Fighter aircraft - Knowledge

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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".

1643:, 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 3515:

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

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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.

762:, 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 2064: 3109:. 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, 2166: 3474:

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.

3054: 1069: 1433: 2896:". 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 1260: 2673: 2587: 2975: 1677: 2114:, 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 1065:, 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. 2298: 307:

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.

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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.

3233:(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. 293: 677: 2411:. 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 2951:"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 3412:

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.

2797: 3155: 3342: 1173:. 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 2434: 147: 3478: 200: 1189:(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 274:. 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. 3391: 2099:. 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. 3359:

history 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

3465:, 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. 1896: 2407:, 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 1868:, 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. 874:. 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 1691:, 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 2725:(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 3142:(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, 1425:

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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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

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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

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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

2820:, 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 2740:

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

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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

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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

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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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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

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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

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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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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

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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

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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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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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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

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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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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

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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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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

2189:(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 2075:

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."

2657:(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, 1764:

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

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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.

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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.

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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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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

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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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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.

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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

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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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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

2216:, 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. 3290:

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

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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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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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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",

2568:. 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 2094:

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

3387:. 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. 3432:. 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 637:

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

739:, 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. 1083:, 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 959:

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.

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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.

999:

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

3035:

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.

1030:

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.

1023:, 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 2556:, 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 1403:

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

1275:

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

951:. 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 269:

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

3406:

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

1828:, 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 2150:

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

2611:" (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. 1555:, 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 2990:

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

2494:(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 2348:

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

2076:

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.

1925:'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. 581:

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

2211:

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

3117:

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

1040:

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.

1043:

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

1127:

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.

1559:. 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 2634:; 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 " 1920:

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

2594:

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

515:

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.

726:

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

869:

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

2861:, 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 4678: 1903:

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

2936:. 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 " 2478:

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

1056:

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.

1244:

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.

2364:(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 4749: 1836:

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

1495:

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

1004:) 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 4557: 440:

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

1944:, 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 2737:, 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. 1205:

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.

2607:

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 "

362:). 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 3878:, 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." 3735: 3383:

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

4840: 2603:

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

4613: 4487: 2529:), 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. 714:

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

4308: 4456: 3247:

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.

3302:

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

2482:(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 1998:

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

4727: 3436:. 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 5241: 5212: 4812: 3704: 3201:

Other countries have initiated fifth-generation fighter development projects. In December 2010, it was discovered that China is developing the 5th generation fighter

838:

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

5706: 121:, 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 4670: 3086:, helmet-mounted sights (not currently on F-22), and improved secure, jamming-resistant LPI datalinks are highly integrated to provide multi-platform, multi-sensor 1809:

and therefore decreased performance) could be jettisoned and they could engage enemy fighters, which eliminated the need for fighter escorts that bombers required.

1311:. 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 1602:) 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 1480:

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

2665:

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

480:, 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 4644: 2855:(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 1291:

Fighter design varied widely among combatants. The Japanese and Italians favored lightly armed and armored but highly maneuverable designs such as the Japanese

577:

The interceptor is a fighter designed specifically to intercept and engage approaching enemy aircraft. There are two general classes of interceptor: relatively

4783: 2122:, 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 817:

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

334:. 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 1872: 1319:

overcome by sound tactical doctrine, and the design approach of the Italians and Japanese made their fighters ill-suited as interceptors or attack aircraft.

1928:

This period also witnessed experimentation with jet-assisted piston engine aircraft. La-9 derivatives included examples fitted with two underwing auxiliary

2142:. 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 5263: 4755: 3194:(CATOBAR) fighter, each of which has a different unit price and slightly varying specifications in terms of fuel capacity (and therefore range), size and 2446:

began to appear, replacing older "steam-gauge" cockpit instrumentation. Enhancements to the aerodynamic performance of third-generation fighters included

4870: 3102:. Overall, the integration of all these elements is claimed to provide fifth-generation fighters with a "first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability". 1879:

system involved mounting upward-facing cannon turrets, typically twin 20mm or 30mm guns, in the belly of German night fighters such as the Messerschmitt

1700: 4535: 1087:

though major advances led to inline engines gaining ground with several exceptional engines—including the 1,145 cu in (18,760 cm) V-12

4431: 3178:(JSF) program enrolls eight other countries as cost- and risk-sharing partners. Altogether, the nine partner nations anticipate procuring over 3,000 1760:

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

827: 4565: 4288: 4979: 3665: 4700: 1075:, 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. 687:

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

5259:"Can U.S. air-to-air missiles hit their targets through today's enemy electronic warfare?", Military and Aerospace Electronics, 12 April 2016, 2022:

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.

2772:

Unlike interceptors of the previous eras, most fourth-generation air-superiority fighters were designed to be agile dogfighters (although the

2490:

fighter-weapons school, which provided a graduate-level curriculum to train fleet fighter-pilots in advanced Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) and

5699: 5032: 3820: 935:

kicked off a competitive cycle of improvement among the combatants, both sides striving to build ever more capable single-seat fighters. The

4208: 1723:-powered fighters entered combat in 1944, too late to impact the war's outcome. The same year the Allies' only operational jet fighter, the 1502:

Allied fighters, by gaining air superiority over the European battlefield, played a crucial role in the eventual defeat of the Axis, which

1499:

of battlefield targets. With the Luftwaffe largely cleared from the skies, Allied fighters increasingly served as ground attack aircraft.

1368:. This was a result of the tactical surprise at the outset of the campaign, the leadership vacuum within the Soviet military left by the 1240:

was composed of a leader and a wingman. This flexible formation allowed the pilots to maintain greater situational awareness, and the two

4509: 3727: 1773:, and late in the war often only cannons. The Americans, in contrast, had problems producing a cannon design, so instead placed multiple 1464:

while Allied fighters' main role was as bomber escorts. The RAF raided German cities at night, and both sides developed radar-equipped

4834: 2525:

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

846:, a Swiss engineer, had patented such a device in Germany in 1913, but his original work was not followed up. French aircraft designer 4268: 35: 4621: 4479: 3850: 2487: 4587: 4316: 1208:

The Spanish Civil War also provided an opportunity for updating fighter tactics. One of the innovations was the development of the "

5692: 3182:

fighters at an anticipated average FAC of $ 80–85 million. The F-35, however, is designed to be a family of three aircraft, a

1095:

increased in power several-fold over the period, going from a typical 180 hp (130 kW) in the 900 kg (2,000 lb)

847: 777: 770:

added a second crewman ahead of the engine in a pod but this was both hazardous to the second crewman and limited performance. The

2118:

entered production soon after, and the two entered service around the same time in 1944. Meteors commonly served to intercept the

4448: 1936:(the La-138); however, neither of these entered service. One that did enter service – with the U.S. Navy in March 1945 – was the 850:

patented a practical device in April 1914, but trials were unsuccessful because of the propensity of the machine gun employed to

691:. Although the term was coined in the United Kingdom, the first examples were the French Voisin pushers beginning in 1910, and a 280:

largely replaced guns and rockets in the early 1960s since both were believed unusable at the speeds being attained, however the

3225:

became the first fifth-generation fighter jets in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces on 2020, and launch missiles in the

3170:

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

3031:

engine nozzles to enhance maneuvering. The upgraded version of F-16 is also considered a member of the 4.5 generation aircraft.

1027:, the "Red Baron", was wearing one when he was killed, but the allied command continued to oppose their use on various grounds. 3765: 3545: 3428:, achieving 60 kills and 10 losses. However, Israel made much more use of steadily improving heat-seeking missiles in the 1973 2837: 1598:

possessed attributes such as superior firepower, ruggedness and dive speed, and the Allies soon developed tactics (such as the

1416:. Also, significant numbers of British, and later U.S., fighter aircraft were supplied to aid the Soviet war effort as part of 4721: 5416: 5319: 5156: 4399: 4349: 4100: 4073: 2639: 1528: 1161:

needed to test their latest aircraft. Each party sent numerous aircraft types to support their sides in the conflict. In the

40: 5238: 5221: 4806: 4122: 2618:, but Boyd and his supporters believed these performance parameters called for a small, lightweight aircraft with a larger, 2375:

featuring large mechanized armies and nuclear-weapon strikes led to a degree of specialization along two design approaches:

1695:, one of the few fighters in continuous production throughout the war, was in 1939 powered by a 1,030 hp (770 kW) 3994: 3924: 3696: 2564:, but emerged as a versatile strike-bomber nimble enough to prevail in air combat, adopted by the U.S. Navy, Air Force and 2283:

whose descendants remain in use as of 2021, were first introduced on swept-wing subsonic Demon and Cutlass naval fighters.

1560: 230:

replaced in part or whole by metal tubing, and finally aluminum stressed skin structures (monocoque) began to predominate.

5597: 5179: 5088: 4371:

IBP, Inc (March 2009), US Aviation and Aerospace Industry Handbook Volume 2 Military Equipment and Developments, p. 54–55

3135: 3066: 4900: 4227: 2669:

of "the electric jet". Electronic FLCS and FADEC quickly became essential components of all subsequent fighter designs.

5787: 3131: 1544: 1536: 4167: 2139: 5637: 5587: 5569: 5551: 5531: 5473: 5455: 5437: 5393: 5366: 5346: 5301: 4949: 4652: 4252: 4134: 4049: 3504: 3419:

missiles was only 7% early in the Vietnam War, but improved to approximately 15%–40% over the course of the war. The

3209:

took its maiden flight on 31 October 2012, and developed a carrier-based version based on Chinese aircraft carriers.

