution or relevance in a post–Cold War world
1791:
on their fighters. Fighters were also increasingly fitted with bomb racks and
974:
765:
Soon after the commencement of the war, pilots armed themselves with pistols,
66:(right) fly in a formation representing four generations of American fighters.
6064:
5951:
5881:
4914:
4401:
CRS RL33543, Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress 9 July 2009
4244:
3481:
3464:
3444:
3383:
3094:
3007:
2646:
2572:
2419:
2364:
2291:
2114:
1978:
1895:
1860:
1848:
1844:
1808:
1723:
1667:
1659:
1630:
1476:
1319:
1288:
1135:
1127:
1095:
1091:
1020:
920:
846:
743:
687:
650:
606:
589:
463:
413:
404:
394:
141:
137:
86:
55:
5243:
http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2016/04/ew-missiles-challenge.html
3538:
are more resistant to countermeasures and more effective than the AIM-120D.
3105:
while easing the pilot's workload. Avionics suites rely on extensive use of
2318:
Technological breakthroughs, lessons learned from the aerial battles of the
1406:, had not yet arrived in numbers and in any case were still inferior to the
5876:
5871:
5416:
4473:
4178:
4160:
3431:
3294:
3233:
3225:
3213:
3182:
3170:
3027:
3023:
3019:
2963:
2951:" ability. Stealth characteristics are focused primarily on frontal-aspect
2936:
2855:
2844:
2642:
2630:
2544:
2423:
2407:
2327:
2065:
1994:
1928:
1852:
1813:
1804:
1777:
1772:
1743:
1283:
1131:
1111:
1107:
1099:
987:
947:
930:
on the Western Front, downed a Morane-Saulnier Type L. His was one of five
515:
475:
245:
2807:
1110:
of 1918 to 900 hp (670 kW) in the 2,500 kg (5,500 lb)
998:
private-venture aircraft, made with steel, and some forty examples of the
713:, front-line aircraft were mostly unarmed and used almost exclusively for
642:
and maintain standing patrols at significant distance from its home base.
6021:
5968:
3436:
3371:
3329:
3178:
3098:
3084:, low-probability of intercept (LPI) data transmission capabilities. The
3068:
2948:
2765:
2745:
2339:
2255:
2030:
1785:
1738:, also entered service. World War II fighters also increasingly featured
1610:
1411:
1380:
1220:
1213:
1007:
999:
995:
979:
951:
829:
796:
710:
657:
were developed to extend the range of more nimble conventional fighters.
303:
292:
253:
90:
4610:"Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet has been used in Ukraine: TASS report"
3413:
heat-seeking (infrared homing) short-range missile was developed by the
4580:"Sukhoi Su-57 – A significant boost to Russian air combat capabilities"
3774:"Fighter —Definition and More from the Free Merriam Webster Dictionary"
3713:"Xclusive: US Air Force combat fleet's true operational costs revealed"
3419:
3387:
3356:
3165:
3162:
significantly increases IR signature when used in full military power.
3015:
2537:
2470:
2347:
2343:
2319:
2224:
2219:
2170:
2107:
2069:
1755:
1428:
1188:, but being short on funds, were forced to continue operating obsolete
991:
931:
812:
726:
703:
691:
668:
role, and so is able to defend itself while conducting attack sorties.
257:
214:
182: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
4400:
3352:
2664:" (RSS), was made possible by introduction of the "fly-by-wire" (FBW)
2230:
The Americans responded by rushing their own swept-wing fighter – the
1714:
produced in 1945 were equipped with the 2,035 hp (1,517 kW)
706:
would be the first to shoot down another aircraft, on 5 October 1914.
124:
Many modern fighter aircraft also have secondary capabilities such as
3905:
Night Fighters: A Development and Combat History', Patrick Stephens.]
3645:, was not formally replaced in the US Air Force until the late 1940s.
2979:
2944:
2820:
2677:
2619:
2533:
2351:
2279:
2247:
2201:
2193:
1924:
1759:
1739:
1522:
1499:
the Luftwaffe to establish control of the skies over Western Europe.
1437:
1156:
1031:
1003:
963:
889:
in German, for "pushrod control system") devised by the engineers of
862:
842:
800:
654:
488:
358:
249:
113:
85:. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish
2444:
2214:
jet-engine to the Soviets, who soon put it to use in their advanced
990:
developed two all-metal, single-seat fighter monoplane designs with
897:" and a period of air superiority for the German forces, making the
157:
3806:
Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1
3448:
3277:
by 2035. The overall development will be led by a collaboration of
3090:
2900:
2753:
2729:
2583:, the Phantom would become a highly successful multirole aircraft.
2454:
2411:
1763:
1676:
1459:
had a much different character. Much of this combat focused on the
1173:
959:
882:
774:
766:
492:
265:
210:
109:
of enemy targets, and helps prevent the enemy from doing the same.
5651:"Comparing the Effectiveness of Air-to-Air Fighters: F-86 to F-18"
3980:
3488:
30:"Jetfighter" and "Jet fighter" redirect here. For other uses, see
5859:
5787:
5592:
Designed for the Kill: The Jet Fighter—Development and Experience
3561:
3401:
3202:
2571:
was designed to capitalize on radar and missile technology as an
2010:
1698:
Fighter technology advanced rapidly during the Second World War.
1387:
1323:
967:
955:
770:
699:
237:
229:
94:
5504:
Promise and Reality: Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air-To-Air Combat
1143:
fighters of World War II. The most significant of these was the
908:, despite its being an adaptation of an obsolete pre-war French
819:
of a pusher type's tail structure made it slower than a similar
5866:
5155:, Chapter 1, Kindle Location 471, Naval Institute Press, 1993,
5050:
http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2000/pdf/navy/00aim9x.pdf
3286:
2801:
2474:
1944:
1795:
such as bombs or rockets beneath their wings, and pressed into
865:
due to unreliable ammunition. In December 1914, French aviator
270:
112:
The key performance features of a fighter include not only its
4723:"Spain Formally Joins Franco-German Future Fighter Initiative"
869:
asked Saulnier to install his synchronization gear on Garros'
4502:"China's New J-31 Stealth Fighter Takes Off on Maiden Flight"
4306:"A Troubling Past: Air Force Fighter Acquisition since 1945."
3535:
3359:
3198:
3106:
2824:
2793:
2710:
2669:
2433:
2266:, which also downed MiGs over Korea, and later fitted to the
1843:
on fighters. The primary purpose of these radars was to help
1840:
1542:
began with the entry of the Western Allies following Japan's
467:
277:
269:
development of ejection seats so the pilot could escape, and
5770:
4990:, Washington, USA: Bureau of Ordnance Department of the Navy
4693:"France, Germany agree on next step for fighter jet program"
3285:, while the engines will reportedly be jointly developed by
2036:
The only operational implementation of mixed propulsion was
938:, and was armed with a synchronized aviation version of the
4206:
3341:
3298:
3194:
2994:
2122:
2040:(RATO), a system rarely used in fighters, such as with the
2037:
1906:
1410:. As a result, during the early months of these campaigns,
1150:
At the very end of the inter-war period in Europe came the
785:
similarly added a pod on the top wing with no better luck.
308:
5736:
Fighter generations comparison chart on theaviationist.com
5325:
Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914
4532:"China's J-31 Stealth Fighter Just Became Carrier-Capable"
3812:. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History. p. 1
1919:'Fritz', which was an evolution of the successful wartime
539:), though "P" used to be used in the US for pursuit (e.g.
5510:, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, archived from
2862:
of the period might contain a mix of one air superiority
1901:
1006:, all based on his experience in creating the pioneering
93:. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield permits
5682:
The Pentagon Paradox: The Development of the F-18 Hornet
5085:
5030:
4953:
4941:
3958:
3956:
3744:"Combat aircraft market strong over next decade: report"
3116:
A key attribute of fifth-generation fighters is a small
1722:
created as aircraft and their propellers approached the
3216:. The J-20 took its maiden flight in January 2011. The
1943:(the La-9RD) and a similarly mounted pair of auxiliary
474:
often favored fighters over dedicated light bombers or
5202:, The Rand Corporation, 2008, slide 23, archived from
4690:
3584:
in English and many other European languages, such as
3133:), and coating internal and external metal areas with
2207:
which Britain sold to the air forces of many nations.
5254:
5018:
4254:. Planes of Fame Air Museum. Accessed 5 October 2008.
4032:
3996:
3953:
3344:. The aircraft is intended to enter service in 2035.
3014:, which is a ground-attack/multi-role variant of the
5297:
The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard
5153:
The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard
4965:
3968:
2959:(RAM), L-O coatings and limited shaping techniques.
2796:) supplemented by a larger contingent of lower-cost
1597:
were hopelessly outclassed by fighters like Japan's
1423:
had performance comparable to the German Bf 109 and
5277:Ahlgren, Jan; Linner, Anders; Wigert, Lars (2002),
5276:
5175:
5073:
4929:
4357:
4194:
4023:
3109:(VHSIC) technology, common modules, and high-speed
2278:as all-weather / night fighters. Early versions of
502:Some of the most expensive fighters such as the US
5530:
5367:Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
5106:
5006:
4667:"France, Germany to develop joint combat aircraft"
4467:Watts, Jonathan; Borger, Julian (5 January 2011).
4079:The First Air Campaign: August 1914– November 1918
3247:
2234:– into battle against the MiGs, which had similar
1638:and second-generation Allied fighters such as the
4994:
3472:greatly reduces risk. A prominent example is the
2586:
2297:
2117:developed the first operational jet fighter, the
638:, to carry out offensive sorties of its own as a
600:
6062:
5485:The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security
4885:"Inside Tempest – the fighter jet of the future"
4329:"History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places"
4179:"Aces of the Eighth Air Force in World War Two."
3203:Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery
3053:
2094:
5562:Fighters Attack and Training Aircraft 1914-1919
3089:he glances. These sensors, along with advanced
2955:(RCS) signature-reduction techniques including
2448:U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
4801:Air Force Kicks Off Search for 6th-Gen Fighter
4267:. New York City: Peerage Books, 1983, p. 159.
