defense

Jet Fighter Development/Jet Fighter Generations

WORLD WAR II. Jet fighter jets, which have been on the agenda of the aviation world since the end of World War II, and which were very prominent during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and especially during the entire Cold War period, and the gas turbine engines (Turbojet, The dizzying technological developments in turbojet and turbofan engines (Turbofan, Turboprop, Turboshaft), aircraft radar, aircraft avionics and weapon systems, which are rapidly developing and evolving, have led to the need to classify the jet fighter jet generation in question.

In particular, the F-35 sanctions (the 5th generation aircraft project in which we are a partner), which the US has recently started to impose unfairly (and in my opinion, has started to regret), the imposition of conditions that cannot be complied with regarding the purchase of new generation (4+) F-16s and the modernization of our existing F-16s, and the fact that our national combat aircraft have started to reach factory levels from design, have led to the fact that combat aircraft (jet fighters) have been talked and written about a lot in our country. In fact, jet fighter jets have always been the center of attention and the center of attention of the people. There is a saying that I wholeheartedly agree with; "Jet Noise is the Sound of Freedom-Jet Noise is the Sound of Freedom". In almost every culture, watching, talking and writing about jet fighter jets makes people feel that the country they live in is free, and it arouses national feelings. Moreover, air, ground and sea vehicles such as airplanes, automobiles and ships are both visual and technological centers of interest due to their design aesthetics and the systems they carry.

Within this whole jet fighter agenda, the categorization and classification of jet fighter aircraft by the experts in the field, describing them with groupings such as 4th generation aircraft, 4th-5th generation aircraft, 4+, 4++, 5th generation aircraft, has aroused curiosity and interest in how jet generations are determined and grouped.

In fact, this generation classification and its content is not a numerical and objective aircraft engineering or system engineering categorization determined by the companies that design and integrate these aircraft or the air forces or countries that place orders.

According to reliable open sources, the description/classification of this jet fighter jet generation made by NASA in the early 1990s was initially accepted by the USAF (US Air Force), and subsequently led to the classification of all jet fighters in the world, including Russian aircraft, and the adoption of this classification by experts in the field. However, there is no international authority that determines and controls the content of this classification, and it is politically impossible for there to be one. This classification has been highly abused and turned into a prestige issue due to a commercial advantage and/or concern. Especially in the case of the 4th generation aircraft, the push for 4, 4.5, 4+, 4++, 4++ generations brings forward the concern of saying that it is not the 5th generation, but close to it.

The author of these lines is an airplane lover and even before he learned to read and write, he made it his hobby to collect, analyze, compile and collect all information about airplanes. I do not recall any categorization of jet fighter aircraft in Flight International, Aviation Week, Jane's Defence Weekly, M5 and other similar publications that I referenced in my aircraft reviews until the Internet age.

In this article, to the extent our knowledge and experience allows, and based on a reliable literature review, we will list the characteristics of jet fighter aircraft that define their generations, present examples of them, and emphasize the dominant characteristics that define their generations. However, out of respect for our readers, we would like to emphasize that we do not have the authority to say that this aircraft is definitely of this generation.

The Sky Meets the Jet Fighter Jet

Today's jet fighters have come a long way since the German Messerschmitt Me 262 jet/jet fighter first flew in 1941. However, the innovative spirit and firepower found in all generations of fighter aircraft remain common threads, from highly subsonic conventional weapons to advanced stealth machines.

1st Generation Jet Fighters (1945-1955)

The first generation of jet fighters are those that appeared at the beginning of the Jet Age, from the end of World War II until the Korean War. They were the first to be powered by turbojet engines, but were otherwise largely similar to the older piston-engined fighters they replaced. The engine response (engine power) of these early jet fighters was too limited to allow them to fly above the speed of sound. These first generation jet fighters were generally not equipped with radar. Since guided missiles were still largely experimental at this time, their armament usually consisted of older technologies such as conventional guns, artillery, conventional bombs and rockets.

The most defining feature of the 1st Generation Jet Fighters: Jet propulsion.