3179: 2134:(sparrow) to serve as a simple jet fighter for German home defense, with a few examples seeing squadron service with 2063: 1647:, a lopsided Allied victory in which Japanese fliers were shot down in such numbers and with such ease that American 521: 186: 164: 4777: 3229:

in 2022. Japan is exploring its technical feasibility to produce fifth-generation fighters. India is developing the

5495: 2557: 1388: 1119:" (called "destroyers" by the Germans). These were larger, usually twin-engined aircraft, sometimes adaptations of 4383: 3230: 2805: 2715: 2654: 2600: 2135: 1735:

wings, which improved high speed performance, also came into use on fighters such as the P-51 Mustang, while the

1339:—held air superiority, and the Luftwaffe played a major role in German victories in these campaigns. During the 485: 4965:

The Machine Gun. History, Evolution, and Development of Manual, Automatic, and Airborne Repeating Weapons, vol I

3174:(FAC) is around US$ 150 million. To spread the development costs – and production base – more broadly, the 747:

bolted metal deflector plates to the propeller so that it would not shoot itself out of the sky and a number of

735:. The French and the Germans didn't have an equivalent as they used two seaters for reconnaissance, such as the 5736: 5260: 2649:

The F-16's maneuverability was further enhanced by its slight aerodynamic instability. This technique, called "

2491: 2165: 168: 4862: 3053: 2913:" battlefield environment and are principally multirole aircraft. Key weapons technologies introduced include 1715:, and it was apparent that propeller-driven aircraft were approaching the limits of their performance. German 455:

and other "fighting scouts" of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. In World War II, the

5679: 3788: 3307: 3195: 3070: 2992: 2848: 2596: 2581: 2544:) offered longer range, more sophisticated night-attack systems or lower cost than supersonic fighters. With 2292: 2243:

as their primary jet fighter in the Korean War period, and it was one of the first jet fighters to employ an

1990:

The USSR experimented with a rocket-powered interceptor in the years immediately following World War II, the

1457: 1271:

World War II featured fighter combat on a larger scale than any other conflict to date. German Field Marshal

826:

and several French mountings were specifically designed for this kind of application, fitted with either the

642:

given the role. However they too proved unwieldy and vulnerable, so as the war progressed techniques such as

602: 4669:

Felix, Bate; Shalal, Andrea; Irish, John; Osmond, Ed; Pomeroy, Robin; Maclean, William (20 November 2018).

3871: 3295: 3242: 3048: 2905:

generations, and their contribution in furthering development of individual fifth-generation technologies.

2615: 2428: 2089: 2015: 1644: 1572: 1445: 1357: 1280:

through combat with other fighters and through bomber interception, and also often performed roles such as

767: 496: 20: 4428: 2502:(ASM) equipped with electro-optical (E-O) contrast seekers – such as the initial model of the widely used 2071:

was one of the fastest aircraft of WWII and the first mass produced aircraft to use jet engine technology.

751:

were modified. The technique proved effective, however the deflected bullets were still highly dangerous.

210:

Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in

5987: 5857: 5798: 4285: 3489: 3352: 3210: 2914: 2870: 2392: 2365: 2186: 1875:

in 1943 as a response to the increasing threat posed by Allied heavy bombers, particularly at night. The

1640: 1516: 1481: 1477: 1473: 1068: 1016:

developed innovative tactical formations and maneuvers to enhance their air units' combat effectiveness.

894: 866: 500: 225:

over the battlefield. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed by later standards, and most were

52: 1651:

likened it to a great 'turkey shoot'. Late in the war, Japan began to produce new fighters such as the

1468:

for these battles. The Americans, in contrast, flew daylight bombing raids into Germany delivering the

318:

at $ 47.2 billion in 2026: 35% modernization programs and 65% aircraft purchases, dominated by the

3673: 3074: 2883: 2722: 2565: 2479: 2380: 2301: 1568: 843: 3621:. The English term fell out of favour during the late interwar years, though the designation P, as in 2123: 792:, after clearing the front line of German observation balloons with the first rocket attack in history 586:. Originating during World War I, by 1929 this class of fighters had become known as the interceptor. 448:. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, or other reasons. 6014: 5907: 3626: 3143: 2922: 2918: 2511: 2486:

experienced by American fighters in the skies over Vietnam led the U.S. Navy to establish its famous

2220: 1945: 1865: 1661: 1636: 1469: 468: 355: 48: 26:

This article is about aircraft designed to combat other aircraft. For other usages of "fighter", see

3456:, which entered service in 1954 and was produced in improving versions until 1997. In more advanced 2251:

became the Royal Navy's first jet fighter. Radar was used on specialized night-fighters such as the

2037:, tested out by both the United States and the Soviet Union, and made obsolete with advancements in 1432: 5902: 4536:"Is China ready for aircraft carrier No 4? Talk swirls over stealth fighter jets at PLA naval base" 3540: 3448: 3394:

AIM-9 Sidewinder (underwing pylon) and AIM-120 AMRAAM (wingtip) carried by lightweight F-16 fighter

3271: 3123: 2945: 2866: 2650: 2604: 2361: 1948:

fighter, but this program was also canceled by VJ Day, with 80% of the engineering work completed.

1707:. Nevertheless, these fighters could only achieve modest increases in top speed due to problems of 1556: 1254: 27: 5029: 3816: 2510:(LGBs) became widespread in an effort to improve precision-attack capabilities. Guidance for such 2360:. Radar-guided (RF) missiles were introduced as well, but early examples proved unreliable. These 5948: 5875: 5756: 4751:

USAF: Next Generation Tactical Aircraft (Next Gen TACAIR) Materiel and Technology Concepts Search

4205: 3313:

The United Kingdom's proposed stealth fighter is being developed by a European consortium called

2910: 2662: 2553: 2495: 2471: 2447: 2384: 2204: 2050: 1963: 1957: 1624: 1603: 1285: 1259: 855: 744: 671: 557: 512: 445: 373: 157: 1484:, American fighters were able to escort far into Germany on daylight raids and by ranging ahead 5847: 3303: 3251: 3218: 2929: 2829: 2762: 2703: 2627: 2549: 2499: 2174: 2038: 1991: 1941: 1781: 1532: 1460:

against German industry intended to wear down the Luftwaffe. Axis fighter aircraft focused on

1384: 1281: 1072: 1024: 901:

racing airplane, with poor flight characteristics and a by now mediocre performance. The first

859: 654: 441: 433: 408: 114: 4339: 4090: 4063: 3984: 2102:

The first jets developed during World War II and saw combat in the last two years of the war.

1916:

design bureau sought to replace the La-7's wooden airframe with a metal one, as well as fit a

882:'s firm was the first system to enter service. It would usher in what the British called the " 5960: 5938: 5865: 5835: 3110: 3091: 2750: 2672: 2357: 2256: 2252: 1853: 1109: 914: 809: 314:

The global combat aircraft market was worth $ 45.75 billion in 2017 and is projected by

300: 5332:. Vol. 9, no. 3. Whittier, California: The Society of World War I Aero Historians. 5237:

The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 20, available at

3914: 2315:

environment shaped the development of second-generation fighters. Technological advances in

1731:

construction, which improved their aerodynamic efficiency while adding structural strength.

5880: 5684: 4265: 3622: 3322: 3175: 2901: 2817: 2691: 2451: 2376: 2248: 2193: 2155: 2107: 2068: 1975: 1880: 1845: 1825: 1770: 1740: 1736: 1692: 1688: 1611: 1591: 1461: 1437: 1396: 1365: 1348: 1336: 1264: 1194: 1166: 1001: 842:

that could time the firing of the individual rounds to avoid hitting the propeller blades.

839: 797: 572: 529: 525: 508: 484:

or dropping small bombs and incendiaries. Versatile multi role fighter-bombers such as the

388: 363: 351: 319: 211: 122: 3842: 3672:. College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education. 22 September 2011. Archived from 3166:

Such aircraft are sophisticated and expensive. The fifth generation was ushered in by the

2521:

The third generation also led to the development of new automatic-fire weapons, primarily

2228:

formations and forced the withdrawal of numerous American types from operational service.

2146:– saw brief use, but by the end of the 1940s virtually all new fighters were jet-powered. 1970:, which made a successful maiden flight in March 1928. The only pure rocket aircraft ever 1136:

races, where competition grew so fierce, only national governments could afford to enter.

8: 5751: 5239:

https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/files/2008_RAND_Pacific_View_Air_Combat_Briefing.pdf

3496: 3486: 3457: 3259: 3226: 3106: 2956: 2941: 2852: 2726: 2711: 2684: 2586: 2483: 2264: 2240: 2011: 1857: 1704: 1680: 1628: 1615: 1595: 1587: 1583: 1540: 1421: 1300: 1217: 1186: 1019:

Allied and – before 1918 – German pilots of World War I were not equipped with

814: 650: 628: 583: 492: 398: 359: 315: 4215:, The Internet Encyclopedia of Science – Experimental Aircraft. Accessed 5 October 2008. 2352:

became commonplace, but early IR missile sensors had poor sensitivity and a very narrow

5484: 3500: 3492: 3403: 3384: 3299: 3147: 3139: 3000: 2964: 2897: 2857: 2786: 2707: 2687: 2455: 2272: 2260: 2030: 2006: 1937: 1861: 1696: 1632: 1492: 1328: 943:

of 1916 set the classic pattern followed by fighters for about twenty years. Most were

335: 277: 271: 4805:

Trimble, Stephen (May 2010), "Boeing plots return to next-generation fighter market",

2828:

being an exception in this regard). Attack roles were generally assigned to dedicated

2368:(BVR) combat, and much effort concentrated on further development of this technology. 2231:

The world's navies also transitioned to jets during this period, despite the need for

1887:. These guns were angled upwards to target the vulnerable underside of enemy bombers. 1676: 619:

The strategic fighter is a fast, heavily armed and long-range type, able to act as an

217:

Fighters continued to be developed throughout World War I, to deny enemy aircraft and

5885: 5852: 5741: 5716: 5633: 5627: 5583: 5565: 5547: 5541: 5527: 5521: 5491: 5469: 5451: 5433: 5427: 5412: 5389: 5362: 5342: 5315: 5297: 5152: 4973: 4945: 4345: 4248: 4130: 4096: 4069: 4045: 3990: 3920: 3267: 2766: 2677: 2545: 2507: 2356:(typically no more than 30°), which limited their effective use to only close-range, 2232: 2181:

The Americans began using jet fighters operationally after World War II, the wartime

1813: 1785: 1777: 1485: 1449: 1413: 1372:, and the general inferiority of Soviet designs at the time, such as the obsolescent 1340: 1304: 1198: 1174: 1157: 1151: 1140: 1062: 1045: 862: 771: 748: 736: 614: 413: 331: 95: 71: 67: 5328:

Blume, August G. (1968). Miller, Jr., Thomas G. (ed.). "Cross and Cockade Journal".

3757: 1578:

By mid-1942, the Allies began to regroup and while some Allied aircraft such as the

1506: 1440:, typical World War II fighter optimized for high level speeds and good climb rates. 1213: 781: 605:

in 1915, the night fighter has evolved into the highly capable all-weather fighter.

