Why are Fighter Planes Painted Grey?

With the flight of the first aircraft, aircraft began to be used for military purposes in a very short time. Have you ever wondered why almost all military aircraft, regardless of origin, look similar? Most fighter aircraft are painted in matt grey, green and brown (khaki) camouflage paint.

However, there was a time when military aircraft were also painted in bright colours to make them easily recognisable, similar to the painting pattern used on commercial aircraft today. In the early years, military aircraft were painted in bright colours. This changed in the early 1900s, when bright and shiny painted aircraft were washed out with monotonous colours, especially various shades of grey.

Thus, instead of camouflage, which was widely used in military clothing to prevent or at least delay the appearance of aircraft in the air, grey, a colour more in harmony with the colour of the air, was used as aircraft paint. In order to prevent military aircraft from being seen by enemy aircraft in the air, painting techniques were also changed for low visibility.

On the other hand, military display teams such as Turkish Stars continued to use bright colours as aircraft paint. In a way, the show planes, which are the extension of the show world in the air, were painted in glittering, bright colours in order to ensure that they could be easily followed in the air by aviation enthusiasts during their serial aerobatics, manoeuvres forming a whole with each other and breathtaking passes.

It highlights two different perspectives of colour in combat aircraft. One is a distinctive colour that stands out and can be easily identified as friend or foe. The other perspective, however, is the natural outward reflection of the fighter aircraft's strength, as revealed by the colouring pattern in attracting the enemy's attention.

In some cases, the bright colouring technique was used in particular. For example, the Red Baron, considered one of the most successful fighter pilots in aviation history, wanted his aircraft to be painted red. Manfred von Richthofen, according to legend, painted his plane red one day because he was bored and realised that this colour put psychological pressure on enemy pilots. He first challenged the enemy planes he encountered to a duel and shot them down after a fair fight. In this way, he gains fame. According to Richthofen, who was named the Red Baron after his red Fokker DR 1 aircraft, the colour red gave him a psychological advantage over enemy aircraft, especially in chaotic dogfights.

During the First World War, armies began to use camouflage colours on land vehicles, primarily due to the threat of aerial reconnaissance. The British Army concluded that green was a natural camouflage colour, especially in forest and field areas. Again for British aircraft, they discovered that the colour grey served more for invisibility in the air, and they started to paint the planes grey. Following Britain, France and Germany also preferred to apply the grey colour to their aircraft during the First World War. For example, the French painted their Nieuport aircraft in light blue-grey colours. By mid-1916, the French Nieuports standardised the use of silver-grey aluminium paint on their aircraft. The Germans also used a general olive green colour scheme, known as the diamond scheme, on their aircraft. In addition to the use of transparent fabric, some shades of grey were also used as colours on these aircraft. For example, Germany's LFG Roland C.II was painted in grey. In later years, some Austro-Hungarian aircraft were also painted in lozenge schemes based on grey throughout the war.

Why is grey the preferred exterior paint colour for military aircraft?

Grey (often referred to as "low visibility grey") can be camouflaged by low clouds and dust particles above the ground. Those flying at high altitude benefit greatly from grey. Reduced light grey is considered a colour that makes it difficult to be seen by other aircraft both on the ground and in the air. Grey paint with the correct reflective qualities is difficult to see in various conditions of high and medium altitude flight. The paint must not only be grey, but it must also have the correct reflective properties, which in part causes it to take on the colour of the sky, which is not always the same. In clouds and a clear sky, at noon, dusk and dawn, grey paint is not very visible, so it is an inconspicuous colour.

In my years of experience as a fighter pilot, grey really does make it difficult to see. Aircraft painted in grey appear later than those painted in traditional camouflage colours created from the colour scale in shades of green. For this reason, I am one of those who believe that shades of grey provide the most suitable camouflage for military aircraft. I also know that low-visibility paint schemes such as grey reduce the infrared signature of the aircraft, making it difficult for infrared-oriented air-to-air missiles to lock onto the aircraft's engines. The grey colour provides better camouflage against the sky, clouds and ground when flying at various altitudes, speeds and light conditions. This colour helps to distort the silhouette of the aircraft, making it more difficult to spot from a distance and on radar.

However, it is also a fact that aircraft painted in the right shade of blue blend better into the sky. However, blue-coloured aircraft are easier to see when viewed from top to bottom. The colour of the earth is very varied and even the colour of the sea is not constant. Therefore, there is no single colour that provides good camouflage against all ground environments. Even grey, the best aircraft paint camouflage colour, is not sufficient in this sense. Nevertheless, grey does not stand out too much in most natural environments. It is very easy to see a blue aircraft flying in profile over the tan colour of the desert or sandy ground. It is difficult to see grey aircraft in the same conditions. Blue is also easy to spot when flying over forested areas, but grey aircraft are not so easy to see. A grey aircraft flying over a city becomes almost invisible among the buildings of the city.

In short, from the bottom up, grey is a wonderful colour, almost as good a colour harmony as blue. Grey is not a great camouflage when viewed from above in all environments, but in most places it is the single most harmonious colour available.