Perhaps the most representative jet fighters of that era are the American F-86 Sabre and the Russian MiG-15, the two most fiercely fought rivals in the skies over Korea.

Other jet fighters of this generation include:

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (the world's first known jet fighter, built in Nazi Germany)

Heinkel He 162 Salamander

Messershmitt Me 162 Komet

Gloster Meteor

de Havilland Vampire

de Havilland Venom

Hawker Siddeley/Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk

Supermarine Attacker

Supermarine Swift

Lockheed P-80 (F-80) Shooting Star

Republic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak

North American F-86 Sabre

Northrop F-89 Scorpion

Lockheed F-94 Starfire

McDonnell FH-1 Phantom

Vought F6U Pirate

Vought F7U Cutlass

North American FJ (F-1) Fury

McDonnell F2H (F-2) Banshee

McDonnell F3H (F-3) Demon

Douglas F4D (F-6) Skyray

Grumman F9F (F-9) Panther / Cougar

Douglas F3D (F-10) Skyknight

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-17

Lavochkin La-15

Yakovlev Yak-15

Yakovlev Yak-17

Yakovlev Yak-23

Dassault Ouragan

Dassault Mystère

Saab J21R

Saab J29

Saab Lansen

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck

During this period, the Turkish Air Force also switched to jet fighter jets and became dependent on the US and American technology, not only for easy access to US fighter jets, especially those taken out of service, but also for general logistics, aircraft maintenance and all critical aspects of aircraft flying, especially since the entry into NATO, through modern imperialist techniques under the name of military aid. Since the author lacks sufficient knowledge and experience to go into the political and policy depths of the subject, he has to stay within the confines of aircraft and aircraft technology.

The first generation fighter aircraft that entered the inventory of the Turkish Air Force are the Republic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak, the North American F-86 Sabre, and the Lockheed P-80 (F-80) Shooting Star.

2nd Generation Jet Fighters (1955-1960)

The factors that most characterized the jet fighters of the second generation were higher speed, radar and the first use of guided air-to-air missiles. Many of these aircraft incorporated lessons learned in Korea to improve overall performance and combat effectiveness. These aircraft were the first jet fighters capable of maintaining supersonic speeds in level flight. Their design also benefited from new electronics technologies, with radar designed small enough to be carried on board. Similarly, advances in guided missile development allowed this new weapon to begin replacing the cannon as the primary offensive weapon for the first time in fighter history.

The Most Defining Characteristics of the 2nd Generation Jet Fighter: Cruise at supersonic speeds, Swept-back Wing, range-only radar, infrared missiles with infrared target detection.

This fighter class is best represented by the American "Century Series" (F-100 to F-106 supersonic aircraft capable of flying above the speed of sound - F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Vodoo, /102-Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, F-106 Delta Dart).

All the prominent members of the second generation known to us are as follows:

North American F-100 Super Sabre

McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

Republic F-105 Thunderchief

Convair F-106 Delta Dart

Vought F8U (F-8) Crusader

Grumman F11F (F-11) Tiger

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21

Sukhoi Su-9 / Su-11

Yakovlev Yak-25

BAC Lightning

de Havilland Sea Vixen

Gloster Javelin

Hawker Hunter

Supermarine Scimitar

Dassault Etendard

Dassault Mirage III

Saab Draken

The North American F-100 Super Sabre, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter are the second generation fighter jet aircraft used in large numbers by the Turkish Air Force.

3rd Generation Jet Fighters (1960-1970)

Most of the jet fighters of the third generation were those that served in the Vietnam War, especially in the later stages of the conflict. Many of these aircraft were the first to be specifically designed as multirole fighters capable of both air defense and ground attack missions.

The Most Defining Characteristics of 3rd Generation Jet Fighters: Supersonic and/or doubled supersonic speed (Mach 2), Pulse (pulse repetition/modulation) radar, and the ability to fire at targets beyond visual range.