350:

called them "pursuit" aircraft until the late 1940s (using the designation P, as in

5982: 5977: 5972: 5953: 5943: 5840: 5830: 5764: 4400:"H.R.2647: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 – U.S. Congress" 3614: 3590: 3574: 3516: 3482: 3444: 3399: 3279: 3028: 2862: 2706:(MFD), all essential equipment as of 2019. Aircraft designers began to incorporate 2467: 2276: 2200: 2143: 1929: 1769:

machine guns, but by mid-war they often featured a combination of machine guns and

1607: 1579: 1564: 1496: 1361: 1344: 1332: 1190: 1178: 1133: 1049: 887: 804:, with the propeller mounted behind the pilot. The main drawback was that the high 723: 719: 472: 343: 91: 4449:"Chinese jet fighter 'sighting' raises fears over region's military power balance" 4407: 2974: 1912:'Fin'. Working through a series of prototypes, the La-120, La-126 and La-130, the 1876: 834:, which due to their design were unsuitable for synchronizing. The need to arm a 707: 5793: 5746: 5406: 5356: 5267: 5245: 5036: 4435: 4387: 4292: 4272: 4231: 4212: 4171: 4126: 4117: 3598: 3582: 3508: 3416: 3368: 3326: 3263: 3255: 3099: 2979: 2960: 2825: 2777: 2758: 2695: 2643: 2503: 2372: 2349: 2324: 2320: 2312: 2224: 2119: 2034: 1971: 1922: 1708: 1453: 1380: 1373: 1170: 1104: 1092: 1053: 928: 898: 823: 728: 634: 624: 545: 533: 460: 339: 106: 87: 4963: 2683:

Other innovative technologies introduced in fourth-generation fighters included

2661:(FADEC) to electronically manage powerplant performance was introduced with the 2297: 1351:

proved roughly equal to Luftwaffe fighters. Additionally Britain's radar-based

262:

to counter the much greater forces being applied to the pilot during maneuvers.

5922: 5917: 5890: 5028:"AIM-9X Sidewinder Air-to-air Missile", Raytheon Systems Company, available at 4614:"India withdraws from FGFA project, leaving Russia to go it alone – Jane's 360" 3606: 3520: 3462: 3429: 3206: 3119: 3114: 3024: 3020: 2893: 2892:

in 1992 led many governments to significantly decrease military spending as a "

2773: 2730: 2623: 2569: 2541: 2537: 2515: 2416: 2388: 2170: 2151: 2127: 2115: 1909: 1905: 1821: 1817: 1806: 1789: 1780:

on their fighters. Fighters were also increasingly fitted with bomb racks and

1757: 1724: 1652: 1552: 1548: 1409: 1405: 1392: 1352: 1296: 1292: 1013: 1005: 883: 879: 805: 703: 620: 488:

are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types.

437: 429: 421: 417: 378: 222: 118: 5608: 5188: 5129:

The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 28.

5120:

The Rand Corporation, "Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future", 2008, slide 27.

5097: 4341:

Shaping U.S. military forces: revolution or relevance in a post–Cold War world

963: 754:

Soon after the commencement of the war, pilots armed themselves with pistols,

55:(right) fly in a formation representing four generations of American fighters. 6008: 5895: 5825: 4892: 4381:

CRS RL33543, Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress 9 July 2009

4224: 3470: 3453: 3433: 3372: 3083: 2996: 2635: 2561: 2408: 2353: 2280: 2103: 1967: 1884: 1849: 1837: 1833: 1797: 1712: 1656: 1648: 1619: 1465: 1308: 1277: 1124: 1116: 1084: 1080: 1009: 909: 835: 732: 676: 639: 595: 578: 452: 402: 393: 383: 130: 126: 75: 44: 5261:

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2016/04/ew-missiles-challenge.html

3527:

are more resistant to countermeasures and more effective than the AIM-120D.

3094:

while easing the pilot's workload. Avionics suites rely on extensive use of

2307:

Technological breakthroughs, lessons learned from the aerial battles of the

1395:, had not yet arrived in numbers and in any case were still inferior to the 5820: 5815: 5402: 4164: 4146: 3420: 3283: 3222: 3214: 3202: 3171: 3159: 3016: 3012: 3008: 2952: 2940:" ability. Stealth characteristics are focused primarily on frontal-aspect 2925: 2844: 2833: 2631: 2619: 2533: 2412: 2396: 2316: 2054: 1983: 1917: 1841: 1802: 1793: 1766: 1761: 1732: 1272: 1120: 1100: 1096: 1088: 976: 936: 919:

on the Western Front, downed a Morane-Saulnier Type L. His was one of five

504: 464: 234: 2796: 1099:

of 1918 to 900 hp (670 kW) in the 2,500 kg (5,500 lb)

987:

private-venture aircraft, made with steel, and some forty examples of the

702:, front-line aircraft were mostly unarmed and used almost exclusively for 631:

and maintain standing patrols at significant distance from its home base.

5965: 5912: 3425: 3360: 3318: 3167: 3087: 3073:, low-probability of intercept (LPI) data transmission capabilities. The 3057: 2937: 2754: 2734: 2328: 2244: 2019: 1774: 1727:, also entered service. World War II fighters also increasingly featured 1599: 1400: 1369: 1209: 1202: 996: 988: 984: 968: 940: 818: 785: 699: 646:

were developed to extend the range of more nimble conventional fighters.

292: 281: 242: 79: 4588:"Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jet has been used in Ukraine: TASS report" 3402:

heat-seeking (infrared homing) short-range missile was developed by the

4558:"Sukhoi Su-57 – A significant boost to Russian air combat capabilities" 3758:"Fighter —Definition and More from the Free Merriam Webster Dictionary" 3697:"Xclusive: US Air Force combat fleet's true operational costs revealed" 3408: 3376: 3345: 3154: 3151:

significantly increases IR signature when used in full military power.

3004: 2526: 2459: 2336: 2332: 2308: 2213: 2208: 2159: 2096: 2058: 1744: 1417: 1177:, but being short on funds, were forced to continue operating obsolete 980: 920: 801: 715: 692: 680: 657:

role, and so is able to defend itself while conducting attack sorties.

246: 203: 171: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 4380: 3341: 2653:" (RSS), was made possible by introduction of the "fly-by-wire" (FBW) 2219:

The Americans responded by rushing their own swept-wing fighter – the

1703:

produced in 1945 were equipped with the 2,035 hp (1,517 kW)

695:

would be the first to shoot down another aircraft, on 5 October 1914.

113:

Many modern fighter aircraft also have secondary capabilities such as

5187:, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, p. 13, archived from 3889:

Night Fighters: A Development and Combat History', Patrick Stephens.]

3629:, was not formally replaced in the US Air Force until the late 1940s. 2968: 2933: 2809: 2666: 2608: 2522: 2340: 2268: 2236: 2190: 2182: 1913: 1748: 1728: 1511: 1488:

the Luftwaffe to establish control of the skies over Western Europe.

1426: 1145: 1020: 992: 952: 878:

in German, for "pushrod control system") devised by the engineers of

851: 831: 789: 643: 477: 347: 238: 102: 74:. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish 5096:, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, p. 8, archived from 2433: 2203:

jet-engine to the Soviets, who soon put it to use in their advanced

1448:

had a much different character. Much of this combat focused on the

979:

developed two all-metal, single-seat fighter monoplane designs with

886:" and a period of air superiority for the German forces, making the 146: 3790:

Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1

3437: 3266:

by 2035. The overall development will be led by a collaboration of

3079: 2889: 2742: 2718: 2572:, the Phantom would become a highly successful multirole aircraft. 2443: 2400: 1752: 1665: 1162: 948: 871: 763: 755: 481: 254: 199: 98:

of enemy targets, and helps prevent the enemy from doing the same.

5598:"Comparing the Effectiveness of Air-to-Air Fighters: F-86 to F-18" 3960: 3477: 19:"Jetfighter" and "Jet fighter" redirect here. For other uses, see 5803: 5731: 5543:

Designed for the Kill: The Jet Fighter—Development and Experience

3550: 3390: 3191: 2560:

was designed to capitalize on radar and missile technology as an

1999: 1687:

Fighter technology advanced rapidly during the Second World War.

1376: 1312: 956: 944: 759: 688: 226: 218: 83: 5181:

Promise and Reality: Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air-To-Air Combat

5090:

Promise and Reality: Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air-To-Air Combat

1132:

fighters of World War II. The most significant of these was the

897:, despite its being an adaptation of an obsolete pre-war French 854:

due to unreliable ammunition. In December 1914, French aviator

808:

of a pusher type's tail structure made it slower than a similar

5810: 5151:, Chapter 1, Kindle Location 471, Naval Institute Press, 1993, 5030:

http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2000/pdf/navy/00aim9x.pdf

3275: 2790: 2463: 1933: 1784:

such as bombs or rockets beneath their wings, and pressed into

259: 101:

The key performance features of a fighter include not only its

4701:"Spain Formally Joins Franco-German Future Fighter Initiative" 1832:

on fighters. The primary purpose of these radars was to help

858:

asked Saulnier to install his synchronization gear on Garros'

4480:"China's New J-31 Stealth Fighter Takes Off on Maiden Flight" 4286:"A Troubling Past: Air Force Fighter Acquisition since 1945." 3524: 3348: 3187: 3095: 2813: 2782: 2699: 2658: 2422: 2255:, which also downed MiGs over Korea, and later fitted to the 1829: 1531:

began with the entry of the Western Allies following Japan's

456: 266: 258:

development of ejection seats so the pilot could escape, and

5714: 4968:, Washington, USA: Bureau of Ordnance Department of the Navy 4671:"France, Germany agree on next step for fighter jet program" 3274:, while the engines will reportedly be jointly developed by 2025:

The only operational implementation of mixed propulsion was

927:, and was armed with a synchronized aviation version of the 3330: 3287: 3183: 2983: 2111: 2029:(RATO), a system rarely used in fighters, such as with the 2026: 1895: 1399:. As a result, during the early months of these campaigns, 1139:

At the very end of the inter-war period in Europe came the

774:

similarly added a pod on the top wing with no better luck.

297: 5680:

Fighter generations comparison chart on theaviationist.com

4510:"China's J-31 Stealth Fighter Just Became Carrier-Capable" 3986:

Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914

3796:. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History. p. 1 1908:'Fritz', which was an evolution of the successful wartime 528:), though "P" used to be used in the US for pursuit (e.g. 2851:

of the period might contain a mix of one air superiority

1890: 995:, all based on his experience in creating the pioneering 82:. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield permits 5629:

The Pentagon Paradox: The Development of the F-18 Hornet

3938: 3936: 3728:"Combat aircraft market strong over next decade: report" 3105:

A key attribute of fifth-generation fighters is a small

1711:

created as aircraft and their propellers approached the

3205:. The J-20 took its maiden flight in January 2011. The 1932:(the La-9RD) and a similarly mounted pair of auxiliary 463:

often favored fighters over dedicated light bombers or

5220:, The Rand Corporation, 2008, slide 23, archived from 4668: 4061: 3573:

in English and many other European languages, such as

3122:), and coating internal and external metal areas with 2196:

which Britain sold to the air forces of many nations.