3830:
3780:. Encyclopædia Britannica. 22 September 2011.
2888:
2625:E-M characteristics were first applied to the
2473:. A number of technologies would be tried for
2453:would devolve into close-in dogfights. Analog
2210:The British transferred the technology of the
1951:; production was halted with the war's end on
1375:were overwhelmed during the opening phases of
1045:
5756:
5614:An Illustrated Guide to Modern Fighter Combat
3071:at the 2008 Joint Services Open House airshow
2880:attack aircraft (introduced in 1983) and the
2815:Most fourth-generation fighters, such as the
341:A fighter aircraft is primarily designed for
5719:Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51
5464:
5439:
4212:
4075:
3741:
2334:and aerospace building-materials (primarily
2322:, and a focus on conducting operations in a
2188:' only jet aircraft used during World War II
1731:
1682:
1394:. More modern Soviet designs, including the
5279:Gripen, the First Fourth Generation Fighter
4466:
4364:. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 125.
2543:Dedicated ground-attack aircraft (like the
2426:, and some were also equipped to deliver a
1875:, which then served as night fighters. The
1803:. Although they carried less ordnance than
1154:. This was just the opportunity the German
5763:
5749:
5710:Northrop F-5 Case Study in Aircraft Design
4915:"UK unveils new Tempest fighter jet model"
4295:. Aerospace web. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
3305:Currently at the concept stage, the first
2529:, which were introduced in the mid-1960s.
2434:1960s–1970s: Third-generation jet fighters
2121:A, primarily serving with the Luftwaffe's
1962:
1882:A concept originated from German engineer
1259:
562:
300:on components subjected to little stress.
5678:
4858:Boeing displays manned F/A-XX concept jet
4499:
4008:
3454:Radar guided missiles fall into two main
2943:; and improved secure, jamming-resistant
2525:(PGM) was provided by externally-mounted
2338:) permitted designers to experiment with
2044:, RATO-based takeoff scheme from special
1823:Heavily armed fighters such as Germany's
1727:
676:
671:
198:Learn how and when to remove this message
5528:
5281:, Swedish Air Force and Saab Aerospace,
4284:For one representation, see: Yoon, Joe.
3833:"Non-Standard DOD Aircraft Designations"
3487:
3400:
3351:
3164:
3063:
3038:. The Su-30SM/Su-35S and MiG-35 feature
2984:
2806:
2682:
2596:
2443:
2307:
2184:was Britain's first jet fighter and the
2175:
2073:
1910:North American P-51D Mustang during WWII
1905:
1686:
1442:
1269:
1078:
973:
787:
686:
302:
209:
45:
5698:
5572:Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering
5482:
5237:
5235:
4826:
4664:
4102:
3928:
3710:
3458:types. In the historically more common
2641:, while the larger wing would minimize
2055:
694:S.A.2, with gunner in "basket" up front
380:Recognized classes of fighter include:
27:Military aircraft for air-to-air combat
14:
6063:
5716:
5707:
5559:
5440:Grove, Eric; Ireland, Bernard (1997).
5415:
5321:
5294:
5151:Burton, James (Col., U.S. Air Force),
4849:
4351:
4191:, June 1999. Retrieved: 7 August 2011.
4038:
4024:Angelucci, A.; Matricardi, P. (1977).
4002:
3990:
3986:
3962:
3839:from the original on 27 September 2011
3802:
3711:Trimble, Stephen (22 September 2011).
3557:List of United States fighter aircraft
2670:Full Authority Digital Engine Controls
2290:and radar-guided missiles such as the
1902:1946–present: Post–World War II period
1114:of 1936. The debate between the sleek
5744:
5648:
5629:
5611:
5589:
5500:
5425:. New York, New York: Penguin Books.
5387:
5363:
5312:
5196:Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future
5181:
5112:
5091:
5079:
5036:
4983:
4959:
4947:
4935:
4703:from the original on 22 November 2018
4686:
4684:
4481:from the original on 10 November 2016
4159:
4026:World Aircraft: Origins – World War I
3974:
2651:General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
1530:over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."
1247:, which was a pair of aircraft. Each
1180:fighters did well, as did the Soviet
729:such with the Gordon Bennett Cup and
619:
333:with 3,000 deliveries over 20 years.
232:the ability to gather information by
5568:
5399:The Encyclopedia of Aircraft of WWII
5396:
5344:Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939
5341:
5260:
5232:
5024:
5012:
5000:
4971:
4925:from the original on 17 August 2018.
4820:
4748:, Air Force Magazine, October 2009,
4560:. South China Morning Post. May 2022
4265:Fighters and Bombers of World War II
4200:
3831:Andreas Parsch (22 September 2011).
3784:from the original on 9 November 2011
3754:from the original on 19 January 2019
3723:from the original on 29 January 2012
3580:Fighter aircraft was early on named
3309:is expected to enter service in the
2633:wing. The small size would minimize
1526:summed up when he said: "When I saw
1235:) was divided into several flights (
543:), a translation of the French "C" (
180:adding citations to reliable sources
151:
5658:U.S. DoD Contract MDA 903-81-C-0312
5550:
5465:Gunston, Bill; Spick, Mike (1983),
4752:from the original on 10 August 2011
4665:Schulte, Sebastian (13 July 2017).
4076:Lawson, Eric; Lawson, Jane (2007).
4050:
3199:short take-off and vertical landing
3135:radar-absorbent materials and paint
2608:Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory
2601:U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-15 Eagle
2137:design, the Luftwaffe intended the
1346:, Luftwaffe fighters—primarily the
1333:
1126:Some air forces experimented with "
357:" until the early 1920s, while the
24:
5844:Airborne early warning and control
4865:from the original on 21 March 2010
4681:
4586:. 26 February 2021. Archived from
4449:LockMart's 5TH Generation Fighters
3265:to replace their current fleet of
3261:France and Germany will develop a
3179:Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor
3107:very high-speed integrated circuit
3069:Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor
2475:vertical/short takeoff and landing
2173:became widespread in this period.
2029:–the first U.S. fighter to exceed
1894:and later versions of the Junkers
1778:.303 in (7.7 mm) caliber
1556:Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
1548:Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
1533:
916:victory came on 1 July 1915, when
25:
6082:
5729:
5487:, Smithsonian Institution Press,
4895:from the original on 21 July 2018
4808:from the original on 27 July 2011
4804:, Defense Tech, 5 November 2010,
4512:from the original on 6 April 2015
4132:Air power in the age of total war
3869:from the original on 27 July 2018
3195:conventional take-off and landing
3191:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
2760:Aerodynamic innovations included
1782:20 mm (0.79 in) cannons
994:wings: the strictly experimental
904:monoplane a feared name over the
876:. Unfortunately the gas-operated
664:is typically also fitted for the
551:while in Russia "I" was used for
533:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
336:
5390:The Fighter Aircraft Pocket Book
5315:History of the Serbian Air Force
4837:from the original on 10 May 2010
3742:Garrett Reim (18 January 2019).
3362:gun installation on West German
2740:RF AAM entered service with the
2538:20 mm (0.79 in) Vulcan
1473:defending against Allied bombers
1223:" formation by the German pilot
942:machine gun. The success of the
322:budgets of modern armed forces.
156:
5270:
5213:
5187:
5166:
5145:
5136:
5127:
5118:
5097:
5061:
5042:
4977:
4907:
4877:
4792:
4764:
4736:
4715:
4658:
4628:
4602:
4572:
4550:
4524:
4493:
4460:
4442:
4412:
4394:
4385:
4321:
4298:
4278:
4257:
4238:
4218:
4171:
4153:
4123:
4096:
4069:
4044:
4017:
3922:
3909:
3897:
3859:"Military Aircraft Terminology"
3648:
3248:2020s–present: Sixth-generation
3242:Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft
3006:, which is an evolution of the
2817:McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
2517:– became standard weapons, and
1993:in 1944, one of several German
497:McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
248:, most fighters were all-metal
167:needs additional citations for
5701:Introduction to Airborne Radar
5634:. Pegasus Publishing Limited.
5564:(Revised ed.). Blandford.
5537:, Airlife Publishing Limited,
4861:, Flight Global, 9 July 2009,
4143:. Taylor & Francis. p.43.
4082:. Da Capo Press. p. 123.
3919:, Macdonald and Jane's. p.573.
3881:
3851:
3824:
3803:Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978).
3796:
3766:
3735:
3717:Stephen Trimble's The Dew Line
3704:
3674:
3574:
3263:joint sixth-generation fighter
3155:fiber optics data transmission
2764:wings and exploitation of the
2587:1970s–2000s: Fourth-generation
2503:Dissimilar air combat training
2298:1950s–1960s: Second-generation
958:and only rarely monoplanes or
807:An alternative was to build a
601:Night and all-weather fighters
577:
13:
1:
5723:Smithsonian Institution Press
5596:United States Naval Institute
5555:. William Morrow and Company.
5533:Modern Combat Aircraft Design
5501:Higby, Patrick (March 2005),
5322:Buttar, Prit (20 June 2014).
4500:News Desk (31 October 2012).
3662:
3319:Next Generation Air Dominance
3054:2000s–2020s: Fifth-generation
3004:Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
2711:"hands on throttle-and-stick"
2593:Fourth-generation jet fighter
2361:infrared-guided (IR) missiles
2304:Second-generation jet fighter
2196:having proven a failure. The
2095:1940s–1950s: First-generation
1675:, and was largely reduced to
1455:Meanwhile, air combat on the
614:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c
518:were employed as all-weather
5616:, Salamander Books Limited,
5401:. Amber Books, Ltd, London.
4745:The Sixth Generation Fighter
4358:Duane Robert Worley (2006).
4165:Rommel as Military Commander
4106:Memoirs One: The Flying Game
3917:Warplanes of the Third Reich
3686:Air & Space Power Course
3667:
3386:were introduced. The modern
3307:sixth-generation jet fighter
3254:Sixth-generation jet fighter
3060:Fifth-generation jet fighter
2744:, which solely equipped the
2627:McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
2440:Third-generation jet fighter
2382:The prospect of a potential
2101:First-generation jet fighter
2027:Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor
1656:Battle of the Philippine Sea
1601:, others such as the Army's
1538:Major air combat during the
1485:Consolidated B-24 Liberators
779:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9
754:relying on a second gunner.
508:McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
116:but also its high speed and
32:Jet fighter (disambiguation)
7:
5553:Fighter Facts and Fallacies
4028:. Sampson Low. p. 110.
3545:
3364:Lockheed F-104G Starfighter
3317:beginning in 2025 with the
3222:United Aircraft Corporation
3147:electronic support measures
2889:1990s–2000s: 4.5-generation
2882:Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
2481:would be successful on the
2404:Republic F-105 Thunderchief
2198:Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
1673:Boeing B-29 Superfortresses
1652:North American P-51 Mustang
1544:attack against Pearl Harbor
1493:North American P-51 Mustang
1489:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
1046:1919–1938: Inter-war period
709:However at the outbreak of
512:Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
10:
6087:
5483:Hammond, Grant T. (2001),
5372:Little, Brown, and Company
4776:, USA: FBO, archived from
4051:Lee, Arthur Gould (1968).
3932:Pusher Aces of World War I
3778:Merriam Webster Dictionary
3347:
3251:
3086:infra-red search and track
3057:
2895:4.5 generation jet fighter
2892:
2590:
2523:precision-guided munitions
2491:electronic countermeasures
2437:
2392:English Electric Lightning
2313:English Electric Lightning
2301:
2218:fighter, which used fully
2098:
2059:
1966:
1786:.50 in (12.7 mm)
1758:that dramatically reduced
1568:Japan's campaigns in China
1520:, commander of the German
1263:
826:jammed rounds and misfires
680:
623:
604:
581:
566:
261:equipped with radar sets.
147:
36:
29:
5987:
5836:
5829:
5780:
5703:, Hughes Aircraft Company
5685:, Naval Institute Press,
5679:Stevenson, James (1993),
5632:Brassey's Modern Fighters
5575:. Naval Institute Press.
5348:Stanford University Press
5338:– via Google Books.
5299:, Naval Institute Press,
4671:IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
4109:. Trafford. p. 183.
3643:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
3321:air superiority fighter.
3026:modified variants of the
2957:radar-absorbent materials
2930:Global Positioning System
2734:Infrared search-and-track
2723:bonded-aluminum honeycomb
2507:terrain-avoidance systems
2246:of the new aircraft. The
2232:North American F-86 Sabre
2135:jet-powered light-fighter
2025:) obsolete. The American
1957:Consolidated Vultee XP-81
1877:Northrop P-61 Black Widow
1762:at high subsonic speeds.
1683:Technological innovations
1648:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
1481:Combined Bomber Offensive
1239:) of four aircraft. Each
1166:, and the Soviet Union's
537:Supermarine Spitfire F.22
531:indicate a fighter (e.g.
480:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
367:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
5717:Wagner, Raymond (2000),
5708:Stuart, William (1978),
5699:Stimson, George (1983),
5560:Munson, Kenneth (1976).
5529:Huenecke, Klaus (1987),
5392:, Jarrold and Sons, Ltd.
4333:Air & Space Magazine
4311:11 December 2016 at the
4213:Grove & Ireland 1997
4167:. Batsford. p. 162.
3567:
3552:List of fighter aircraft
3460:semi-active radar homing
3173:of the Russian Air Force
3034:upgraded version of the
2878:Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
2772:through the addition of
2732:skins to reduce weight.
2725:structural elements and
2674:Pratt & Whitney F100
2662:relaxed static stability
2616:aircraft-specific energy
2565:Pratt & Whitney TF30
2373:semi-active radar homing
2260:de Havilland Sea Vampire
2038:Rocket-Assisted Take Off
1266:Aviation in World War II
1208:started to supplant the
934:K/MG prototypes for the
478:, and types such as the
252:armed with batteries of
128:and some types, such as
5248:31 January 2017 at the
5055:1 February 2017 at the
4291:10 October 2008 at the
4103:Furniss, Harry (2000).
3863:www.northcentralwis.net
3378:Post war 20–30 mm
3315:F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
3201:(STOVL) fighter, and a
3145:", providing high-gain
2964:carbon-fiber composites
2715:multi-function displays
2573:all-weather interceptor
2511:Air-to-surface missiles
2459:flight control surfaces
2396:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
2216:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
2062:Jet fighter generations
2005:. Only two were built.
1975:rocket-powered aircraft
1969:Rocket-powered aircraft
1963:Rocket-powered fighters
1793:air-to-surface ordnance
1767:rather than relying on
1636:Lockheed P-38 Lightning
1550:primarily operated the
1260:1939–1945: World War II
1176:over Spain, the latest
1002:, made with corrugated
683:Aviation in World War I
569:Air superiority fighter
563:Air superiority fighter
524:air superiority fighter
385:Air superiority fighter
264:By the end of the war,
81:designed primarily for
5649:Sprey, Pierre (1982),
5422:The Balkans: 1804–2012
5364:Coram, Robert (2002),
5295:Burton, James (1993),
4406:30 August 2009 at the
4129:John Buckley (1998). "
3929:Guttman, John (2009).
3915:Gunston, Bill (1970),
3903:Gunston, Bill (1976),
3634:
3626:
3618:
3605:
3597:
3589:
3522:
3409:The highly successful
3406:
3366:
3230:Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate
3174:
3072:
2998:
2932:(GPS)–guided weapons,
2841:ground-attack aircraft
2812:
2800:(such as the F-16 and
2774:leading-edge extension
2713:(HOTAS) controls, and
2691:
2649:" would result in the
2639:thrust-to-weight ratio
2602:
2559:wings, the supersonic
2449:
2369:tail-chase engagements
2315:
2189:
2083:
2050:surface-to-air missile
2003:Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
1911:
1716:Rolls-Royce Griffon 61
1695:
1576:Malaysia and Singapore
1452:
1396:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
1279:
1169:Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
1087:
1084:Nieuport-Delage NiD.52
1036:Manfred von Richthofen
982:
871:Morane-Saulnier Type L
804:
695:
677:1914–1918: World War I
672:Piston engine fighters
487:fighter role with the
445:reconnaissance fighter
420:Reconnaissance fighter
314:
218:
67:
5569:Shaw, Robert (1985).
5068:Modern Fighter Combat
4984:Chinn, G. M. (1951),
4454:6 August 2009 at the
4286:"Fighter Generations"
4231:14 March 2008 at the
4184:8 August 2011 at the
4139:29 March 2017 at the
3491:
3426:The effectiveness of
3404:
3355:
3168:
3103:situational awareness
3067:
2988:
2941:helmet-mounted sights
2810:
2686:
2666:flight-control system
2610:developed by Colonel
2600:
2569:McDonnell F-4 Phantom
2447:
2377:"beyond-visual-range"
2311:
2268:McDonnell F2H Banshee
2264:Douglas F3D Skyknight
2179:
2171:all-moving tailplanes
2077:
1909:
1865:de Havilland Mosquito
1692:Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat
1690:
1580:the Dutch East Indies
1446:
1373:Soviet fighter forces
1278:warbird demonstrator
1276:Messerschmitt Bf 109E
1273:
1264:Further information:
1243:was divided into two
1121:power-to-weight ratio
1082:
977:
926:Feldflieger Abteilung
791:
717:. On 15 August 1914,
690:
681:Further information:
353:referred to them as "
312:Lockheed Martin F-35A
306:
213:
49:
5630:Spick, Mike (2000).
5612:Spick, Mike (1987),
5590:Spick, Mike (1995),
5342:Coox, Alvin (1985),
4780:on 28 September 2011
4536:nationalinterest.org
4304:Hallion, Richard P.
4250:20 July 2016 at the
4055:. London: Jarrolds.
4014:Woodman, 1989, p. 33
3639:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
3516:Lockheed Martin F-35
3271:Eurofighter Typhoons
3187:Joint Strike Fighter
3101:for vastly improved
2876:introduced were the
2829:Dassault Mirage 2000
2703:look-down/shoot-down
2545:Grumman A-6 Intruder
2495:loss-exchange ratios
2342:innovations such as
2205:de Havilland Vampire
2080:Messerschmitt Me 262
2056:Jet-powered fighters
1987:Messerschmitt Me 163
1857:Messerschmitt Bf 110
1752:Messerschmitt Me 163
1748:Messerschmitt Me 262
1603:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
1449:Supermarine Spitfire
1408:Messerschmitt Bf 109
1377:Operation Barbarossa
1348:Messerschmitt Bf 109
1293:tactical air support
1206:Supermarine Spitfire
1178:Messerschmitt Bf 109
1013:Dornier-Zeppelin D.I
584:Interceptor aircraft
541:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
363:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
331:Lockheed Martin F-35
327:Frost & Sullivan
223:conventional warfare
176:improve this article
52:F-16 Fighting Falcon
5914:Electronic warfare
5397:Eden, Paul (2004).
5388:Cross, Roy (1962),
5226:19 May 2017 at the
5094:, pp. 116–118.
5070:, Mike Spick, p.14.
5039:, pp. 113–116.
4962:, pp. 3, 7–14.
4950:, pp. 116–132.
4584:Airforce Technology
3682:"Mitchell's Theory"
3508:Eurofighter Typhoon
3469:active radar homing
3238:Russo-Ukrainian War
3118:radar cross-section
3076:have multifunction
2968:Eurofighter Typhoon
2953:radar cross section
2926:beyond-visual-range
2849:A-10 Thunderbolt II
2798:multi-role fighters
2789:Panavia Tornado ADV
2746:Grumman F-14 Tomcat
2738:active-radar-homing
2719:composite materials
2699:fire-control radars
2286:(AAMs) such as the
2284:air-to-air missiles
2276:McDonnell F3H Demon
2252:Grumman F9F Panther
1884:Bernhard J. Schrage
1869:Bristol Beaufighter
1607:Grumman F4F Wildcat
1599:Mitsubishi A6M Zero
1552:Mitsubishi A6M Zero
1433:Bell P-39 Airacobra
1354:, however, British
1312:Mitsubishi A6M Zero
1198:Neville Chamberlain
662:penetration fighter
640:penetration fighter
555:, or exterminator (
545:Dewoitine D.520 C.1
504:Grumman F-14 Tomcat
410:All-weather fighter
371:Bell P-63 Kingcobra
289:Air-to-air missiles
5855:Counter-insurgency
5721:, Washington, DC:
5551:Lee, John (1942).