Perhaps the best representative of this generation of jet fighters is the F-4 Phantom II, which has entered service not only with the US Navy, Marines and Air Force, but also with a number of foreign air forces, including the Turkish Air Force.

Prominent examples of third-generation jet fighters include:

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II (F-4, RF-4 C, D, E, RAF F-4E-Royal Air Force, G-German, J-Japan, K-Korean)

Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25

Sukhoi Su-15

Sukhoi Su-17/20/22

Tupolev Tu-28P

Yakovlev Yak-28

British Aerospace Harrier

Dassault Mirage F.1

Dassault Super Etendard

Shenyang J-8II

This generation of aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, formed the backbone of the Turkish Air Force for a long time.

4th Generation Jet Fighters (1970-1990)

The next generation continued the trend towards multi-role jet fighters equipped with increasingly sophisticated avionics and weapon systems. These jet fighters also began to emphasize maneuverability over speed in order to succeed in air-to-air combat. It therefore emphasized the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft (Aerodynamics is the study of the interaction of moving solid masses with air). This also greatly enhanced the visual aesthetic appeal of these airplanes, even though it had nothing to do with physics. The "Airplane like a father" analogy (the F-4 is called "Father F-4"!?!) has also evolved into the "Airplane like a daughter" analogy (F-16, MIG-29, Eurofigher, Rafale...).

Fighter Mafia Effect

In the design of the third-generation aircraft, the ability to fly at twice the speed of sound, to hit targets out of line of sight, and to reach high altitude as soon as possible, to detect the target aircraft from high altitude and to hit it with heat-seeking or radar-guided missiles were the main objectives. In other words, as in the previous two generations, dogfighting at low altitudes and shooting down the opponent's aircraft with artillery shells was starting to be accepted as an old-fashioned, outdated method of air combat.

However, the Vietnam War began to show that this was not the case. In a dogfight against the simple and light MIG-21 or even MIG-17, the F-4, the great aircraft of that period, which was heavy and had no cannon, could be insufficient, and its high volume whetted the appetite. The A and B models of the F-4 did not have a cannon, the C model could carry a gun pod that could be mounted under the wing, but from the E model onwards, an internal gun was installed in the nose.

John Boyd, a US jet fighter pilot in the Korean War, began developing the theory in the early 1960s. He worked with mathematician Thomas Christie at Eglin Air Force Base to use the base's high-speed computer to compare the performance envelopes of US and Soviet aircraft from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Energy Maneuverability began to gain acceptance within the US Air Force and brought improvements to air force requirements for the F-15 Eagle and later the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. The Energy Maneuverability theory later gave rise to a fanatical and highly influential group of experienced jet pilots and jet fighter designers, led by John Boyd, who became known as the Fighter Mafia.

The formulation of the 'Energy Maneuverability Theory' is given below, obviously the lower the drag (due to aerodynamic design), the higher the engine power (due to engine displacement), the lower the weight (due to aerodynamic design, low aircraft volume, low payload), the higher the speed (due to engine displacement, low aircraft volume); the higher the energy maneuverability.

Ps = V (T-D)

Ps= Energy Maneuvering capacity/capability

V = Speed

T = Trust (motor power)

D = Drag (drag force)

W = Weight

The Fighter Mafia was against multirole aircraft. They were particularly influential in the design of the F-15, F-16 and A-10, and were able to influence both Congress and the American people, but they were increasingly at odds with the US Air Force. With the F-15, the US Air Force had its way, because this aircraft was to be a "High-mixed Concept", first as an air defense aircraft (Noble Eagle), and then evolve into multi-role (multirole) fighter/bomber configurations. And it did; as the F-15E Strike Eagle, it became one of the most effective fighter/bomber aircraft in aviation history. Nowadays, with the F-15 EX model, it has reached levels that are still unapproachable.