4234:. Planes of Fame Air Museum. Accessed 5 October 2008. 3933: 3333:. The aircraft is intended to enter service in 2035. 3003:, which is a ground-attack/multi-role variant of the 5312:

The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard

5149:

The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard

3948: 2948:(RAM), L-O coatings and limited shaping techniques. 2785:) supplemented by a larger contingent of lower-cost 1586:

were hopelessly outclassed by fighters like Japan's

1412:

had performance comparable to the German Bf 109 and

5292:Ahlgren, Jan; Linner, Anders; Wigert, Lars (2002), 5291: 4337: 3098:(VHSIC) technology, common modules, and high-speed 2267:as all-weather / night fighters. Early versions of 491:Some of the most expensive fighters such as the US 5483: 5358:Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War 4645:"France, Germany to develop joint combat aircraft" 4447:Watts, Jonathan; Borger, Julian (5 January 2011). 4065:The First Air Campaign: August 1914– November 1918 3236: 2223:– into battle against the MiGs, which had similar 1627:and second-generation Allied fighters such as the 3461:greatly reduces risk. A prominent example is the 2575: 2286: 2106:developed the first operational jet fighter, the 627:, to carry out offensive sorties of its own as a 589: 6006: 5466:The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security 4863:"Inside Tempest – the fighter jet of the future" 4309:"History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places" 4165:"Aces of the Eighth Air Force in World War Two." 3192:Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery 3042: 2083: 5668:, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press 5514:Fighters Attack and Training Aircraft 1914-1919 3694: 3078:he glances. These sensors, along with advanced 2944:(RCS) signature-reduction techniques including 2437:U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 4779:Air Force Kicks Off Search for 6th-Gen Fighter 4247:. New York City: Peerage Books, 1983, p. 159. 3814: 3764:. Encyclopædia Britannica. 22 September 2011. 2877: 2614:E-M characteristics were first applied to the 2462:. A number of technologies would be tried for 2442:would devolve into close-in dogfights. Analog 2199:The British transferred the technology of the 1940:; production was halted with the war's end on 1364:were overwhelmed during the opening phases of 1034: 5700: 5562:An Illustrated Guide to Modern Fighter Combat 4088: 3060:at the 2008 Joint Services Open House airshow 2869:attack aircraft (introduced in 1983) and the 2804:Most fourth-generation fighters, such as the 330:A fighter aircraft is primarily designed for 5666:Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51 5445: 5425: 4978:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( 3725: 2323:and aerospace building-materials (primarily 2311:, and a focus on conducting operations in a 2177:' only jet aircraft used during World War II 1864:, which then served as night fighters. The 1720: 1671: 1383:. More modern Soviet designs, including the 5294:Gripen, the First Fourth Generation Fighter 4446: 4344:. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 125. 4180: 2532:Dedicated ground-attack aircraft (like the 2415:, and some were also equipped to deliver a 1792:. Although they carried less ordnance than 1143:. This was just the opportunity the German 5707: 5693: 5657:Northrop F-5 Case Study in Aircraft Design 4893:"UK unveils new Tempest fighter jet model" 4275:. Aerospace web. Retrieved 5 October 2008. 3294:Currently at the concept stage, the first 2518:, which were introduced in the mid-1960s. 2423:1960s–1970s: Third-generation jet fighters 2110:A, primarily serving with the Luftwaffe's 1951: 1871:A concept originated from German engineer 1248: 551: 289:on components subjected to little stress. 5625: 4836:Boeing displays manned F/A-XX concept jet 4477: 4003: 3443:Radar guided missiles fall into two main 2932:; and improved secure, jamming-resistant 2514:(PGM) was provided by externally-mounted 2327:) permitted designers to experiment with 2033:, RATO-based takeoff scheme from special 1812:Heavily armed fighters such as Germany's 1716: 665: 660: 187:Learn how and when to remove this message 5481: 5296:, Swedish Air Force and Saab Aerospace, 4264:For one representation, see: Yoon, Joe. 3817:"Non-Standard DOD Aircraft Designations" 3476: 3389: 3340: 3153: 3052: 3027:. The Su-30SM/Su-35S and MiG-35 feature 2973: 2795: 2671: 2585: 2432: 2296: 2173:was Britain's first jet fighter and the 2164: 2062: 1899:North American P-51D Mustang during WWII 1894: 1675: 1431: 1258: 1067: 962: 776: 675: 291: 198: 34: 5645: 5523:Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering 5463: 5255: 5253: 4942:Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering 4804: 4642: 3912: 3447:types. In the historically more common 2630:, while the larger wing would minimize 2044: 683:S.A.2, with gunner in "basket" up front 369:Recognized classes of fighter include: 16:Military aircraft for air-to-air combat 6007: 5663: 5654: 5426:Grove, Eric; Ireland, Bernard (1997), 5401: 5309: 5147:Burton, James (Col., U.S. Air Force), 4827: 4331: 4177:, June 1999. Retrieved: 7 August 2011. 3982: 3970: 3966: 3942: 3823:from the original on 27 September 2011 3786: 3546:List of United States fighter aircraft 2659:Full Authority Digital Engine Controls 2279:and radar-guided missiles such as the 1891:1946–present: Post–World War II period 1103:of 1936. The debate between the sleek 5688: 5595: 5577: 5559: 5539: 5411:. New York, New York: Penguin Books. 5374: 5354: 5327: 5214:Air Combat, Past, Present, and Future 5177: 5086: 4961: 4681:from the original on 22 November 2018 4664: 4662: 4459:from the original on 10 November 2016 4145: 4020:World Aircraft: Origins – World War I 3954: 3695:Stephen Trimble (22 September 2011). 2640:General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon 1519:over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." 1236:, which was a pair of aircraft. Each 1169:fighters did well, as did the Soviet 718:such with the Gordon Bennett Cup and 608: 322:with 3,000 deliveries over 20 years. 221:the ability to gather information by 5519: 5386:The Encyclopedia of Aircraft of WWII 5383: 5339:Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939 5336: 5250: 4903:from the original on 17 August 2018. 4798: 4726:, Air Force Magazine, October 2009, 4538:. South China Morning Post. May 2022 4245:Fighters and Bombers of World War II 3815:Andreas Parsch (22 September 2011). 3768:from the original on 9 November 2011 3738:from the original on 19 January 2019 3707:from the original on 29 January 2012 3569:Fighter aircraft was early on named 3298:is expected to enter service in the 2622:wing. The small size would minimize 1515:summed up when he said: "When I saw 1224:) was divided into several flights ( 532:), a translation of the French "C" ( 169:adding citations to reliable sources 140: 5605:U.S. DoD Contract MDA 903-81-C-0312 5503: 5446:Gunston, Bill; Spick, Mike (1983), 5178:Higby, LtCol Patrick (March 2005), 5087:Higby, LtCol Patrick (March 2005), 4730:from the original on 10 August 2011 4643:Schulte, Sebastian (13 July 2017). 3188:short take-off and vertical landing 3124:radar-absorbent materials and paint 2597:Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory 2590:U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-15 Eagle 2126:design, the Luftwaffe intended the 1335:, Luftwaffe fighters—primarily the 1322: 1115:Some air forces experimented with " 346:" until the early 1920s, while the 13: 5788:Airborne early warning and control 4843:from the original on 21 March 2010 4659: 4564:. 26 February 2021. Archived from 4429:LockMart's 5TH Generation Fighters 3254:to replace their current fleet of 3250:France and Germany will develop a 3168:Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor 3096:very high-speed integrated circuit 3058:Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor 2464:vertical/short takeoff and landing 2162:became widespread in this period. 2018:–the first U.S. fighter to exceed 1883:and later versions of the Junkers 1767:.303 in (7.7 mm) caliber 1545:Imperial Japanese Army Air Service 1537:Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service 1522: 905:victory came on 1 July 1915, when 14: 6026: 5673: 5546:, United States Naval Institute, 5468:, Smithsonian Institution Press, 5432:, Harper Collins Publishers, UK, 4873:from the original on 21 July 2018 4786:from the original on 27 July 2011 4782:, Defense Tech, 5 November 2010, 4490:from the original on 6 April 2015 4118:Air power in the age of total war 4062:Eric Lawson; Jane Lawson (2007). 