Even in the Air Force, which uses grey a lot, you see other colours used on aircraft that spend most of their time flying low. For example, most German Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoons are grey, but most Tornado attack aircraft have a multi-toned green camouflage. These aircraft spend most of their time flying very low over Central Europe and green camouflage is a much better colour for this.

Although the practice of camouflaging military aircraft painted in shades of grey began during the First World War, once that war was over, the performance of the aircraft began to improve over the years. So much so that by the Second World War, fighter aircraft were able to reach higher altitudes. As the aircraft reached higher altitudes, it was realised that the First World War two-tone painting pattern, using shades of grey and green, was no longer camouflaged. Instead of using two-tone colouring, it became necessary to use other colours. The solid and green colours were visible to enemy aircraft at high altitudes. In other words, it was seen that this old type of colour application did not provide protection against enemy fighter aircraft, especially for military transport and bomber aircraft. For this reason, painting patterns were changed and colours were significantly reduced, and more matt colours were used. As a result, the khaki colour was replaced with "light grey", while the underside of the fuselage was painted "sea grey".

In general, grey colours seemed to provide protection against the enemy, especially for aircraft that spent most of their duty time at high altitudes, and reduced the possibility of detection.

Meanwhile, we know that the first attempt to paint the entire aircraft grey in military aircraft was made in early May 1941, when the PRU Mosquito aircraft of the British Royal Air Force, based at Benson Air Base, was painted in a Sea Grey/Olive Grey pattern. This paint pattern proved to be very effective. However, it was calculated that the application of the new paint pattern to all aircraft would cause a huge workload during the war. For this reason, the painting of all Mosquito type aircraft in grey tones was left for later. The first full-size gray application to eventually be used operationally was approved by the British Air Force in June 1943 for use on high-end fighter aircraft, including Spitfires, Welkins and some prototype aircraft. After this, most air forces began painting their military aircraft in a similar gray color. Meanwhile, the shades of gray used in the exterior paint of aircraft began to be applied to the cockpits as well. Thus, almost all military aircraft were painted gray.

Why are different colours other than grey used?

There are also countries that do not follow the grey paint pattern. For example, in Russian-made aircraft, they prefer shades of blue as the exterior paint colour. They also use a bluish-greenish colour for the cockpit. According to the Russians, especially the use of green and/or blue tones in the cockpit protects Russian fighter pilots against eye fatigue. It is said that this colour is preferred by the Russians because it absorbs UV (ultra-violet) light reflections. Meanwhile, according to Russian psychophysiology, teal colours improve concentration and reduce vestibular disorders such as vertigo and dizziness.

Although the Russian situation is a bit special, many countries continue to use shades of grey predominantly. On the other hand, some countries prefer to paint their aircraft and helicopters according to the conditions and terrain of their geographical region. In particular, this painting technique is used more in transport, reconnaissance and bomber type military aircraft. This is because these aircraft, which fly close to the ground, can make themselves more invisible among the colours of the earth and almost 'disappear' while flying over nature with these colours that are more in harmony with nature.

White or light coloured aircraft are generally used for specific missions and operational environments. One of the main reasons for using the white colour is to reflect sunlight and heat, which can help reduce the temperature inside the aircraft and prevent excessive heat build-up, especially in hot and sunny areas. Some military aircraft, when used for special roles such as search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation (medivac), are painted in white or high visibility colours to make them easier to spot in emergencies and adverse conditions.

In addition to white and grey, military aircraft may be painted in other colours or special patterns to match mission requirements or to represent national flags or emblems. Some aircraft may have special paint schemes for display or commemorative purposes. It is worth noting that military aircraft colour schemes can vary depending on the specific branch of the armies, the intended role of the aircraft and the operational area in which it will be deployed. The choice of colour is the result of an assessment to optimise the aircraft's performance, suitability to the mission environment and survivability.

Conclusion

The colour of military jets, especially fighter jets, is primarily determined by the intended operational environment, mission requirements and camouflage strategies. Both white and grey are common colours used on military aircraft, each serving specific purposes. Grey, low visibility grey, is a common colour scheme used for combat aircraft, especially those designed for tactical operations such as fighters and bombers. These aircraft are designed for stealth and reduced visibility in order to minimise detection by opponents.

Today, some countries even prefer to use completely unmarked military transport and reconnaissance aircraft. The emergence of today's military aircraft paint culture is many years in the making. Military aircraft have undergone continuous changes, from a centuries-old perspective of colour or camouflage to the almost complete absence of markings on fighter aircraft. At first, national markings on military aircraft were favoured to be too prominent. Today, on modern aircraft, paint patterns are increasingly simplified. Everything that should be seen as a matter of national pride is becoming almost non-existent.

Again these days, for invisibility, it is more important that the paint has the ability to absorb radar waves rather than the paint colour of the aircraft. For identification, the data provided by the Identification Friend and/or Foe (IFF- Idendification Friend and/or Foe) systems are used more than the colours and emblems on the aircraft. Wars are fought almost without the aircraft seeing each other, in the beyond-visual range. Therefore, paint colours have lost their former importance. However, the traditional grey paint colour is still used, while land-based aviation vehicles such as helicopters use a paint pattern with a predominant green colour. The Navy, on the other hand, prefers to apply the sea grey colour to its aircraft and helicopters.