The U.S. Air Force has given more space to the Fighter Mafia effect, which they removed from the F-15C design, in the F-16 program because this aircraft was to be a Low-Mix Concept (Low-Mix Concept) aircraft. For this purpose, the YF-16 was designed as a Light Weight Fighter (LWF), and the YF-17, its competitor in the F-X project, was designed in a similar way. These aircraft were to be lightweight, fly with a high thrust/weight ratio, flying with high-powered engines or morphs. In most positions, an aircraft with a high thrust-to-weight ratio will have a high overthrust value. High over thrust results in a high rate of climb. If the thrust-to-weight ratio is greater than one and drag is small, the airplane can accelerate straight up like a rocket. This confirms Boyd's theory of Energy Maneuverability.

The aim of the Fighter Mafia was to create Fighter Aircraft from the F-15 and F-16, and CAS (close air support) aircraft from the A-10. When asked what about bombardment missions, they answered "not even a penny for bombardment".

In order not to increase the weight of the F-16, they even objected to the AN/APG-66 radar; according to them, the upgraded version of the APQ-153 radar on F-5Es was sufficient. They also objected to the A-10 carrying air-ground missiles because it would increase the weight of the aircraft. According to them, missiles would be useless at low altitude, and the A-10's formidable Gatling Gun (GAU-8 Avenger Rotary Cannon) would do the job of close air support. Indeed, thanks to this cannon, the A-10 Thunderbolt became known as the "tank killer".

Fighter Mafia described the roles of the F-16 in air-to-air roles and the A-10 in close air support as the ideal jet fighter service integration. They were right about the aerodynamics, but their view was far from meeting the requirements for a multi-purpose, economical, supportable jet fighter, and it could be observed that they were becoming increasingly fanatical, falling in love with their model ideas and falling into a kind of "operational blindness".

On January 20, 1974, test pilot Phil Oestricher began a high-speed rule check of the General Dynamics YF-16 prototype, which would later take off for its first flight. When the airplane oscillated and the left wing hit the ground, he decided to take off for the first flight of the airplane in order not to damage its image, even though he should have aborted the flight in accordance with the flight safety rules. The YF-16 was the realization of their dream of a lightweight, ultra dogfight fighter. For them, the YF-16 was a pure air-to-air fighter, the Excalibur of aeronautical engineering (King Arthur's mystical sword).

The F-16's test pilots dubbed it the Viper because it was fast, agile and, in its own way, very deadly. However, the customer, the USAF, in a pedantic and bureaucratic way, decided that Viper could not be the name of an airplane because they wanted to name new airplanes after birds of prey. The F-15 was called the eagle, the F-16 was called the fighting falcon. But most of those who flew it preferred to call it the viper rather than the fighting falcon. Years and generations later, the Blok-70 was renamed the viper as a tribute to the past.

The YF-16 won the F-X competition and entered the USAF inventory as the F-16. However, there were excessive demands for this aircraft from other countries. However, these requests were mostly for a cost-effective but multi-role fighter/bomber configuration, just like in the USAF (or as directed by the USAF!!!). This was in line with the plans of the manufacturer General Dynamics (this division of General Dynamics was later acquired by Lockheed Martin).

The F-16 A/B, C/D classes, blocks 10, 15, 30-32, 40-42, 50-52 and others (more than 72 different blocks) broke the export record in the history of the American Jet Fighter. This not only made Lockheed Martin the number one fighter jet manufacturer in the world, but also made the US enormous money, making +30 countries, including us, dependent on them for this aircraft. In addition, they have earned and are earning much more money from the users for logistical support throughout the life cycle of the aircraft. They exaggerated the success of this aircraft and designed the F-35, but they also exaggerated the complexity of the design (JSF-Joint Strike Fighter) in terms of engineering, and now they are trying to get out of it. However, it would not be wrong to say that the F-35 will also achieve high export success.

The Most Defining Features of 4th Generation Jet Fighters: Pulse-Doppler radar (Pulse-Doppler radar is a radar system that uses pulse timing techniques to determine the range to the target and uses the Doppler effect of the return signal to determine the speed of the target object), high maneuverability; look-down, shoot-down missiles, Fly by Wire flight control system capability (advanced flight control system that replaces manual flight controls with an electronic interface. In this system, the aircraft has a computer-controlled artificial intelligence independent of the pilot).