4018:Angelucci, A. and Matricardi, P. 3853:from the original on 27 July 2018 3184:conventional take-off and landing 3180:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 2749:Aerodynamic innovations included 1771:20 mm (0.79 in) cannons 983:wings: the strictly experimental 893:monoplane a feared name over the 865:. Unfortunately the gas-operated 653:is typically also fitted for the 540:while in Russia "I" was used for 522:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 325: 5377:The Fighter Aircraft Pocket Book 5330:History of the Serbian Air Force 4815:from the original on 10 May 2010 3919:. Osprey Publishing. p. 9. 3726:Garrett Reim (18 January 2019). 3351:gun installation on West German 2729:RF AAM entered service with the 2527:20 mm (0.79 in) Vulcan 1462:defending against Allied bombers 1212:" formation by the German pilot 931:machine gun. The success of the 311:budgets of modern armed forces. 145: 5285: 5272: 5231: 5205: 5171: 5162: 5141: 5132: 5123: 5114: 5080: 5071: 5062: 5053: 5041: 5022: 5013: 5004: 4995: 4986: 4955: 4944:, Naval Institute Press, 1985, 4934: 4925: 4916: 4907: 4885: 4855: 4770: 4742: 4714: 4693: 4636: 4606: 4580: 4550: 4528: 4502: 4471: 4440: 4422: 4392: 4374: 4365: 4301: 4278: 4258: 4237: 4218: 4198: 4189: 4157: 4139: 4109: 4082: 4055: 4034: 4025: 4012: 3976: 3906: 3893: 3881: 3843:"Military Aircraft Terminology" 3632: 3237:2020s–present: Sixth-generation 3231:Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft 2995:, which is an evolution of the 2806:McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet 2506:– became standard weapons, and 1982:in 1944, one of several German 486:McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet 237:, most fighters were all-metal 156:needs additional citations for 5648:Introduction to Airborne Radar 5582:, Pegasus Publishing Limited, 5490:, Airlife Publishing Limited, 5361:, Little, Brown, and Company, 4839:, Flight Global, 9 July 2009, 4129:. Taylor & Francis. p.43. 4068:. Da Capo Press. p. 123. 3903:, Macdonald and Jane's. p.573. 3865: 3835: 3808: 3787:Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978). 3780: 3750: 3719: 3701:Stephen Trimble's The Dew Line 3688: 3658: 3563: 3252:joint sixth-generation fighter 3144:fiber optics data transmission 2753:wings and exploitation of the 2576:1970s–2000s: Fourth-generation 2492:Dissimilar air combat training 2287:1950s–1960s: Second-generation 947:and only rarely monoplanes or 796:An alternative was to build a 590:Night and all-weather fighters 566: 1: 5486:Modern Combat Aircraft Design 5341:, Stanford University Press, 4478:News Desk (31 October 2012). 3983:Buttar, Prit (20 June 2014). 3646: 3308:Next Generation Air Dominance 3043:2000s–2020s: Fifth-generation 2993:Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet 2700:"hands on throttle-and-stick" 2582:Fourth-generation jet fighter 2350:infrared-guided (IR) missiles 2293:Second-generation jet fighter 2185:having proven a failure. The 2084:1940s–1950s: First-generation 1664:, and was largely reduced to 1444:Meanwhile, air combat on the 603:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c 507:were employed as all-weather 5564:, Salamander Books Limited, 5508:, William Morrow and Company 5388:, Amber Books, Ltd, London, 4723:The Sixth Generation Fighter 4338:Duane Robert Worley (2006). 4151:Rommel as Military Commander 4092:Memoirs One: The Flying Game 4022:, Sampson Low, 1977, p. 110. 3901:Warplanes of the Third Reich 3670:Air & Space Power Course 3651: 3375:were introduced. The modern 3296:sixth-generation jet fighter 3243:Sixth-generation jet fighter 3049:Fifth-generation jet fighter 2733:, which solely equipped the 2616:McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 2429:Third-generation jet fighter 2371:The prospect of a potential 2090:First-generation jet fighter 2016:Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor 1645:Battle of the Philippine Sea 1590:, others such as the Army's 1527:Major air combat during the 1474:Consolidated B-24 Liberators 768:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9 743:relying on a second gunner. 497:McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle 105:but also its high speed and 21:Jet fighter (disambiguation) 7: 5506:Fighter Facts and Fallacies 3534: 3353:Lockheed F-104G Starfighter 3306:beginning in 2025 with the 3211:United Aircraft Corporation 3136:electronic support measures 2878:1990s–2000s: 4.5-generation 2871:Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit 2470:would be successful on the 2393:Republic F-105 Thunderchief 2187:Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star 1662:Boeing B-29 Superfortresses 1641:North American P-51 Mustang 1533:attack against Pearl Harbor 1482:North American P-51 Mustang 1478:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 1035:1919–1938: Inter-war period 698:However at the outbreak of 501:Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor 10: 6031: 5464:Hammond, Grant T. (2001), 4962:Chinn, G.M, Oblt. (1951), 4940:Shaw, Robert (Cmdr, USN), 4754:, USA: FBO, archived from 4195:Ireland & Grove p. 182 4044:. London: Jarrolds, 1968. 3916:Pusher Aces of World War I 3762:Merriam Webster Dictionary 3336: 3240: 3075:infra-red search and track 3046: 2884:4.5 generation jet fighter 2881: 2579: 2512:precision-guided munitions 2480:electronic countermeasures 2426: 2381:English Electric Lightning 2302:English Electric Lightning 2290: 2207:fighter, which used fully 2087: 2048: 1955: 1775:.50 in (12.7 mm) 1751:at high subsonic speeds. 1747:that dramatically reduced 1557:Japan's campaigns in China 1509:, commander of the German 1252: 815:jammed rounds and misfires 669: 612: 593: 570: 555: 250:equipped with radar sets. 136: 25: 18: 5931: 5780: 5773: 5724: 5650:, Hughes Aircraft Company 5632:, Naval Institute Press, 5626:Stevenson, James (1993), 5580:Brassey's Modern Fighters 5526:, Naval Institute Press, 5516:, Revised Edn, Blandford. 5314:, Naval Institute Press, 5019:Sprey, 1982, pp. 113–116. 4649:IHS Jane's Defence Weekly 4095:. Trafford. p. 183. 3999:– via Google Books. 3627:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 3310:air superiority fighter. 3015:modified variants of the 2946:radar-absorbent materials 2919:Global Positioning System 2723:Infrared search-and-track 2712:bonded-aluminum honeycomb 2496:terrain-avoidance systems 2235:of the new aircraft. The 2221:North American F-86 Sabre 2124:jet-powered light-fighter 2014:) obsolete. The American 1946:Consolidated Vultee XP-81 1866:Northrop P-61 Black Widow 1672:Technological innovations 1637:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 1470:Combined Bomber Offensive 1228:) of four aircraft. Each 1155:, and the Soviet Union's 526:Supermarine Spitfire F.22 520:indicate a fighter (e.g. 469:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 356:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 5664:Wagner, Raymond (2000), 5655:Stuart, William (1978), 5646:Stimson, George (1983), 5512:Munson, Kenneth (1976). 5482:Huenecke, Klaus (1987), 5379:, Jarrold and Sons, Ltd. 5068:Sprey, 1982, pp.116–118. 4313:Air & Space Magazine 4291:11 December 2016 at the 4153:. Batsford. p. 162. 3556: 3541:List of fighter aircraft 3449:semi-active radar homing 3162:of the Russian Air Force 3023:upgraded version of the 2867:Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk 2761:through the addition of 2721:skins to reduce weight. 2714:structural elements and 2663:Pratt & Whitney F100 2651:relaxed static stability 2605:aircraft-specific energy 2554:Pratt & Whitney TF30 2362:semi-active radar homing 2249:de Havilland Sea Vampire 2027:Rocket-Assisted Take Off 1255:Aviation in World War II 1197:started to supplant the 923:K/MG prototypes for the 467:, and types such as the 241:armed with batteries of 117:and some types, such as 5266:31 January 2017 at the 5035:1 February 2017 at the 4271:10 October 2008 at the 3847:www.northcentralwis.net 3367:Post war 20–30 mm 3304:F/A-18E/F Super Hornets 3190:(STOVL) fighter, and a 3134:", providing high-gain 2953:carbon-fiber composites 2704:multi-function displays 2562:all-weather interceptor 2500:Air-to-surface missiles 2448:flight control surfaces 2385:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 2205:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 2051:Jet fighter generations 1994:. Only two were built. 