5517:on 31 January 2017
5469:, Crescent Books,
5328:. Bloomsbury USA.
4506:defense-update.com
4430:on 3 November 2013
3692:on 20 January 2012
3534:, and the Chinese
3523:
3512:Saab JAS 39 Gripen
3415:United States Navy
3407:
3396:air-to-air missile
3367:
3311:United States Navy
3197:(CTOL) fighter, a
3175:
3159:stealth technology
3151:electronic warfare
3073:
3012:F-15E Strike Eagle
2999:
2976:Saab JAS 39 Gripen
2813:
2768:to achieve higher
2766:vortex lift effect
2692:
2603:
2553:LTV A-7 Corsair II
2519:laser-guided bombs
2450:
2316:
2272:Vought F7U Cutlass
2244:catapult-launching
2190:
2084:
2042:zero-length launch
2018:Saunders-Roe SR.53
1949:Ryan FR-1 Fireball
1912:
1855:such as Germany's
1789:heavy machine guns
1696:
1640:Grumman F6 Hellcat
1540:war in the Pacific
1504:Operation Overlord
1453:
1340:invasion of Poland
1280:
1088:
983:
811:scout such as the
805:
760:Morane-Saulnier Ns
696:
620:Strategic fighters
347:Royal Flying Corps
315:
283:target acquisition
219:
68:
6056:
6055:
6052:
6051:
5909:Close air support
5773:military aircraft
5667:on 27 August 2021
5467:Modern Air Combat
5443:Jane's War at Sea
5432:978-1-77089-273-6
5306:978-1-61251-369-0
5263:, pp. 45–61.
5172:Stevenson, p. 36.
5161:978-1-61251-369-0
5027:, pp. 16–24.
4833:, Flight Global,
4538:. 30 October 2021
4371:978-0-275-99031-2
4263:Munson, Kenneth.
4177:Sherman, Steven.
4116:978-1-55212-513-7
4089:978-0-306-81668-0
3937:Osprey Publishing
3888:The Gloster S.S.8
3719:. Flight Global.
3435:guns in the 1967
3372:automatic cannons
2980:HAL Tejas Mark 1A
2811:An F/A-18C Hornet
2689:Russian Air Force
2637:and increase the
2557:variable-geometry
1825:Focke-Wulf Fw 190
1797:close air support
1644:Vought F4 Corsair
1463:campaigns of the
1461:strategic bombing
1425:Focke-Wulf Fw 190
1352:Battle of Britain
1316:Fiat G.50 Freccia
1210:Gloster Gladiator
1186:Fiat G.50 Freccia
1163:Regia Aeronautica
1152:Spanish Civil War
1057:Gloster Gladiator
978:A replica German
874:parasol monoplane
843:Lewis Machine gun
783:Sopwith L.R.T.Tr.
748:Morane-Saulnier L
626:Strategic fighter
425:Strategic fighter
343:air-to-air combat
208:
207:
200:
107:strategic bombing
83:air-to-air combat
79:military aircraft
16:(Redirected from
6078:
6071:Fighter aircraft
5917:
5834:
5833:
5816:
5765:
5758:
5751:
5742:
5741:
5725:
5713:
5712:, Northrop Corp.
5704:
5695:
5675:
5674:
5672:
5666:
5660:, archived from
5655:
5645:
5626:
5608:
5586:
5565:
5556:
5547:
5536:
5525:
5524:
5522:
5516:
5509:
5497:
5479:
5461:
5436:
5412:
5393:
5384:
5360:
5339:
5335:978-1-78200648-0
5318:
5309:
5291:
5264:
5258:
5252:
5239:
5230:
5217:
5211:
5210:
5208:
5201:
5191:
5185:
5179:
5173:
5170:
5164:
5149:
5143:
5142:Stevenson, p. 9.
5140:
5134:
5131:
5125:
5122:
5116:
5110:
5104:
5101:
5095:
5089:
5083:
5077:
5071:
5065:
5059:
5046:
5040:
5034:
5028:
5022:
5016:
5010:
5004:
4998:
4992:
4991:
4981:
4975:
4974:, pp. 1–21.
4969:
4963:
4957:
4951:
4945:
4939:
4933:
4927:
4926:
4921:. 16 July 2018.
4911:
4905:
4904:
4902:
4900:
4881:
4875:
4873:
4872:
4870:
4853:
4847:
4845:
4844:
4842:
4824:
4818:
4816:
4815:
4813:
4796:
4790:
4788:
4787:
4785:
4768:
4762:
4760:
4759:
4757:
4740:
4734:
4733:
4731:
4729:
4719:
4713:
4712:
4710:
4708:
4688:
4679:
4678:
4677:on 14 June 2018.
4673:. Archived from
4662:
4656:
4655:
4653:
4651:
4642:. Archived from
4632:
4626:
4625:
4623:
4621:
4606:
4600:
4599:
4597:
4595:
4590:on 16 April 2022
4576:
4570:
4569:
4567:
4565:
4554:
4548:
4547:
4545:
4543:
4528:
4522:
4521:
4519:
4517:
4497:
4491:
4490:
4488:
4486:
4464:
4458:
4446:
4440:
4439:
4437:
4435:
4426:. Archived from
4416:
4410:
4398:
4392:
4389:
4383:
4382:
4380:
4378:
4355:
4349:
4348:
4346:
4344:
4335:. Archived from
4325:
4319:
4316:Airpower Journal
4302:
4296:
4282:
4276:
4261:
4255:
4242:
4236:
4224:Darling, David.
4222:
4216:
4210:
4204:
4198:
4192:
4175:
4169:
4168:
4157:
4151:
4127:
4121:
4120:
4100:
4094:
4093:
4073:
4067:
4066:
4048:
4042:
4036:
4030:
4029:
4021:
4015:
4012:
4006:
4000:
3994:
3984:
3978:
3972:
3966:
3960:
3951:
3950:
3946:978-1-84603417-6
3926:
3920:
3913:
3907:
3901:
3895:
3885:
3879:
3878:
3876:
3874:
3855:
3849:
3848:
3846:
3844:
3828:
3822:
3821:
3819:
3817:
3811:
3800:
3794:
3793:
3791:
3789:
3770:
3764:
3763:
3761:
3759:
3739:
3733:
3732:
3730:
3728:
3708:
3702:
3701:
3699:
3697:
3678:
3656:
3652:
3646:
3613:
3582:pursuit aircraft
3578:
3456:missile guidance
3411:AIM-9 Sidewinder
3328:, consisting of
3291:MTU Aero Engines
3275:Panavia Tornados
3267:Dassault Rafales
3141:a sort of "mini-
3040:thrust vectoring
2874:stealth aircraft
2776:devices such as
2770:angles of attack
2707:head-up displays
2687:A MiG-31 of the
2479:thrust vectoring
2288:AIM-9 Sidewinder
2212:Rolls-Royce Nene
2155:Ryan FR Fireball
2046:launch platforms
1941:pulsejet engines
1871:, and America's
1835:, and America's
1629:. In China, the
1591:Brewster Buffalo
1508:tactical bombing
1344:Battle of France
1334:European theater
1314:and the Italian
1202:Hawker Hurricane
1190:Fiat CR.42 Falco
1145:Schneider Trophy
1104:Aircraft engines
1061:Fiat CR.42 Falco
887:Stangensteuerung
859:Raymond Saulnier
731:Schneider Trophy
484:Hawker Hurricane
203:
196:
192:
189:
183:
160:
152:
75:pursuit aircraft
71:Fighter aircraft
21:
6086:
6085:
6081:
6080:
6079:
6077:
6076:
6075:
6061:
6060:
6057:
6048:
5983:
5959:Maritime patrol
5932:Air superiority
5915:
5825:
5814:
5776:
5775:types and roles
5769:
5732:
5693:
5670:
5668:
5664:
5653:
5642:
5624:
5606:
5583:
5545:
5520:
5518:
5514:
5507:
5495:
5477:
5458:
5433:
5409:
5382:
5358:
5336:
5307:
5289:
5273:
5268:
5267:
5259:
5255:
5250:Wayback Machine
5240:
5233:
5228:Wayback Machine
5218:
5214:
5206:
5199:
5193:
5192:
5188:
5180:
5176:
5171:
5167:
5150:
5146:
5141:
5137:
5132:
5128:
5123:
5119:
5111:
5107:
5102:
5098:
5090:
5086:
5078:
5074:
5066:
5062:
5057:Wayback Machine
5047:
5043:
5035:
5031:
5023:
5019:
5011:
5007:
4999:
4995:
4982:
4978:
4970:
4966:
4958:
4954:
4946:
4942:
4934:
4930:
4913:
4912:
4908:
4898:
4896:
4883:
4882:
4878:
4868:
4866:
4855:
4854:
4850:
4840:
4838:
4825:
4821:
4811:
4809:
4798:
4797:
4793:
4783:
4781:
4770:
4769:
4765:
4755:
4753:
4742:
4741:
4737:
4727:
4725:
4721:
4720:
4716:
4706:
4704:
4689:
4682:
4663:
4659:
4649:
4647:
4634:
4633:
4629:
4619:
4617:
4608:
4607:
4603:
4593:
4591:
4578:
4577:
4573:
4563:
4561:
4556:
4555:
4551:
4541:
4539:
4530:
4529:
4525:
4515:
4513:
4498:
4494:
4484:
4482:
4465:
4461:
4456:Wayback Machine
4447:
4443:
4433:
4431:
4418:
4417:
4413:
4408:Wayback Machine
4399:
4395:
4390:
4386:
4376:
4374:
4372:
4356:
4352:
4342:
4340:
4327:
4326:
4322:
4313:Wayback Machine
4303:
4299:
4293:Wayback Machine
4283:
4279:
4262:
4258:
4252:Wayback Machine
4243:
4239:
4233:Wayback Machine
4226:"Lippisch Ente"
4223:
4219:
4211:
4207:
4199:
4195:
4186:Wayback Machine
4176:
4172:
4158:
4154:
4141:Wayback Machine
4128:
4124:
4117:
4101:
4097:
4090:
4074:
4070:
4063:
4049:
4045:
4037:
4033:
4022:
4018:
4013:
4009:
4001:
3997:
3989:, p. 316;
3985:
3981:
3973:
3969:
3961:
3954:
3947:
3927:
3923:
3914:
3910:
3902:
3898:
3886:
3882:
3872:
3870:
3857:
3856:
3852:
3842:
3840:
3829:
3825:
3815:
3813:
3809:
3801:
3797:
3787:
3785:
3772:
3771:
3767:
3757:
3755:
3740:
3736:
3726:
3724:
3709:
3705:
3695:
3693:
3680:
3679:
3675:
3670:
3665:
3660:
3659:
3653:
3649:
3609:
3606:aereo da caccia
3598:avion de chasse
3579:
3575:
3570:
3548:
3520:Dassault Rafale
3428:infrared homing
3380:revolver cannon
3350:
3338:Leonardo S.p.A.