Good representatives of this fighter class include the American F-16 and the Soviet MiG-29.

Other members of the fourth generation are:

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon

McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-31

Sukhoi Su-27

Yakovlev Yak-38

Panavia Tornado

Dassault Mirage 2000

Saab Viggen

Mitsubishi F-2

AIDC Ching-Kuo

Chengdu J-10

Hindustan LCA

4.5th (44+, 4++ Generation Jet Fighters (1990-2000)

The term "4.5 generation" sometimes refers to the newer fourth-generation jet fighters. These aircraft generally retain the same basic features as the fourth-generation aircraft, but are seen as having advanced capabilities provided by more advanced technologies that can be seen in fifth-generation fighters.There are many experts who classify this generation between the 4th and 5th generation as 4+ and 4+++, but this classification is very open to debate. It would not be wrong to emphasize that it is a somewhat forced classification with commercial and national concerns.

4.5. The Most Defining Characteristics of the 4th (4+) Generation Jet Fighters: High agility; sensor fusion; reduced signatures.

Good examples are the F-18 Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale. All three benefit from advanced avionics to improve mission capability and limited stealth features to reduce visibility, compared to older fourth-generation aircraft. However, none is considered advanced enough to be classified as a fifth-generation fighter (although arguments can be made for the Typhoon and perhaps the Rafale).

4+ Generation Jet Fighters:

Boeing F-18E/F Super Hornet

Sukhoi Su-30

Sukhoi Su-33

Sukhoi Su-35

Eurofighter Typhoon

Saab Gripen

Dassault Rafale

4.5 (4++) Generation Jet Fighters' Most Defining Features: AESA (Active electronically scanned arrays) radar; continued reduced signatures or some "active" waveform canceling stealth; in some cases, supercruise (the ability to exceed the speed of sound without using afterburner).

4++ Generation Jet Fighters:

SU-35

F-15 EX

5th Generation Jet Fighters (2000 - ?)

The technologies that best summarize fifth-generation fighters are advanced integrated avionics systems that provide the pilot with a complete picture of the battlefield and the use of low-observable "stealth" techniques. The F-22 and F-35 are the only fifth generation fighters developed to date, but it must be recognized that Russian technologies created by Russia, Mikoyan Gurevich MFI MIG-1.44 and Sukhoi Su-47 contributed to the design and manufacture of the SU-57, even though it is not yet in the active combat phase. In other words, it would be correct to consider the SU-57 as a 5th generation jet fighter. Although a bit controversial, we can also include the Chinese Chengdu J-20 in this generation. When it enters the flight phase, our national combat aircraft TAI TF-X (MMU) will also be included in this generation.

The Most Defining Features of 5th Generation Jet Fighters: Stealth capability with built-in weapons, extreme agility/extreme maneuverability, extreme agility, full sensor fusion, integrated avionics, partial or full supercruise capability.

Since the Joint Strike Fighter was the original inspiration for all this, it seems logical to call the F-35 the most prominent example of this generation.

Other examples include:

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

Lockheed Martin F-35

Sukhoi SU-57

Chengdu J-20

Please note that these categories are only an opinion and are by no means claimed to be official, definitive and open to interpretation. We should also be aware that it is not always easy to categorize a particular aircraft type. For example, the long-lived F-4, F-15 and SU-27 family (SU-27, SU-30, SU-32, SU-33, SU-34, SU-34, SU-35, SU-37) may be included in the third or fourth or even 5th generation, depending on which variant, configuration or modernized version is being considered (SU-35S, F-15 EX). Nevertheless, we believe that the above list provides a good overview of the evolution of jet-powered fighters, with categorical, systematic summary information that should be useful for those interested in jet fighters.

6th Generation Jet Fighters (...?-?)

Extremely high stealth capability; efficient in all flight regimes, subsonic to multi-Mach; possible "morphing" capability; smart airframe skins, high net-network, extremely sensitive sensors, unmanned, optionally manned, direct energy weapons.