1964:rocket-powered aircraft 1958:Rocket-powered aircraft 1952:Rocket-powered fighters 1782:air-to-surface ordnance 1756:rather than relying on 1625:Lockheed P-38 Lightning 1539:primarily operated the 1249:1939–1945: World War II 1165:over Spain, the latest 991:, made with corrugated 672:Aviation in World War I 558:Air superiority fighter 552:Air superiority fighter 513:air superiority fighter 374:Air superiority fighter 253:By the end of the war, 70:designed primarily for 5596:Sprey, Pierre (1982), 5408:The Balkans: 1804–2012 5355:Coram, Robert (2002), 5310:Burton, James (1993), 5010:Shaw, 1985, pp. 16–24. 4386:30 August 2009 at the 4115:John Buckley (1998). " 4089:Harry Furniss (2000). 4031:Munson (1976), p. 161. 3913:Guttman, John (2009). 3899:Gunston, Bill (1970), 3887:Gunston, Bill (1976), 3618: 3610: 3602: 3594: 3586: 3578: 3511: 3398:The highly successful 3395: 3355: 3219:Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate 3163: 3061: 2987: 2921:(GPS)–guided weapons, 2830:ground-attack aircraft 2801: 2789:(such as the F-16 and 2763:leading-edge extension 2702:(HOTAS) controls, and 2680: 2638:" would result in the 2628:thrust-to-weight ratio 2591: 2548:wings, the supersonic 2438: 2358:tail-chase engagements 2304: 2178: 2072: 2039:surface-to-air missile 1992:Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 1900: 1705:Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 1684: 1565:Malaysia and Singapore 1441: 1385:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 1268: 1158:Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily 1076: 1073:Nieuport-Delage NiD.52 1025:Manfred von Richthofen 971: 860:Morane-Saulnier Type L 793: 684: 666:1914–1918: World War I 661:Piston engine fighters 476:fighter role with the 434:reconnaissance fighter 409:Reconnaissance fighter 303: 207: 56: 5520:Shaw, Robert (1985), 5048:Modern Fighter Combat 4931:Higby, p.3, pp. 7–14. 4434:6 August 2009 at the 4266:"Fighter Generations" 4211:14 March 2008 at the 4170:8 August 2011 at the 4125:29 March 2017 at the 3480: 3415:The effectiveness of 3393: 3344: 3157: 3092:situational awareness 3056: 2977: 2930:helmet-mounted sights 2799: 2675: 2655:flight-control system 2599:developed by Colonel 2589: 2558:McDonnell F-4 Phantom 2436: 2366:"beyond-visual-range" 2300: 2257:McDonnell F2H Banshee 2253:Douglas F3D Skyknight 2168: 2160:all-moving tailplanes 2066: 1898: 1854:de Havilland Mosquito 1681:Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 1679: 1569:the Dutch East Indies 1435: 1362:Soviet fighter forces 1267:warbird demonstrator 1265:Messerschmitt Bf 109E 1262: 1253:Further information: 1232:was divided into two 1110:power-to-weight ratio 1071: 966: 915:Feldflieger Abteilung 780: 706:. On 15 August 1914, 679: 670:Further information: 342:referred to them as " 301:Lockheed Martin F-35A 295: 202: 38: 5578:Spick, Mike (2000), 5560:Spick, Mike (1987), 5540:Spick, Mike (1995), 5337:Coox, Alvin (1985), 4758:on 28 September 2011 4514:nationalinterest.org 4284:Hallion, Richard P. 4230:20 July 2016 at the 4009:Woodman, 1989, p. 33 3623:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 3505:Lockheed Martin F-35 3260:Eurofighter Typhoons 3176:Joint Strike Fighter 3090:for vastly improved 2865:introduced were the 2818:Dassault Mirage 2000 2692:look-down/shoot-down 2534:Grumman A-6 Intruder 2484:loss-exchange ratios 2331:innovations such as 2194:de Havilland Vampire 2069:Messerschmitt Me 262 2045:Jet-powered fighters 1976:Messerschmitt Me 163 1846:Messerschmitt Bf 110 1741:Messerschmitt Me 163 1737:Messerschmitt Me 262 1592:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 1438:Supermarine Spitfire 1397:Messerschmitt Bf 109 1366:Operation Barbarossa 1337:Messerschmitt Bf 109 1282:tactical air support 1195:Supermarine Spitfire 1167:Messerschmitt Bf 109 1002:Dornier-Zeppelin D.I 573:Interceptor aircraft 530:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 352:Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 320:Lockheed Martin F-35 316:Frost & Sullivan 212:conventional warfare 165:improve this article 41:F-16 Fighting Falcon 5858:Electronic warfare 5384:Eden, Paul (2004), 5375:Cross, Roy (1962), 5244:19 May 2017 at the 5050:, Mike Spick, p.14. 4922:Sprey, pp. 116–132. 4562:Airforce Technology 4040:Lee, Arthur Gould. 3666:"Mitchell's Theory" 3497:Eurofighter Typhoon 3458:active radar homing 3227:Russo-Ukrainian War 3107:radar cross-section 3065:have multifunction 2957:Eurofighter Typhoon 2942:radar cross section 2915:beyond-visual-range 2838:A-10 Thunderbolt II 2787:multi-role fighters 2778:Panavia Tornado ADV 2735:Grumman F-14 Tomcat 2727:active-radar-homing 2708:composite materials 2688:fire-control radars 2275:(AAMs) such as the 2273:air-to-air missiles 2265:McDonnell F3H Demon 2241:Grumman F9F Panther 1873:Bernhard J. Schrage 1858:Bristol Beaufighter 1596:Grumman F4F Wildcat 1588:Mitsubishi A6M Zero 1541:Mitsubishi A6M Zero 1422:Bell P-39 Airacobra 1343:, however, British 1301:Mitsubishi A6M Zero 1187:Neville Chamberlain 651:penetration fighter 629:penetration fighter 544:, or exterminator ( 534:Dewoitine D.520 C.1 493:Grumman F-14 Tomcat 399:All-weather fighter 360:Bell P-63 Kingcobra 278:Air-to-air missiles 5799:Counter-insurgency 5504:Lee, John (1942), 5450:, Crescent Books, 5194:on 31 January 2017 5103:on 31 January 2017 5059:Sprey, 1982, p.82. 5001:Shaw, 1985, p. 15. 4484:defense-update.com 4410:on 3 November 2013 3989:. Bloomsbury USA. 3676:on 20 January 2012 3523:, and the Chinese 3512: 3501:Saab JAS 39 Gripen 3404:United States Navy 3396: 3385:air-to-air missile 3356: 3300:United States Navy 3186:(CTOL) fighter, a 3164: 3148:stealth technology 3140:electronic warfare 3062: 3001:F-15E Strike Eagle 2988: 2965:Saab JAS 39 Gripen 2802: 2757:to achieve higher 2755:vortex lift effect 2681: 2592: 2542:LTV A-7 Corsair II 2508:laser-guided bombs 2439: 2305: 2261:Vought F7U Cutlass 2233:catapult-launching 2179: 2073: 2031:zero-length launch 2007:Saunders-Roe SR.53 1938:Ryan FR-1 Fireball 1901: 1844:such as Germany's 1778:heavy machine guns 1685: 1629:Grumman F6 Hellcat 1529:war in the Pacific 1493:Operation Overlord 1442: 1329:invasion of Poland 1269: 1077: 972: 800:scout such as the 794: 749:Morane-Saulnier Ns 685: 609:Strategic fighters 336:Royal Flying Corps 304: 272:target acquisition 208: 57: 6000: 5999: 5996: 5995: 5853:Close air support 5717:military aircraft 5614:on 27 August 2021 5448:Modern Air Combat 5429:Jane's War at Sea 5418:978-1-77089-273-6 5321:978-1-61251-369-0 5168:Stevenson, p. 36. 5157:978-1-61251-369-0 4811:, Flight Global, 4516:. 30 October 2021 4351:978-0-275-99031-2 4243:Munson, Kenneth. 4163:Sherman, Steven. 4102:978-1-55212-513-7 4075:978-0-306-81668-0 3872:The Gloster S.S.8 3703:. Flight Global. 3424:guns in the 1967 3361:automatic cannons 2969:HAL Tejas Mark 1A 2800:An F/A-18C Hornet 2678:Russian Air Force 2626:and increase the 2546:variable-geometry 1814:Focke-Wulf Fw 190 1786:close air support 1633:Vought F4 Corsair 1618:. In China, the 1452:campaigns of the 1450:strategic bombing 1414:Focke-Wulf Fw 190 1341:Battle of Britain 1305:Fiat G.50 Freccia 1199:Gloster Gladiator 1175:Fiat G.50 Freccia 1152:Regia Aeronautica 1141:Spanish Civil War 1046:Gloster Gladiator 967:A replica German 863:parasol monoplane 832:Lewis Machine gun 772:Sopwith L.R.T.Tr. 737:Morane-Saulnier L 615:Strategic fighter 414:Strategic fighter 332:air-to-air combat 197: 196: 189: 96:strategic bombing 72:air-to-air combat 68:military aircraft 6022: 6015:Fighter aircraft 5861: 5778: 5777: 5760: 5709: 5702: 5695: 5686: 5685: 5669: 5660: 5659:, Northrop Corp. 5651: 5642: 5622: 5621: 5619: 5613: 5607:, archived from 5602: 5592: 5574: 5556: 5536: 5509: 5500: 5489: 5478: 5460: 5442: 5422: 5398: 5380: 5371: 5351: 5333: 5324: 5306: 5279: 5276: 5270: 5257: 5248: 5235: 5229: 5228: 5226: 5219: 5209: 5203: 5202: 5201: 5199: 5193: 5186: 5175: 5169: 5166: 5160: 5145: 5139: 5138:Stevenson, p. 9. 5136: 5130: 5127: 5121: 5118: 5112: 5111: 5110: 5108: 5102: 5095: 5084: 5078: 5075: 5069: 5066: 5060: 5057: 5051: 5045: 5039: 5026: 5020: 5017: 5011: 5008: 5002: 4999: 4993: 4992:Shaw, 1985, p.6. 4990: 4984: 4983: 4977: 4969: 4959: 4953: 4938: 4932: 4929: 4923: 4920: 4914: 4911: 4905: 4904: 4899:. 16 July 2018. 4889: 4883: 4882: 4880: 4878: 4859: 4853: 4851: 4850: 4848: 4831: 4825: 4823: 4822: 4820: 4802: 4796: 4794: 4793: 4791: 4774: 4768: 4766: 4765: 4763: 4746: 4740: 4738: 4737: 4735: 4718: 4712: 4711: 4709: 4707: 4697: 4691: 4690: 4688: 4686: 4666: 4657: 4656: 4655:on 14 June 2018. 