3256:
3250:
3062:
3056:
2991:Dassault Rafale
2972:Dassault Rafale
2922:network-centric
2899:The end of the
2897:
2891:
2837:Panavia Tornado
2762:variable-camber
2721:in the form of
2705:" capability),
2655:Lockheed Martin
2595:
2589:
2563:introduced the
2515:AGM-65 Maverick
2442:
2436:
2400:fighter-bombers
2384:third world war
2336:aluminum alloys
2324:nuclear warfare
2306:
2300:
2270:and swept-wing
2131:V-1 flying bomb
2103:
2097:
2091:such aircraft.
2072:
2058:
1971:
1965:
1904:
1801:fighter-bombers
1720:compressibility
1685:
1605:and the Navy's
1572:the Philippines
1536:
1534:Pacific theater
1502:By the time of
1385:Polikarpov I-15
1336:
1289:air superiority
1268:
1262:
1227:. Each fighter
1182:Polikarpov I-16
1116:in-line engines
1065:Polikarpov I-15
1048:
940:Parabellum MG14
910:Morane-Saulnier
855:Franz Schneider
835:Foster mounting
799:, armed with a
740:Sopwith Tabloid
733:. The military
685:
679:
674:
628:
622:
609:
603:
586:
580:
571:
565:
557:Polikarpov I-16
427:(including the
412:(including the
351:Royal Air Force
339:
204:
193:
187:
184:
173:
161:
150:
130:fighter-bombers
118:maneuverability
99:attack aircraft
87:air superiority
73:(early on also
42:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
6084:
6074:
6073:
6054:
6053:
6050:
6049:
6047:
6046:
6041:
6036:
6031:
6026:
6025:
6024:
6014:
6013:
6012:
6005:Reconnaissance
6002:
5997:
5991:
5989:
5985:
5984:
5982:
5981:
5979:Strike fighter
5976:
5974:Fighter-bomber
5971:
5966:
5961:
5956:
5955:
5954:
5949:
5944:
5939:
5934:
5924:
5919:
5911:
5906:
5901:
5900:
5899:
5894:
5889:
5884:
5879:
5874:
5864:
5863:
5862:
5857:
5847:
5840:
5838:
5831:
5827:
5826:
5824:
5823:
5818:
5810:
5805:
5800:
5795:
5790:
5784:
5782:
5778:
5777:
5768:
5767:
5760:
5753:
5745:
5739:
5738:
5731:
5730:External links
5728:
5727:
5726:
5714:
5705:
5696:
5691:
5676:
5646:
5640:
5627:
5622:
5609:
5604:
5587:
5581:
5566:
5557:
5548:
5543:
5526:
5498:
5493:
5480:
5475:
5462:
5456:
5448:Harper Collins
5437:
5431:
5413:
5407:
5394:
5385:
5380:
5361:
5356:
5334:
5319:
5310:
5305:
5292:
5287:
5272:
5269:
5266:
5265:
5253:
5231:
5212:
5209:on 19 May 2017
5186:
5174:
5165:
5144:
5135:
5126:
5117:
5105:
5096:
5084:
5072:
5060:
5041:
5029:
5017:
5005:
4993:
4976:
4964:
4952:
4940:
4928:
4906:
4876:
4848:
4819:
4791:
4763:
4735:
4714:
4680:
4657:
4646:on 23 May 2018
4627:
4601:
4571:
4549:
4523:
4492:
4459:
4441:
4411:
4393:
4384:
4370:
4350:
4339:on 12 May 2013
4320:
4318:, Winter 1990.
4297:
4277:
4256:
4245:"Me-163 Komet"
4237:
4217:
4215:, p. 182.
4205:
4203:, p. 370.
4193:
4170:
4152:
4122:
4115:
4095:
4088:
4068:
4061:
4043:
4041:, p. 161.
4031:
4016:
4007:
4005:, p. 298.
3995:
3993:, p. 298.
3979:
3977:, p. 291.
3967:
3965:, p. 316.
3952:
3945:
3921:
3908:
3896:
3880:
3850:
3823:
3795:
3765:
3734:
3703:
3672:
3671:
3669:
3666:
3664:
3661:
3658:
3657:
3647:
3627:jachtvliegtuig
3572:
3571:
3569:
3566:
3565:
3564:
3559:
3554:
3547:
3544:
3530:, the Russian
3528:Meteor missile
3474:AIM-120 AMRAAM
3441:Yom Kippur War
3349:
3346:
3252:Main article:
3249:
3246:
3224:with Russia's
3218:Shenyang FC-31
3131:Northrop YF-23
3095:glass cockpits
3082:high-bandwidth
3058:Main article:
3055:
3052:
3036:Mikoyan MiG-29
2966:, include the
2905:peace dividend
2893:Main article:
2890:
2887:
2785:Mikoyan MiG-31
2742:AIM-54 Phoenix
2727:graphite epoxy
2701:(providing a "
2591:Main article:
2588:
2585:
2581:B-24 Liberator
2549:SEPECAT Jaguar
2527:targeting pods
2438:Main article:
2435:
2432:
2402:, such as the
2390:, such as the
2302:Main article:
2299:
2296:
2182:Gloster Meteor
2163:ejection seats
2139:Heinkel He 162
2127:Gloster Meteor
2099:Main article:
2096:
2093:
2057:
2054:
1967:Main article:
1964:
1961:
1945:ramjet engines
1921:Lavochkin La-7
1917:Lavochkin La-9
1903:
1900:
1849:heavy fighters
1845:night fighters
1833:Hawker Tempest
1829:Hawker Typhoon
1816:and increased
1769:kinetic energy
1736:Gloster Meteor
1700:Piston-engines
1684:
1681:
1664:Nakajima Ki-84
1660:fighter pilots
1642:and later the
1595:P-39 Airacobra
1564:Nakajima Ki-43
1560:Nakajima Ki-27
1535:
1532:
1518:Hermann Göring
1477:night fighters
1421:Lavochkin La-5
1417:Yakovlev Yak-9
1364:Dowding system
1335:
1332:
1308:Nakajima Ki-43
1304:Nakajima Ki-27
1297:reconnaissance
1261:
1258:
1225:Werner Mölders
1128:heavy fighters
1047:
1044:
1025:Edward Mannock
1017:Oswald Boelcke
895:Fokker scourge
891:Anthony Fokker
793:Jules Védrines
715:reconnaissance
678:
675:
673:
670:
651:heavy fighters
632:escort fighter
624:Main article:
621:
618:
605:Main article:
602:
599:
582:Main article:
579:
576:
567:Main article:
564:
561:
457:reconnaissance
449:strike fighter
441:Fighter-bomber
439:Of these, the
437:
436:
433:strike fighter
429:escort fighter
422:
417:
407:
402:
397:
392:
390:Fighter-bomber
387:
338:
337:Classification
335:
276:In the 1950s,
234:reconnaissance
217:"pusher" scout
206:
205:
164:
162:
155:
149:
146:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
6083:
6072:
6069:
6068:
6066:
6059:
6045:
6042:
6040:
6037:
6035:
6032:
6030:
6027:
6023:
6020:
6019:
6018:
6015:
6011:
6008:
6007:
6006:
6003:
6001:
5998:
5996:
5993:
5992:
5990:
5986:
5980:
5977:
5975:
5972:
5970:
5967:
5965:
5962:
5960:
5957:
5953:
5950:
5948:
5945:
5943:
5940:
5938:
5935:
5933:
5930:
5929:
5928:
5925:
5923:
5920:
5918:
5912:
5910:
5907:
5905:
5902:
5898:
5895:
5893:
5890:
5888:
5885:
5883:
5882:Medium bomber
5880:
5878:
5875:
5873:
5870:
5869:
5868:
5865:
5861:
5858:
5856:
5853:
5852:
5851:
5848:
5845:
5842:
5841:
5839:
5835:
5832:
5828:
5822:
5819:
5817:
5811:
5809:
5806:
5804:
5801:
5799:
5796:
5794:
5791:
5789:
5786:
5785:
5783:
5779:
5774:
5766:
5761:
5759:
5754:
5752:
5747:
5746:
5743:
5737:
5734:
5733:
5724:
5720:
5715:
5711:
5706:
5702:
5697:
5694:
5692:1-55750-775-9
5688:
5684:
5683:
5677:
5663:
5659:
5652:
5647:
5643:
5641:1-57488-247-3
5637:
5633:
5628:
5625:
5623:0-86101-319-0
5619:
5615:
5610:
5607:
5605:0-87021-059-9
5601:
5597:
5593:
5588:
5584:
5582:0-87021-059-9
5578:
5574:
5573:
5567:
5563:
5558:
5554:
5549:
5546:
5540:
5535:
5534:
5527:
5513:
5506:
5505:
5499:
5496:
5494:1-56098-941-6
5490:
5486:
5481:
5478:
5476:91-972803-8-0
5472:
5468:
5463:
5459:
5457:0-00-472065-2
5453:
5449:
5445:
5444:
5438:
5434:
5428:
5424:
5423:
5418:
5417:Glenny, Misha
5414:
5410:
5408:1-904687-07-5
5404:
5400:
5395:
5391:
5386:
5383:
5381:0-316-88146-5
5377:
5373:
5369:
5368:
5362:
5359:
5357:0-8047-1160-7
5353:
5349:
5345:
5337:
5331:
5327:
5326:
5320:
5316:
5311:
5308:
5302:
5298:
5293:
5290:
5288:91-972803-8-0
5284:
5280:
5275:
5274:
5262:
5257:
5251:
5247:
5244:
5238:
5236:
5229:
5225:
5222:
5216:
5205:
5198:
5197:
5190:
5184:, p. 13.
