Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. Fighters are comparatively small, fast, and highly maneuverable, and have been fitted with increasingly sophisticated tracking and weapons systems to intercept and attack other aircraft.

Related Topics:
Military aircraft - Aircraft - Bomber - Bomb

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At one time, just before the opening of World War II, there were two types of fighters. Smaller single-engine planes were used as interceptors and day fighters, sometimes referred to as pursuits, while larger twin-engine designs were used as heavy fighters. The latter role proved to be unworkable, or at least not enough effort was put into them to remain useful. They then found themselves being converted to an ever-growing list of secondary roles, including strike fighters, bomber destroyers and night fighters, where their two engines gave them the increased payload needed to fill these roles.

Related Topics:
World War II - Interceptor - Day fighter - Heavy fighter - Strike fighter - Bomber destroyer - Night fighter

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As the performance of aircraft engines improved, notably with the jet engine in the 1960s, the need for different designs gradually disappeared. First the interceptor, bomber destroyer and night fighter designs merged into a single aircraft class. Later advances in targeting systems and the ever-increasing payloads meant that modern fighters can carry a load as large as the biggest WWII bombers, eliminating many of the bomber and ground attack aircraft roles as well. Today there are typically only two general fighter designs, smaller planes which make up the backbone of most air forces, and larger designs that operate at longer distances, sometimes referred to as interdictors.

Related Topics:
Aircraft engine - Jet engine - Ground attack aircraft - Air force - Interdictor

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Fighter aircraft were developed during World War I, and used to hunting down enemy reconnaissance aircraft and balloons. Engine power was so limited that they were barely able to lift themselves, but by the end of the war they had become one of the primary designs in the inventory.

Related Topics:
World War I - Reconnaissance - Balloon

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By the time of World War II fighter aircraft were extremely important. Control of the sky, or air superiority, had become a vital part of military doctrine, notably in the case of the blitzkrieg. The Luftwaffe's inability to destroy the British fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain made the seaborne invasion of Britain infeasible. As engine power grew, existing designs were increasingly used in other roles, with aircraft like the Republic P-47 and Hawker Typhoon becoming celebrated attack aircraft.

Related Topics:
World War II - Air superiority - Blitzkrieg - Luftwaffe - Battle of Britain - Republic P-47 - Hawker Typhoon

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Messerschmitt developed the first operational jet fighter, the Me 262, proving to be significantly faster than conventional propeller-driven aircraft. In general terms the jets were untouchable as long as the pilot properly used his speed advantage. The Me 262 could simply fly away from defending fighters, or, in the hands of a more competent pilot, it could run down opposing fighters so quickly that opponents simply didn't have time to get out of the way of its guns. The Me 262 was little used, partly due to German fuel shortages. Nevertheless the plane clearly pointed to the end of the piston engine for fighters. Britain's Gloster Meteor, which had been in development since the late 1930's, entered production soon after, spurred by reports of the German jets, and by the end of the war almost all work on piston powered fighters had ended.

Related Topics:
Messerschmitt - Me 262 - Britain - Gloster Meteor

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In the 1950s, jet-engined fighter planes capable of supersonic flight were developed. Power remained low, and the designs were dedicated to specific roles. Any particular air force might deploy three or four designs, day fighters, night fighters, attack planes, etc.

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These distinctions continued to erode during the 1960s, not always with good results. The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II was designed as a pure interceptor for the US Navy, but became a highly successful multi-role aircraft for the US Air Force and US Marine Corps as well as many other nations. Only a few years later, however, the General Dynamics F-111, intended as a multi-role, multi-service fighter, proved to be a near-disaster, so ineffectual as a fighter that the Navy version was abandoned, and the type eventually matured as bomber. Budgetary and political realities have increasingly forced the development of multi-role rather than specialized aircraft, but with some notable exceptions (like the F/A-18 Hornet), the demands of a good attack aircraft and a good air combat fighter remain somewhat mutually exclusive.

Related Topics:
McDonnell F-4 ''Phantom II'' - Interceptor - US Navy - US Air Force - US Marine Corps - General Dynamics F-111 - Bomber - F/A-18 Hornet

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Current developments include reducing the radar visibility of fighters--techniques known as stealth--as well as increased range at supersonic speeds (supercruise) and better maneuverability. Ultimately, most authorities believe that there is no future for crewed fighter planes as they will eventually be replaced by Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) . However, the world's major air forces are all in the process of replacing their craft with a new generation of planes, so the transition is likely some time away yet.

Related Topics:
Radar - Stealth - Supercruise - Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle

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