4651:. Archived from 4640: 4634: 4633: 4631: 4629: 4620:. Archived from 4610: 4604: 4603: 4601: 4599: 4584: 4578: 4577: 4575: 4573: 4568:on 16 April 2022 4554: 4548: 4547: 4545: 4543: 4532: 4526: 4525: 4523: 4521: 4506: 4500: 4499: 4497: 4495: 4475: 4469: 4468: 4466: 4464: 4444: 4438: 4426: 4420: 4419: 4417: 4415: 4406:. Archived from 4396: 4390: 4378: 4372: 4369: 4363: 4362: 4360: 4358: 4335: 4329: 4328: 4326: 4324: 4315:. Archived from 4305: 4299: 4296:Airpower Journal 4282: 4276: 4262: 4256: 4241: 4235: 4222: 4216: 4204:Darling, David. 4202: 4196: 4193: 4187: 4184: 4178: 4161: 4155: 4154: 4143: 4137: 4113: 4107: 4106: 4086: 4080: 4079: 4059: 4053: 4038: 4032: 4029: 4023: 4016: 4010: 4007: 4001: 4000: 3996:978-1-78200648-0 3980: 3974: 3964: 3958: 3952: 3946: 3940: 3931: 3930: 3926:978-1-84603417-6 3910: 3904: 3897: 3891: 3885: 3879: 3869: 3863: 3862: 3860: 3858: 3839: 3833: 3832: 3830: 3828: 3812: 3806: 3805: 3803: 3801: 3795: 3784: 3778: 3777: 3775: 3773: 3754: 3748: 3747: 3745: 3743: 3723: 3717: 3716: 3714: 3712: 3692: 3686: 3685: 3683: 3681: 3662: 3640: 3636: 3630: 3571:pursuit aircraft 3567: 3445:missile guidance 3400:AIM-9 Sidewinder 3317:, consisting of 3280:MTU Aero Engines 3264:Panavia Tornados 3256:Dassault Rafales 3130:a sort of "mini- 3029:thrust vectoring 2863:stealth aircraft 2765:devices such as 2759:angles of attack 2696:head-up displays 2676:A MiG-31 of the 2468:thrust vectoring 2277:AIM-9 Sidewinder 2201:Rolls-Royce Nene 2144:Ryan FR Fireball 2035:launch platforms 1930:pulsejet engines 1860:, and America's 1824:, and America's 1580:Brewster Buffalo 1497:tactical bombing 1333:Battle of France 1323:European theater 1303:and the Italian 1191:Hawker Hurricane 1179:Fiat CR.42 Falco 1134:Schneider Trophy 1093:Aircraft engines 1050:Fiat CR.42 Falco 876:Stangensteuerung 848:Raymond Saulnier 720:Schneider Trophy 473:Hawker Hurricane 192: 185: 181: 178: 172: 149: 141: 64:pursuit aircraft 60:Fighter aircraft 6030: 6029: 6025: 6024: 6023: 6021: 6020: 6019: 6005: 6004: 6001: 5992: 5927: 5903:Maritime patrol 5876:Air superiority 5859: 5769: 5758: 5720: 5719:types and roles 5713: 5676: 5640: 5617: 5615: 5611: 5600: 5590: 5572: 5554: 5534: 5498: 5476: 5458: 5440: 5419: 5396: 5369: 5349: 5322: 5304: 5288: 5283: 5282: 5278:Shaw, pp.45–61. 5277: 5273: 5268:Wayback Machine 5258: 5251: 5246:Wayback Machine 5236: 5232: 5224: 5217: 5211: 5210: 5206: 5197: 5195: 5191: 5184: 5176: 5172: 5167: 5163: 5146: 5142: 5137: 5133: 5128: 5124: 5119: 5115: 5106: 5104: 5100: 5093: 5085: 5081: 5076: 5072: 5067: 5063: 5058: 5054: 5046: 5042: 5037:Wayback Machine 5027: 5023: 5018: 5014: 5009: 5005: 5000: 4996: 4991: 4987: 4971: 4970: 4960: 4956: 4939: 4935: 4930: 4926: 4921: 4917: 4912: 4908: 4891: 4890: 4886: 4876: 4874: 4861: 4860: 4856: 4846: 4844: 4833: 4832: 4828: 4818: 4816: 4803: 4799: 4789: 4787: 4776: 4775: 4771: 4761: 4759: 4748: 4747: 4743: 4733: 4731: 4720: 4719: 4715: 4705: 4703: 4699: 4698: 4694: 4684: 4682: 4667: 4660: 4641: 4637: 4627: 4625: 4612: 4611: 4607: 4597: 4595: 4586: 4585: 4581: 4571: 4569: 4556: 4555: 4551: 4541: 4539: 4534: 4533: 4529: 4519: 4517: 4508: 4507: 4503: 4493: 4491: 4476: 4472: 4462: 4460: 4445: 4441: 4436:Wayback Machine 4427: 4423: 4413: 4411: 4398: 4397: 4393: 4388:Wayback Machine 4379: 4375: 4370: 4366: 4356: 4354: 4352: 4336: 4332: 4322: 4320: 4307: 4306: 4302: 4293:Wayback Machine 4283: 4279: 4273:Wayback Machine 4263: 4259: 4242: 4238: 4232:Wayback Machine 4223: 4219: 4213:Wayback Machine 4206:"Lippisch Ente" 4203: 4199: 4194: 4190: 4185: 4181: 4172:Wayback Machine 4162: 4158: 4144: 4140: 4127:Wayback Machine 4114: 4110: 4103: 4087: 4083: 4076: 4060: 4056: 4039: 4035: 4030: 4026: 4017: 4013: 4008: 4004: 3997: 3981: 3977: 3969:, p. 316; 3965: 3961: 3953: 3949: 3941: 3934: 3927: 3911: 3907: 3898: 3894: 3886: 3882: 3870: 3866: 3856: 3854: 3841: 3840: 3836: 3826: 3824: 3813: 3809: 3799: 3797: 3793: 3785: 3781: 3771: 3769: 3756: 3755: 3751: 3741: 3739: 3724: 3720: 3710: 3708: 3693: 3689: 3679: 3677: 3664: 3663: 3659: 3654: 3649: 3644: 3643: 3637: 3633: 3595:aereo da caccia 3587:avion de chasse 3568: 3564: 3559: 3537: 3509:Dassault Rafale 3417:infrared homing 3369:revolver cannon 3339: 3327:Leonardo S.p.A. 3245: 3239: 3051: 3045: 2980:Dassault Rafale 2961:Dassault Rafale 2911:network-centric 2888:The end of the 2886: 2880: 2826:Panavia Tornado 2751:variable-camber 2710:in the form of 2694:" capability), 2644:Lockheed Martin 2584: 2578: 2552:introduced the 2504:AGM-65 Maverick 2431: 2425: 2389:fighter-bombers 2373:third world war 2325:aluminum alloys 2313:nuclear warfare 2295: 2289: 2259:and swept-wing 2120:V-1 flying bomb 2092: 2086: 2080:such aircraft. 2061: 2047: 1960: 1954: 1893: 1790:fighter-bombers 1709:compressibility 1674: 1594:and the Navy's 1561:the Philippines 1525: 1523:Pacific theater 1491:By the time of 1374:Polikarpov I-15 1325: 1278:air superiority 1257: 1251: 1216:. Each fighter 1171:Polikarpov I-16 1105:in-line engines 1054:Polikarpov I-15 1037: 929:Parabellum MG14 899:Morane-Saulnier 844:Franz Schneider 824:Foster mounting 788:, armed with a 729:Sopwith Tabloid 722:. The military 674: 668: 663: 617: 611: 598: 592: 575: 569: 560: 554: 546:Polikarpov I-16 416:(including the 401:(including the 340:Royal Air Force 328: 193: 182: 176: 173: 162: 150: 139: 119:fighter-bombers 107:maneuverability 88:attack aircraft 76:air superiority 62:(early on also 31: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 6028: 6018: 6017: 5998: 5997: 5994: 5993: 5991: 5990: 5985: 5980: 5975: 5970: 5969: 5968: 5958: 5957: 5956: 5949:Reconnaissance 5946: 5941: 5935: 5933: 5929: 5928: 5926: 5925: 5923:Strike fighter 5920: 5918:Fighter-bomber 5915: 5910: 5905: 5900: 5899: 5898: 5893: 5888: 5883: 5878: 5868: 5863: 5855: 5850: 5845: 5844: 5843: 5838: 5833: 5828: 5823: 5818: 5808: 5807: 5806: 5801: 5791: 5784: 5782: 5775: 5771: 5770: 5768: 5767: 5762: 5754: 5749: 5744: 5739: 5734: 5728: 5726: 5722: 5721: 5712: 5711: 5704: 5697: 5689: 5683: 5682: 5675: 5674:External links 5672: 5671: 5670: 5661: 5652: 5643: 5638: 5623: 5593: 5588: 5575: 5570: 5557: 5552: 5537: 5532: 5517: 5510: 5501: 5496: 5479: 5474: 5461: 5456: 5443: 5438: 5423: 5417: 5399: 5394: 5381: 5372: 5367: 5352: 5347: 5334: 5325: 5320: 5307: 5302: 5287: 5284: 5281: 5280: 5271: 5249: 5230: 5227:on 19 May 2017 5204: 5170: 5161: 5140: 5131: 5122: 5113: 5079: 5070: 5061: 5052: 5040: 5021: 5012: 5003: 4994: 4985: 4954: 4933: 4924: 4915: 4906: 4884: 4854: 4826: 4797: 4769: 4741: 4713: 4692: 4658: 4635: 4624:on 23 May 2018 4605: 4579: 4549: 4527: 4501: 4470: 4439: 4421: 4391: 4373: 4364: 4350: 4330: 4319:on 12 May 2013 4300: 4298:, Winter 1990. 4277: 4257: 4236: 4225:"Me-163 Komet" 4217: 4197: 4188: 4179: 4156: 4138: 4108: 4101: 4081: 4074: 4054: 4033: 4024: 4011: 4002: 3995: 3975: 3973:, p. 298. 3959: 3957:, p. 291. 3947: 3945:, p. 316. 3932: 3925: 3905: 3892: 3880: 3864: 3834: 3807: 3779: 3749: 3718: 3687: 3656: 3655: 3653: 3650: 3648: 3645: 3642: 3641: 3631: 3611:jachtvliegtuig 3561: 3560: 3558: 3555: 3554: 3553: 3548: 3543: 3536: 3533: 3519:, the Russian 3517:Meteor missile 3463:AIM-120 AMRAAM 3430:Yom Kippur War 3338: 3335: 3241:Main article: 3238: 3235: 3213:with Russia's 3207:Shenyang FC-31 3120:Northrop YF-23 3084:glass cockpits 3071:high-bandwidth 3047:Main article: 3044: 3041: 3025:Mikoyan MiG-29 2955:, include the 2894:peace dividend 2882:Main article: 2879: 2876: 2774:Mikoyan MiG-31 2731:AIM-54 Phoenix 2716:graphite epoxy 2690:(providing a " 2580:Main article: 2577: 2574: 2570:B-24 Liberator 2538:SEPECAT Jaguar 2516:targeting pods 2427:Main article: 2424: 2421: 2391:, such as the 2379:, such as the 2291:Main article: 2288: 2285: 2171:Gloster Meteor 2152:ejection seats 2128:Heinkel He 162 2116:Gloster Meteor 2088:Main article: 2085: 2082: 2046: 2043: 1956:Main article: 1953: 1950: 1934:ramjet engines 1910:Lavochkin La-7 1906:Lavochkin La-9 1892: 1889: 1838:heavy fighters 1834:night fighters 1822:Hawker Tempest 1818:Hawker Typhoon 1805:and increased 1758:kinetic energy 1725:Gloster Meteor 1689:Piston-engines 1673: 1670: 1653:Nakajima Ki-84 1649:fighter pilots 1631:and later the 1584:P-39 Airacobra 1553:Nakajima Ki-43 1549:Nakajima Ki-27 1524: 1521: 1507:Hermann Göring 1472:. Unescorted 1466:night fighters 1410:Lavochkin La-5 1406:Yakovlev Yak-9 1353:Dowding system 1324: 1321: 1297:Nakajima Ki-43 1293:Nakajima Ki-27 1286:reconnaissance 1250: 1247: 1214:Werner Mölders 1117:heavy fighters 1036: 1033: 1014:Edward Mannock 1006:Oswald Boelcke 884:Fokker scourge 880:Anthony Fokker 782:Jules Védrines 704:reconnaissance 667: 664: 662: 659: 640:heavy fighters 621:escort fighter 613:Main article: 610: 607: 594:Main article: 591: 588: 571:Main article: 568: 565: 556:Main article: 553: 550: 446:reconnaissance 438:strike fighter 430:Fighter-bomber 428:Of these, the 426: 425: 422:strike