5183:
5178:
5169:
5162:
5158:
5154:
5148:
5139:
5130:
5121:
5114:
5109:
5100:
5093:
5088:
5082:, p. 82.
5081:
5076:
5069:
5064:
5058:
5054:
5051:
5045:
5038:
5033:
5026:
5021:
5015:, p. 15.
5014:
5009:
5002:
4997:
4989:
4988:
4980:
4973:
4968:
4961:
4956:
4949:
4944:
4938:, p. 54.
4937:
4932:
4924:
4920:
4916:
4910:
4894:
4890:
4886:
4880:
4864:
4860:
4859:
4852:
4836:
4832:
4831:
4823:
4807:
4803:
4802:
4795:
4779:
4775:
4774:
4767:
4751:
4747:
4746:
4739:
4724:
4718:
4702:
4698:
4694:
4687:
4685:
4676:
4672:
4668:
4661:
4645:
4641:
4640:www.janes.com
4637:
4631:
4616:. 20 May 2022
4615:
4611:
4605:
4589:
4585:
4581:
4575:
4559:
4553:
4537:
4533:
4527:
4511:
4507:
4503:
4496:
4480:
4476:
4475:
4470:
4463:
4457:
4453:
4450:
4445:
4429:
4425:
4421:
4415:
4409:
4405:
4402:
4397:
4388:
4373:
4367:
4363:
4362:
4354:
4338:
4334:
4330:
4324:
4317:
4314:
4310:
4307:
4301:
4294:
4290:
4287:
4281:
4274:
4273:0-907408-37-0
4270:
4266:
4260:
4253:
4249:
4246:
4241:
4234:
4230:
4227:
4221:
4214:
4209:
4202:
4197:
4190:
4189:acepilots.com
4187:
4183:
4180:
4174:
4166:
4162:
4161:Lewin, Ronald
4156:
4150:
4149:1-85728-589-1
4146:
4142:
4138:
4134:
4133:
4126:
4118:
4112:
4108:
4107:
4099:
4091:
4085:
4081:
4080:
4072:
4064:
4062:0-09-086590-1
4058:
4054:
4047:
4040:
4035:
4027:
4020:
4011:
4004:
3999:
3992:
3988:
3983:
3976:
3971:
3964:
3959:
3957:
3948:
3942:
3939:. p. 9.
3938:
3934:
3933:
3925:
3918:
3912:
3906:
3900:
3893:
3889:
3884:
3868:
3864:
3860:
3854:
3838:
3834:
3827:
3808:
3807:
3799:
3783:
3779:
3775:
3769:
3753:
3749:
3745:
3738:
3722:
3718:
3714:
3707:
3691:
3687:
3683:
3677:
3673:
3651:
3644:
3640:
3636:
3632:
3628:
3624:
3620:
3616:
3612:
3607:
3603:
3599:
3595:
3591:
3590:avión de caza
3587:
3583:
3577:
3573:
3563:
3560:
3558:
3555:
3553:
3550:
3549:
3543:
3539:
3537:
3533:
3529:
3521:
3517:
3513:
3509:
3505:
3502:
3499:
3495:
3490:
3486:
3483:
3482:AIM-7 Sparrow
3477:
3475:
3470:
3466:
3465:AIM-7 Sparrow
3463:type was the
3461:
3457:
3452:
3450:
3449:1991 Gulf War
3446:
3445:Falklands War
3442:
3438:
3433:
3429:
3424:
3421:
3416:
3412:
3403:
3399:
3397:
3392:
3389:
3385:
3384:rotary cannon
3381:
3376:
3373:
3365:
3361:
3358:
3354:
3345:
3343:
3339:
3335:
3331:
3327:
3322:
3320:
3316:
3312:
3308:
3303:
3300:
3296:
3292:
3288:
3284:
3280:
3276:
3272:
3268:
3264:
3259:
3255:
3245:
3243:
3239:
3235:
3231:
3227:
3223:
3219:
3215:
3210:
3208:
3204:
3200:
3196:
3192:
3188:
3184:
3180:
3172:
3167:
3163:
3160:
3156:
3152:
3148:
3144:
3138:
3136:
3132:
3127:
3126:thermoplastic
3123:
3119:
3114:
3112:
3108:
3104:
3100:
3096:
3092:
3087:
3083:
3079:
3070:
3066:
3061:
3051:
3047:
3043:
3041:
3037:
3033:
3029:
3025:
3021:
3017:
3013:
3009:
3008:F/A-18 Hornet
3005:
2996:
2992:
2987:
2983:
2981:
2977:
2973:
2969:
2965:
2960:
2958:
2954:
2950:
2946:
2942:
2938:
2935:
2931:
2927:
2923:
2917:
2914:
2913:semiconductor
2910:
2906:
2902:
2896:
2886:
2883:
2879:
2875:
2871:
2870:
2865:
2861:
2857:
2852:
2850:
2846:
2842:
2838:
2834:
2830:
2826:
2822:
2818:
2809:
2805:
2803:
2799:
2795:
2792:the F-15 and
2790:
2786:
2781:
2779:
2775:
2771:
2767:
2763:
2758:
2755:
2749:
2747:
2743:
2739:
2735:
2731:
2728:
2724:
2720:
2716:
2712:
2708:
2704:
2700:
2697:
2696:pulse-Doppler
2690:
2685:
2681:
2679:
2675:
2671:
2667:
2663:
2658:
2656:
2652:
2648:
2647:Fighter mafia
2644:
2640:
2636:
2632:
2628:
2623:
2621:
2617:
2613:
2609:
2599:
2594:
2584:
2582:
2578:
2574:
2570:
2566:
2562:
2558:
2554:
2550:
2546:
2541:
2539:
2535:
2530:
2528:
2524:
2520:
2516:
2512:
2508:
2504:
2500:
2496:
2492:
2486:
2484:
2480:
2476:
2472:
2468:
2464:
2460:
2456:
2446:
2441:
2431:
2429:
2425:
2424:gravity bombs
2421:
2420:rate of climb
2417:
2413:
2409:
2405:
2401:
2397:
2393:
2389:
2385:
2380:
2378:
2374:
2370:
2366:
2365:field of view
2362:
2356:
2353:
2349:
2345:
2341:
2337:
2333:
2329:
2325:
2321:
2314:
2310:
2305:
2295:
2293:
2292:AIM-7 Sparrow
2289:
2285:
2281:
2277:
2273:
2269:
2265:
2261:
2257:
2253:
2249:
2245:
2240:
2237:
2233:
2228:
2226:
2221:
2217:
2213:
2208:
2206:
2203:
2199:
2195:
2187:
2183:
2178:
2174:
2172:
2168:
2164:
2158:
2156:
2152:
2148:
2144:
2140:
2136:
2132:
2128:
2124:
2120:
2116:
2115:Messerschmitt
2111:
2109:
2108:unswept wings
2102:
2092:
2088:
2081:
2076:
2071:
2067:
2063:
2053:
2051:
2047:
2043:
2039:
2034:
2032:
2028:
2024:
2019:
2014:
2012:
2006:
2004:
1999:
1996:
1992:
1988:
1984:
1983:mass-produced
1980:
1979:Lippisch Ente
1976:
1970:
1960:
1958:
1954:
1950:
1946:
1942:
1937:
1935:
1930:
1926:
1922:
1918:
1908:
1899:
1897:
1893:
1889:
1888:Schrage Musik
1885:
1880:
1878:
1874:
1870:
1866:
1862:
1861:Junkers Ju 88
1858:
1854:
1853:light bombers
1850:
1846:
1842:
1838:
1834:
1830:
1826:
1821:
1819:
1815:
1810:
1806:
1802:
1798:
1794:
1790:
1787:
1783:
1779:
1774:
1773:heavy bombers
1770:
1765:
1761:
1757:
1753:
1749:
1745:
1741:
1737:
1733:
1729:
1725:
1724:sound barrier
1721:
1717:
1713:
1709:
1705:
1701:
1693:
1689:
1680:
1678:
1674:
1669:
1668:Kawanishi N1K
1665:
1661:
1657:
1653:
1649:
1645:
1641:
1637:
1632:
1631:Flying Tigers
1628:
1624:
1620:
1616:
1612:
1608:
1604:
1600:
1596:
1592:
1587:
1585:
1581:
1577:
1573:
1569:
1565:
1561:
1557:
1553:
1549:
1545:
1541:
1531:
1529:
1525:
1524:
1519:
1516:
1511:
1509:
1505:
1500:
1498:
1494:
1490:
1486:
1483:. Unescorted
1482:
1478:
1474:
1470:
1466:
1462:
1458:
1457:Western Front
1450:
1445:
1441:
1439:
1434:
1430:
1426:
1422:
1418:
1413:
1409:
1405:
1404:Yakolev Yak-1
1401:
1397:
1393:
1389:
1386:
1382:
1378:
1374:
1370:
1369:Eastern Front
1365:
1361:
1357:
1353:
1349:
1345:
1341:
1331:
1328:
1326:
1321:
1320:Macchi MC.200
1317:
1313:
1309:
1305:
1300:
1298:
1294:
1290:
1285:
1277:
1272:
1267:
1257:
1254:
1250:
1246:
1242:
1238:
1234:
1230:
1226:
1222:
1217:
1215:
1211:
1207:
1203:
1199:
1193:
1191:
1187:
1183:
1179:
1175:
1171:
1170:
1165:
1164:
1159:
1158:
1153:
1148:
1146:
1140:
1137:
1136:medium bomber
1133:
1129:
1124:
1122:
1117:
1113:
1109:
1105:
1101:
1097:
1096:radial engine
1093:
1092:rotary engine
1085:
1081:
1077:
1075:
1069:
1066:
1062:
1058:
1052:
1043:
1039:
1037:
1033:
1028:
1026:
1022:
1021:Max Immelmann
1018:
1014:
1009:
1005:
1001:
997:
993:
989:
981:
976:
972:
969:
965:
961:
957:
953:
949:
945:
941:
937:
933:
929:
927:
922:
921:Kurt Wintgens
919:
915:
911:
907:
906:Western Front
903:
902:
896:
892:
888:
884:
879:
875:
872:
868:
867:Roland Garros
864:
860:
856:
852:
848:
847:tractor scout
844:
840:
836:
831:
827:
822:
818:
814:
810:
802:
798:
794:
790:
786:
784:
780:
776:
772:
768:
763:
761:
757:
756:Roland Garros
751:
749:
745:
744:Bristol Scout
741:
736:
732:
728:
723:
720:
719:Miodrag Tomić
716:
712:
707:
705:
701:
693:
689:
684:
669:
667:
666:ground-attack
663:
658:
656:
652:
647:
643:
641:
637:
633:
627:
617:
615:
608:
607:Night fighter
598:
596:
591:
585:
575:
570:
560:
558:
554:
550:
546:
542:
538:
534:
528:
525:
521:
517:
513:
509:
505:
500:
498:
494:
490:
485:
481:
477:
473:
469:
465:
464:Sopwith Camel
460:
458:
454:
453:ground attack
450:
446:
442:
434:
430:
426:
423:
421:
418:
415:
414:night fighter
411:
408:
406:
405:Light fighter
403:
401:
398:
396:
395:Heavy fighter
393:
391:
388:
386:
383:
382:
381:
378:
376:
372:
368:
364:
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
334:
332:
328:
323:
319:
313:
310:
305:
301:
297:
294:
290:
286:
284:
279:
274:
272:
267:
262:
259:
255:
251:
247:
242:
239:
235:
231:
226:
224:
216:
212:
202:
199:
191:
181:
177:
171:
170:
165:This section
163:
159:
154:
153:
145:
143:
142:night fighter
139:
138:heavy fighter
135:
131:
127:
126:ground attack
122:
119:
115:
110:
108:
104:
101:to engage in
100:
96:
92:
88:
84:
80:
76:
72:
65:
61:
57:
56:P-51D Mustang
53:
48:
44:
40:
33:
19:
6058:
6017:Surveillance
5995:Experimental
5926:
5877:Light bomber
5872:Heavy bomber
5718:
5709:
5700:
5681:
5669:, retrieved
5662:the original
5657:
5631:
5613:
5591:
5571:
5561:
5552:
5544:0-517-412659
5532:
5519:, retrieved
5512:the original
5503:
5484:
5466:
5442:
5421:
5398:
5389:
5366:
5343:
5324:
5314:
5296:
5278:
5271:Bibliography
5256:
5215:
5204:the original
5195:
5189:
5177:
5168:
5152:
5147:
5138:
5129:
5120:
5115:, p. 8.
5108:
5103:Coram, p.219
5099:
5087:
5075:
5067:
5063:
5044:
5032:
5020:
5008:
5003:, p. 6.
4996:
4986:
4979:
4967:
4955:
4943:
4931:
4918:
4909:
4897:. Retrieved
4888:
4879:
4867:, retrieved
4857:
4851:
4839:, retrieved
4829:
4822:
4810:, retrieved
4800:
4794:
4782:, retrieved
4778:the original
4772:
4766:
4754:, retrieved
4744:
4738:
4726:. Retrieved
4717:
4705:. Retrieved
4696:
4675:the original
4670:
4660:
4648:. Retrieved
4644:the original
4639:
4630:
4618:. Retrieved
4614:AeroTime Hub
4613:
4604:
4592:. Retrieved
4588:the original
4583:
4574:
4562:. Retrieved
4552:
4540:. Retrieved
4535:
4526:
4514:. Retrieved
4505:
4495:
4483:. Retrieved
4474:The Guardian
4472:
4462:
4444:
4432:. Retrieved
4428:the original
4424:OpenCongress
4423:
4414:
4396:
4387:
4375:. Retrieved
4360:
4353:
4341:. Retrieved
4337:the original
4332:
4323:
4315:
4300:
4280:
4264:
4259:
4240:
4220:
4208:
4196:
4188:
4173:
4164:
4155:
4130:
4125:
4105:
4098:
4078:
4071:
4053:No Parachute
4052:
4046:
4034:
4025:
4019:
4010:
3998:
3982:
3970:
3931:
3924:
3916:
3911:
3904:
3899:
3891:
3883:
3871:. Retrieved
3862:
3853:
3843:25 September
3841:. Retrieved
3826:
3814:. Retrieved
3805:
3798:
3788:25 September
3786:. Retrieved
3777:
3768:
3756:. Retrieved
3748:Flightglobal
3747:
3737:
3727:25 September
3725:. Retrieved
3716:
3706:
3696:25 September
3694:. Retrieved
3690:the original
3685:
3676:
3650:
3635:jaktflygplan
3619:Jagdflugzeug
3581:
3576:
3540:
3524:
3506:used on the
3478:
3453:
3432:AIM-4 Falcon
3425:
3408:
3393:
3377:
3368:
3326:Team Tempest
3325:
3323:
3304:
3260:
3257:
3234:Sukhoi Su-57
3226:Mikoyan LMFS
3214:Chengdu J-20
3211:
3183:flyaway cost
3176:
3171:Sukhoi Su-57
3139:
3115:
3080:radars with
3074:
3048:
3044:
3028:Sukhoi Su-27
3000:
2961:
2937:phased-array
2928:(BVR) AAMs;
2918:
2898:
2867:
2856:US Air Force
2853:
2845:Sukhoi Su-25
2843:such as the
2832:
2814:
2782:
2759:
2750:
2693:
2659:
2643:wing loading
2624:
2604:
2577:Marine Corps
2542:
2531:
2487:
2451:
2428:nuclear bomb
2415:
2408:Sukhoi Su-7B
2388:interceptors
2381:
2357:
2340:aeronautical
2328:aerodynamics
2317:
2250:adopted the
2241:
2229:
2209:
2191:
2159:
2142:
2112:
2104:
2089:
2085:
2066:Jet aircraft
2052:technology.
2035:
2015:
2007:
2000:
1995:World War II
1990:
1972:
1938:
1929:laminar flow
1913:
1881:
1873:Douglas A-20
1863:, Britain's
1837:Curtiss P-40
1827:, Britain's
1822:
1744:Laminar flow
1697:
1694:, early 1942
1588:
1537:
1521:
1515:Reichmarshal
1514:
1512:
1501:
1454:
1337:
1324:
1301:
1284:Erwin Rommel
1281:
1252:
1248:
1244:
1240:
1236:
1232:
1218:
1194:
1167:
1161:
1155:
1149:
1141:
1125:
1112:Curtiss P-36
1108:Fokker D.VII
1100:Curtiss D-12
1089:
1070:
1053:
1049:
1040:
1029:
988:Hugo Junkers
984:
948:Albatros D.I
943:
935:
924:
917:
913:
900:
886:
806:
764:
752:
724:
708:
697:
659:
644:
629:
610:
587:
572:
552:
548:
529:
520:interceptors
516:Sukhoi Su-27
514:and Russian
501:
476:dive bombers
461:
438:
379:
340:
324:
320:
316:
298:
287:
275:
263:
254:machine guns
246:World War II
243:
227:
220:
194:
188:October 2021
185:
174:Please help
169:verification
166:
123:
111:
74:
70:
69:
43:
5969:Interdictor
5937:Interceptor
5846:(AEW&C)
5521:24 December
4830:The Dewline
4728:22 December
4707:21 November
4594:26 February
4485:17 December
4039:Munson 1976
4003:Buttar 2014
3991:Buttar 2014
3987:Glenny 2012
3963:Glenny 2012
3494:MBDA Meteor
3437:Six-Day War
3334:Rolls-Royce
3330:BAE Systems
3137:(RAM/RAP).
3099:data fusion
2949:supercruise
2934:solid-state
2631:higher-lift
2471:blown flaps
2412:Dogfighting
2348:delta wings
2344:swept wings
2256:afterburner
2220:swept wings
1756:swept wings
1623:Guadalcanal
1611:Thach Weave
1431:, with the
1381:Great Purge
1338:During the
1221:finger-four
1214:Hawker Fury
1008:Junkers J 1
1000:Junkers D.I
996:Junkers J 2
980:Fokker Dr.I
952:Sopwith Pup
830:Nieuport 11
797:Nieuport 16
711:World War I
634:protecting
590:lightweight
578:Interceptor
522:as well as
455:or unarmed
400:Interceptor
375:interceptor
293:Vietnam War
134:interceptor
91:battlespace
64:F-22 Raptor
62:(top), and
18:Jet fighter
5988:Non-combat
5964:Multi-role
5897:Pathfinder
5892:Penetrator
5808:Helicopter
5798:Fixed-wing
5182:Higby 2005
5113:Higby 2005
5092:Sprey 1982
5080:Sprey 1982
5037:Sprey 1982
4960:Higby 2005
4948:Sprey 1982
4936:Sprey 1982
4542:30 October
4477:. London.