There are conceptual designs in this generation, but no flying platform yet. As the time that this generation of aircraft can move in three axes gets longer; we are likely to talk about 5+, 5++ generation aircraft.

We can list the Conceptual Designs as follows:

Japan, Mitsubishi F-X

United Kingdom, Sweden and Italy, Future Combat Air System (UK) and BAE Systems Tempest

France, Germany, Spain, Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

Russia, Mikoyan PAK DP

USA, F/A-XX program and Next Generation Air Dominance

Conclusion and Recommendations:

Some time after the invention of the jet engine, the jet era began with the flight of the first jet fighter aircraft. The era of civil jet aircraft started after the military jet fighters. As it has never changed in the historical development of engineering; innovations are initiated primarily for the satisfaction of security needs. Unfortunately, the dizzying development of jet fighter aircraft and the systems they carry took place during the tense period of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the Cold War. These tense periods were the accelerating force.

However, a very serious mistake is always made. Due to pressure from defense companies, many fighter jets are taken out of service long before the end of their service life. For example, in order to accelerate the production of the F-15 and F-16, to market them around the world and to expand their sphere of influence, the US Air Force decommissioned the F-4 aircraft very early. It achieved a great export success with the F-16, but sold its high-mixed concept F-15s only to a limited number of allies with limited capacity (Israel, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Qatar).

It will always be the most cost-effective solution to extend the service life of the aircraft, modernize their avionic and weapon systems, and introduce new systems at the end of their service life. You can put as many plus (+) signs as you like on the generation of those modernized aircraft.

Rather than scrapping the aircraft taken out of service, storing them in a geographical area not exposed to moisture for a long time will allow them to be sold to another user, at least on a park basis, or to be kept as a deterrent factor.

We are about to enter the era of the 6th generation jet fighter. The majority of these aircraft will fly unmanned. In the next generation, these will be airplanes that fly only machines, without the need for a human at the console on the ground.

It would not be wrong to adapt the famous scientist Albert Einstein's statement "I don't know what weapons will be used in World War III, but I know that in World War IV there will be sticks and stones" to describe the danger of nuclear weapons for jet fighter jets.

Notes

1. Lockheed acquired the Fort Worth-based General Dynamics fighter jet division in 1993 and merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin.

2. Important members of the Fighter Mafia Group:

The F-15, A-10 and especially the YF-16 were a passion project for many Americans in the air defense world, a group known as the Fighter Mafia, led by US Air Force (USAF) Colonel John Boyd. This mafia group also included General Dynamics engineer Harry Hillaker, analyst Pierre Sprey, fighter pilot Everest Riccioni, analyst Thomas Christie and others.

3. What is a jet? It is a long, narrow stream of high-speed winds. However, this meteorological description, due to its aerodynamic effect, inspired the first gas turbine engine to be called a Turbojet. Airplanes with this engine were also called Jet Aircraft. The leading science in aviation is Aerodynamics. This branch of science describes how an aerial platform can stand and move in 3-Axis.

4. A jet engine, also known as a reactive engine, is an aviation engine that compresses air from the atmosphere and heats it by burning it with jet fuel. The gases produced as a result of this heating are rapidly ejected, creating a thrust in the opposite direction, which is used to propel the vehicle to which the engine is attached. These engines were developed based on Newton's laws of motion. According to this law, every action produces a reaction of equal magnitude and in the opposite direction.

Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain (December 14, 1911 - March 13, 1998) was one of the inventors of the jet engine.

Two engineers, Frank Whittle in the United Kingdom and Hans von Ohain in Germany, separately came up with the idea for the jet engine in the late 1930s, although the first accepted turbojet belongs to Whittle. Ohain designed the first independent jet engine and was the first person to power a jet aircraft. Despite this, none of his designs went into production. His contribution to the development of the jet engine in Germany was invaluable. After the war, he met Frank Whittle, who was also working on jet engines, and they continued their work together.