fighter 418:escort fighter 411: 406: 396: 391: 386: 381: 379:Fighter-bomber 376: 327: 326:Classification 324: 265:In the 1950s, 223:reconnaissance 206:"pusher" scout 195: 194: 153: 151: 144: 138: 135: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 6027: 6016: 6013: 6012: 6010: 6003: 5989: 5986: 5984: 5981: 5979: 5976: 5974: 5971: 5967: 5964: 5963: 5962: 5959: 5955: 5952: 5951: 5950: 5947: 5945: 5942: 5940: 5937: 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5444: 5441: 5439:0-00-472065-2 5435: 5431: 5430: 5424: 5420: 5414: 5410: 5409: 5404: 5403:Glenny, Misha 5400: 5397: 5395:1-904687-07-5 5391: 5387: 5382: 5378: 5373: 5370: 5368:0-316-88146-5 5364: 5360: 5359: 5353: 5350: 5348:0-8047-1160-7 5344: 5340: 5335: 5331: 5326: 5323: 5317: 5313: 5308: 5305: 5303:91-972803-8-0 5299: 5295: 5290: 5289: 5275: 5269: 5265: 5262: 5256: 5254: 5247: 5243: 5240: 5234: 5223: 5216: 5215: 5208: 5190: 5183: 5182: 5174: 5165: 5158: 5154: 5150: 5144: 5135: 5126: 5117: 5099: 5092: 5091: 5083: 5074: 5065: 5056: 5049: 5044: 5038: 5034: 5031: 5025: 5016: 5007: 4998: 4989: 4981: 4975: 4967: 4966: 4958: 4951: 4950:0-87021-059-9 4947: 4943: 4937: 4928: 4919: 4910: 4902: 4898: 4894: 4888: 4872: 4868: 4864: 4858: 4842: 4838: 4837: 4830: 4814: 4810: 4809: 4801: 4785: 4781: 4780: 4773: 4757: 4753: 4752: 4745: 4729: 4725: 4724: 4717: 4702: 4696: 4680: 4676: 4672: 4665: 4663: 4654: 4650: 4646: 4639: 4623: 4619: 4618:www.janes.com 4615: 4609: 4594:. 20 May 2022 4593: 4589: 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3620: 3616: 3612: 3608: 3604: 3600: 3596: 3592: 3588: 3584: 3580: 3579:avión de caza 3576: 3572: 3566: 3562: 3552: 3549: 3547: 3544: 3542: 3539: 3538: 3532: 3528: 3526: 3522: 3518: 3510: 3506: 3502: 3498: 3494: 3491: 3488: 3484: 3479: 3475: 3472: 3471:AIM-7 Sparrow 3466: 3464: 3459: 3455: 3454:AIM-7 Sparrow 3452:type was the 3450: 3446: 3441: 3439: 3438:1991 Gulf War 3435: 3434:Falklands War 3431: 3427: 3422: 3418: 3413: 3410: 3405: 3401: 3392: 3388: 3386: 3381: 3378: 3374: 3373:rotary cannon 3370: 3365: 3362: 3354: 3350: 3347: 3343: 3334: 3332: 3328: 3324: 3320: 3316: 3311: 3309: 3305: 3301: 3297: 3292: 3289: 3285: 3281: 3277: 3273: 3269: 3265: 3261: 3257: 3253: 3248: 3244: 3234: 3232: 3228: 3224: 3220: 3216: 3212: 3208: 3204: 3199: 3197: 3193: 3189: 3185: 3181: 3177: 3173: 3169: 3161: 3156: 3152: 3149: 3145: 3141: 3137: 3133: 3127: 3125: 3121: 3116: 3115:thermoplastic 3112: 3108: 3103: 3101: 3097: 3093: 3089: 3085: 3081: 3076: 3072: 3068: 3059: 3055: 3050: 3040: 3036: 3032: 3030: 3026: 3022: 3018: 3014: 3010: 3006: 3002: 2998: 2997:F/A-18 Hornet 2994: 2985: 2981: 2976: 2972: 2970: 2966: 2962: 2958: 2954: 2949: 2947: 2943: 2939: 2935: 2931: 2927: 2924: 2920: 2916: 2912: 2906: 2903: 2902:semiconductor 2899: 2895: 2891: 2885: 2875: 2872: 2868: 2864: 2860: 2859: 2854: 2850: 2846: 2841: 2839: 2835: 2831: 2827: 2823: 2819: 2815: 2811: 2807: 2798: 2794: 2792: 2788: 2784: 2781:the F-15 and 2779: 2775: 2770: 2768: 2764: 2760: 2756: 2752: 2747: 2744: 2738: 2736: 2732: 2728: 2724: 2720: 2717: 2713: 2709: 2705: 2701: 2697: 2693: 2689: 2686: 2685:pulse-Doppler 2679: 2674: 2670: 2668: 2664: 2660: 2656: 2652: 2647: 2645: 2641: 2637: 2636:Fighter mafia 2633: 2629: 2625: 2621: 2617: 2612: 2610: 2606: 2602: 2598: 2588: 2583: 2573: 2571: 2567: 2563: 2559: 2555: 2551: 2547: 2543: 2539: 2535: 2530: 2528: 2524: 2519: 2517: 2513: 2509: 2505: 2501: 2497: 2493: 2489: 2485: 2481: 2475: 2473: 2469: 2465: 2461: 2457: 2453: 2449: 2445: 2435: 2430: 2420: 2418: 2414: 2413:gravity bombs 2410: 2409:rate of climb 2406: 2402: 2398: 2394: 2390: 2386: 2382: 2378: 2374: 2369: 2367: 2363: 2359: 2355: 2354:field of view 2351: 2345: 2342: 2338: 2334: 2330: 2326: 2322: 2318: 2314: 2310: 2303: 2299: 2294: 2284: 2282: 2281:AIM-7 Sparrow 2278: 2274: 2270: 2266: 2262: 2258: 2254: 2250: 2246: 2242: 2238: 2234: 2229: 2226: 2222: 2217: 2215: 2210: 2206: 2202: 2197: 2195: 2192: 2188: 2184: 2176: 2172: 2167: 2163: 2161: 2157: 2153: 2147: 2145: 2141: 2137: 2133: 2129: 2125: 2121: 2117: 2113: 2109: 2105: 2104:Messerschmitt 2100: 2098: 2097:unswept wings 2091: 2081: 2077: 2070: 2065: 2060: 2056: 2052: 2042: 2040: 2036: 2032: 2028: 2023: 2021: 2017: 2013: 2008: 2003: 2001: 1995: 1993: 1988: 1985: 1981: 1977: 1973: 1972:mass-produced 1969: 1968:Lippisch Ente 1965: 1959: 1949: 1947: 1943: 1939: 1935: 1931: 1926: 1924: 1919: 1915: 1911: 1907: 1897: 1888: 1886: 1882: 1878: 1877:Schrage Musik 1874: 1869: 1867: 1863: 1859: 1855: 1851: 1850:Junkers Ju 88 1847: 1843: 1842:light bombers 1839: 1835: 1831: 1827: 1823: 1819: 1815: 1810: 1808: 1804: 1799: 1795: 1791: 1787: 1783: 1779: 1776: 1772: 1768: 1763: 1762:heavy bombers 1759: 1754: 1750: 1746: 1742: 1738: 1734: 1730: 1726: 1722: 1718: 1714: 1713:sound barrier 1710: 1706: 1702: 1698: 1694: 1690: 1682: 1678: 1669: 1667: 1663: 1658: 1657:Kawanishi N1K 1654: 1650: 1646: 1642: 1638: 1634: 1630: 1626: 1621: 1620:Flying Tigers 1617: 1613: 1609: 1605: 1601: 1597: 1593: 1589: 1585: 1581: 1576: 1574: 1570: 1566: 1562: 1558: 1554: 1550: 1546: 1542: 1538: 1534: 1530: 1520: 1518: 1514: 1513: 1508: 1505: 1500: 1498: 1494: 1489: 1487: 1483: 1479: 1475: 1471: 1467: 1463: 1459: 1455: 1451: 1447: 1446:Western Front 1439: 1434: 1430: 1428: 1423: 1419: 1415: 1411: 1407: 1402: 1398: 1394: 1393:Yakolev Yak-1 1390: 1386: 1382: 1378: 1375: 1371: 1367: 1363: 1359: 1358:Eastern Front 1354: 1350: 1346: 1342: 1338: 1334: 1330: 1320: 1317: 1315: 1310: 1309:Macchi MC.200 1306: 1302: 1298: 1294: 1289: 1287: 1283: 1279: 1274: 1266: 1261: 1256: 1246: 1243: 1239: 1235: 1231: 1227: 1223: 1219: 1215: 1211: 1206: 1204: 1200: 1196: 1192: 1188: 1182: 1180: 1176: 1172: 1168: 1164: 1160: 1159: 1154: 1153: 1148: 1147: 1142: 1137: 1135: 1129: 1126: 1125:medium bomber 1122: 1118: 1113: 1111: 1106: 1102: 1098: 1094: 1090: 1086: 1085:radial engine 1082: 1081:rotary engine 1074: 1070: 1066: 1064: 1058: 1055: 1051: 1047: 1041: 1032: 1028: 1026: 1022: 1017: 1015: 1011: 1010:Max Immelmann 1007: 1003: 998: 994: 990: 986: 982: 978: 970: 965: 961: 958: 954: 950: 946: 942: 938: 934: 930: 926: 922: 918: 916: 911: 910:Kurt Wintgens 908: 904: 900: 896: 895:Western Front 892: 891: 885: 881: 877: 873: 868: 864: 861: 857: 856:Roland Garros 853: 849: 845: 841: 837: 836:tractor scout 833: 829: 825: 820: 816: 811: 807: 803: 799: 791: 787: 783: 779: 775: 773: 769: 765: 761: 757: 752: 750: 746: 745:Roland Garros 740: 738: 734: 733:Bristol Scout 730: 725: 721: 717: 712: 709: 708:Miodrag Tomić 705: 701: 696: 694: 690: 682: 678: 673: 658: 656: 655:ground-attack 652: 647: 645: 641: 636: 632: 630: 626: 622: 616: 606: 604: 597: 596:Night fighter 587: 585: 580: 574: 564: 559: 549: 547: 543: 539: 535: 531: 527: 523: 517: 514: 510: 506: 502: 498: 494: 489: 487: 483: 479: 474: 470: 466: 462: 458: 454: 453:Sopwith Camel 449: 447: 443: 442:ground attack 439: 435: 431: 423: 419: 415: 412: 410: 407: 404: 403:night fighter 400: 397: 395: 394:Light fighter 392: 390: 387: 385: 384:Heavy fighter 382: 380: 377: 375: 372: 371: 370: 367: 365: 361: 357: 353: 349: 345: 341: 337: 333: 323: 321: 317: 312: 308: 302: 299: 294: 290: 286: 283: 279: 275: 273: 268: 263: 261: 256: 251: 248: 244: 240: 236: 231: 228: 224: 220: 215: 213: 205: 201: 191: 188: 180: 170: 166: 160: 159: 154:This section 152: 148: 143: 142: 134: 132: 131:night fighter 128: 127:heavy fighter 124: 120: 116: 115:ground attack 111: 108: 104: 99: 97: 93: 90:to engage in 89: 85: 81: 77: 73: 69: 65: 61: 54: 50: 46: 45:P-51D Mustang 42: 37: 33: 29: 22: 6002: 5961:Surveillance 5939:Experimental 5870: 5821:Light bomber 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Retrieved 4866: 4857: 4845:, retrieved 4835: 4829: 4817:, retrieved 4807: 4800: 4788:, retrieved 4778: 4772: 4760:, retrieved 4756:the original 4750: 4744: 4732:, retrieved 4722: 4716: 4704:. Retrieved 4695: 4683:. Retrieved 4674: 4653:the original 4648: 4638: 4626:. Retrieved 4622:the original 4617: 4608: 4596:. Retrieved 4592:AeroTime Hub 4591: 4582: 4570:. Retrieved 4566:the original 4561: 4552: 4540:. Retrieved 4530: 4518:. Retrieved 4513: 4504: 4492:. Retrieved 4483: 4473: 4461:. Retrieved 4453:The Guardian 4452: 4442: 4424: 4412:. Retrieved 4408:the original 4404:OpenCongress 4403: 4394: 4376: 4367: 4355:. Retrieved 4340: 4333: 4321:. Retrieved 4317:the original 4312: 4303: 4295: 4280: 4260: 4244: 4239: 4220: 4200: 4191: 4182: 4174: 4159: 4150: 4141: 4116: 4111: 4091: 4084: 4064: 4057: 4042:No Parachute 4041: 4036: 4027: 4019: 4014: 4005: 3985: 3978: 3962: 3950: 3915: 3908: 3900: 3895: 3888: 3883: 3875: 3867: 3855:. Retrieved 3846: 3837: 3827:25 September 3825:. 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