4377:20 January
3975:Blume 1968
3816:24 January
3758:19 January
3663:References
3420:all-aspect
3388:M61 Vulcan
3360:20 mm
3149:(ESM) and
3111:data buses
3030:, and the
3016:F-15 Eagle
2854:A typical
2835:(with the
2534:chain-guns
2465:, powered
2352:area-ruled
2332:propulsion
2320:Korean War
2236:transsonic
2225:Korean War
2167:air brakes
2151:April 1945
2070:Jet engine
2060:See also:
1973:The first
1627:New Guinea
1554:, and the
1429:Lend-Lease
1356:Hurricanes
1196:behest of
1192:biplanes.
1160:, Italian
1074:harmonised
1032:parachutes
992:cantilever
932:Fokker M.5
851:mechanisms
813:Airco DH.2
727:air racing
704:Voisin III
655:drop tanks
553:Istrebitel
250:monoplanes
230:dirigibles
215:Airco DH.2
60:F-86 Sabre
58:(bottom),
6044:Transport
5942:Emergency
5887:Strategic
5813:Unmanned
5261:Shaw 1985
5025:Shaw 1985
5013:Shaw 1985
5001:Shaw 1985
4972:Shaw 1985
4889:Techradar
4201:Eden 2004
3873:18 August
3668:Citations
3611:‹See Tfd›
3480:fired 50
3122:thermoset
2945:datalinks
2909:microchip
2821:HAL Tejas
2754:man-hours
2678:sobriquet
2620:OODA loop
2612:John Boyd
2280:Infra-red
2248:U.S. Navy
2202:twin boom
2194:Bell P-59
1925:Lavochkin
1799:roles as
1754:featured
1740:monocoque
1708:Merlin II
1679:attacks.
1615:Coral Sea
1558:flew the
1523:Luftwaffe
1438:Wehrmacht
1360:Spitfires
1231:(German:
1174:dogfights
1157:Luftwaffe
1004:duralumin
960:triplanes
944:Eindecker
936:Eindecker
914:Eindecker
901:Eindecker
883:ricochets
878:Hotchkiss
863:hang fire
839:Hotchkiss
821:"tractor"
489:U.S. Navy
359:U.S. Army
114:firepower
6065:Category
5922:Intruder
5419:(2012).
5246:Archived
5224:Archived
5053:Archived
4923:Archived
4919:BBC News
4893:Archived
4869:6 August
4863:archived
4841:6 August
4835:archived
4812:6 August
4806:archived
4784:6 August
4750:archived
4701:Archived
4510:Archived
4479:Archived
4452:Archived
4404:Archived
4309:Archived
4289:Archived
4248:Archived
4229:Archived
4182:Archived
4163:(1968).
4137:Archived
3867:Archived
3837:Archived
3782:Archived
3752:Archived
3721:Archived
3546:See also
3279:Dassault
3091:avionics
2939:radars;
2901:Cold War
2864:squadron
2858:fighter
2847:and the
2730:laminate
2499:"TOPGUN"
2461:such as
2455:avionics
2406:and the
2013:return.
1985:was the
1977:was the
1764:Armament
1750:and the
1712:variants
1710:, while
1704:Spitfire
1677:Kamikaze
1666:and the
1650:and the
1593:and the
1562:and the
1528:Mustangs
1497:attrited
1467:and the
1390:and the
1342:and the
1237:Schwärme
1229:squadron
956:biplanes
918:Leutnant
809:"pusher"
777:and the
775:SPAD S.A
771:grenades
767:carbines
549:Chasseur
493:strafing
266:turbojet
238:biplanes
103:tactical
54:(left),
6039:Trainer
6034:Testbed
6000:Liaison
5927:Fighter
5904:Carrier
5860:Gunship
5821:Stealth
5793:Balloon
5788:Airship
5771:Modern
4899:22 July
4756:27 July
4697:Reuters
4650:18 June
4516:1 April
4434:1 April
4343:1 April
3655:p.125).
3631:Swedish
3602:Italian
3586:Spanish
3562:Warbird
3348:Weapons
3207:payload
3020:Su-30SM
2997:in 2009
2869:stealth
2778:strakes
2709:(HUD),
2483:Harrier
2463:canards
2398:F; and
2011:gliding
1388:biplane
1327:-forces
1241:Schwarm
1233:Staffel
968:Vickers
899:Fokker
795:in his
646:Bombers
636:bombers
271:G-suits
258:cannons
148:History
95:bombers
89:of the
39:Fighter
6029:Tanker
5947:Escort
5867:Bomber
5850:Attack
5837:Combat
5803:Glider
5689:
5671:2 July
5638:
5620:
5602:
5579:
5541:
5491:
5473:
5454:
5429:
5405:
5378:
5354:
5332:
5303:
5285:
5159:
4620:20 May
4368:
4271:
4147:
4113:
4086:
4059:
3943:
3892:Flight
3615:German
3594:French
3518:, and
3295:Thales
3287:Safran
3283:Airbus
3273:, and
3232:plan,
3032:MiG-35
3024:Su-35S
3018:, the
3010:, the
2978:, and
2802:MiG-29
2477:, but
2469:, and
2416:per se
2350:, and
2258:. The
2186:Allies
2119:Me 262
2068:, and
2031:Mach 1
2023:SR.177
1953:VJ-Day
1892:Bf 110
1809:medium
1732:rocket
1646:, the
1619:Midway
1546:. The
1400:LaGG-3
1253:Rotten
1245:Rotten
1063:, and
1023:, and
595:ranges
547:) for
355:scouts
140:, and
77:) are
6022:Scout
6010:Scout
5952:Night
5830:Roles
5815:(UAV)
5781:Types
5665:(PDF)
5654:(PDF)
5515:(PDF)
5508:(PDF)
5207:(PDF)
5200:(PDF)
4564:1 May
3810:(PDF)
3623:Dutch
3568:Notes
3536:PL-15
3532:R-37M
3496:, an
3143:AWACS
2993:over
2833:passé
2825:JF-17
2794:Su-27
2657:'s).
2653:(now
2561:F-111
2467:slats
2282:(IR)
2143:Spatz
1991:Komet
1934:La-11
1896:Ju 88
1841:radar
1805:light
1584:Burma
1469:USAAF
1249:Rotte
1132:light
964:Maxim
923:, of
801:Lewis
735:scout
700:pilot
468:USAAF
278:radar
5916:(EW)
5687:ISBN
5673:2016
5636:ISBN
5618:ISBN
5600:ISBN
5577:ISBN
5539:ISBN
5523:2016
5489:ISBN
5471:ISBN
5452:ISBN
5427:ISBN
5403:ISBN
5376:ISBN
5352:ISBN
5330:ISBN
5301:ISBN
5283:ISBN
5157:ISBN
4901:2018
4871:2011
4843:2011
4814:2011
4786:2011
4758:2011
4730:2023
4709:2018
4652:2018
4622:2022
4596:2021
4566:2022
4544:2021
4518:2015
4487:2016
4436:2015
4379:2011
4366:ISBN
4345:2015
4269:ISBN
4145:ISBN
4111:ISBN
4084:ISBN
4057:ISBN
3941:ISBN
3875:2018
3845:2011
3818:2022
3790:2011
3760:2019
3729:2011
3698:2011
3382:and
3342:MBDA
3340:and
3299:MBDA
3297:and
3289:and
3281:and
3228:and
3124:and
3078:AESA
3022:and
2995:RIAT
2911:and
2860:wing
2827:and
2787:and
2635:drag
2551:and
2394:and
2274:and
2180:The
2169:and
2147:JG 1
2123:JG 7
2078:The
2016:The
1867:and
1859:and
1831:and
1818:drag
1814:lift
1807:and
1760:drag
1730:and
1625:and
1582:and
1487:and
1419:and
1412:Axis
1402:and
1392:I-16
1358:and
1318:and
1310:and
1295:and
1212:and
1204:and
1090:The
950:and
817:drag
742:and
692:SPAD
660:The
482:and
470:and
462:The
447:and
431:and
369:and
349:and
309:USAF
307:The
105:and
97:and
4135:",
3641:or
3504:AAM
3501:BVR
3498:ARH
3492:An
3357:M61
2804:).
2149:by
1851:or
1728:jet
1465:RAF
1134:or
966:or
841:or
559:).
535:or
472:RAF
256:or
244:By
178:by
50:An
6067::
5656:,
5598:,
5594:,
5450:.
5446:.
5374:,
5370:,
5350:,
5346:,
5234:^
4917:.
4891:.
4887:.
4699:.
4695:.
4683:^
4669:.
4638:.
4612:.
4582:.
4534:.
4508:.
4504:.
4471:.
4422:.
4331:.
3955:^
3935:.
3890:,
3865:.
3861:.
3835:.
3776:.
3750:.
3746:.
3715:.
3684:.
3633::
3629:,
3625::
3621:,
3617::
3608:,
3604::
3600:,
3596::
3592:,
3588::
3514:,
3510:,
3451:.
3336:,
3332:,
3293:.
3269:,
3209:.
3169:A
3157:,
3093:,
2989:A
2982:.
2974:,
2970:,
2851:.
2823:,
2819:,
2780:.
2547:,
2509:.
2485:.
2430:.
2414:,
2410:.
2346:,
2330:,
2165:,
2141:A
2064:,
1989:B
1621:,
1617:,
1586:.
1578:,
1574:,
1447:A
1440:.
1398:,
1371:,
1306:,
1299:.
1274:A
1123:.
1102:.
1059:,
1019:,
769:,
510:,
506:,
443:,
377:.
365:,
225:.
144:.
136:,
5764:e
5757:t
5750:v
5644:.
5585:.
5460:.
5435:.
5411:.
5340:*
5163:.
4903:.
4874:.
4846:.
4817:.
4789:.
4761:.
4732:.
4711:.
4654:.
4624:.
4598:.
4568:.
4546:.
4520:.
4489:.
4438:.
4381:.
4347:.
4275:.
4119:.
4092:.
4065:.
3949:.
3877:.
3847:.
3820:.
3792:.
3762:.
3731:.
3700:.
2920:"
1325:g
928:6
435:)
416:)
201:)
195:(
190:)
186:(
172:.
41:.
34:.
20:)
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