Fighter aircraft facts for kids
Fighter aircraft are special military aircraft with fixed wings. Their main job is to fight other aircraft in the sky. When there's a conflict, fighters work to get "air superiority." This means they control the sky above the battlefield. If they control the sky, other planes like bombers and attack aircraft can safely attack enemy targets on the ground.
Fighters need to be fast and able to turn quickly (maneuverable) compared to enemy planes. They also need strong weapons. How well a country does in getting air superiority depends on many things. These include how skilled its pilots are, how smart their plans are, and how many and how good their fighter planes are.
Many modern fighter planes can do more than just air-to-air combat. They can also attack targets on the ground. Some, called fighter-bombers, are built for both jobs from the start. Other fighters are made for very specific tasks. These include interceptors (which stop enemy planes), heavy fighters, and night fighters.
Contents
How Fighter Jets Started and Changed
The Early Days: World War I Fighters
Since World War I, controlling the sky has been super important for winning wars. Fighters were first developed to stop enemy planes and airships from spying on battlefields.
Early fighters were small and didn't have many weapons. Most were biplanes, meaning they had two sets of wings. They were made mostly of wood and fabric. They could only fly at about 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). As controlling the sky became more important, all big countries started making fighters.
World War II and the Jet Age
Between the two World Wars, planes started using metal frames instead of wood. By World War II, most fighters were all-metal planes with one set of wings (monoplanes). They had many machine guns or cannons. Some could fly almost 400 mph (640 km/h). Most had one engine, but some had two. Twin-engine fighters were often not as good in air combat and were used for other jobs, like night fighting with early radar.
By the end of World War II, turbojet engines began to replace piston engines. This made planes much faster. Since jet engines were lighter, having two engines was no longer a problem. Pilots needed ejection seats to escape and G-suits to handle the strong forces during turns.
Faster and Smarter: The 1950s and Beyond
In the 1950s, radar was added to fighters. Planes were flying so fast that pilots couldn't see far enough ahead. Radar became the main way to find targets. Wings were made thinner and swept back to fly faster. Planes started to break the sound barrier. Speeds quickly reached Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).
Air-to-air missiles largely replaced guns in the early 1960s. People thought guns wouldn't be useful at such high speeds. However, the Vietnam War showed that guns were still important. So, most fighters built since then have a cannon (usually 20 to 30 mm) along with missiles. Most modern fighters can carry at least two air-to-air missiles.
In the 1970s, turbofan engines replaced turbojets. These engines used less fuel. This allowed jets to replace the last propeller planes used for support. It also made "multi-role" combat aircraft possible. These planes could do many different jobs.
Stealth and Advanced Technology
With better computers, defensive systems on planes became very good. To get around this, countries like the United States, Russia, India, and China started working on "stealth" technology. Stealth means making planes hard to see on radar. They did this by hiding engines, removing sharp corners, and using special materials and paints that absorb radar waves.
Today, modern fighters are often larger and heavier than World War II bombers. Because controlling the sky is so important, countries spend a lot of money on developing and buying new fighters. The global market for combat aircraft was worth over $45 billion in 2017.
What Kinds of Fighters Are There?
A fighter aircraft is mainly made for fighting other planes in the air. But some types are also designed for other jobs, like attacking targets on the ground. In the past, the British called them "scouts," and the U.S. Army called them "pursuit" aircraft. Later, both countries started calling them "fighters."
Here are some types of fighters:
- Air superiority fighter: Designed to win control of the air.
- Fighter-bomber: Can fight in the air and attack targets on the ground.
- Heavy fighter: Larger, often with more weapons or longer range.
- Interceptor: Built to quickly stop incoming enemy aircraft.
- Light fighter: Smaller and more agile.
- All-weather fighter: Can fly and fight in all kinds of weather, day or night.
- Reconnaissance fighter: Can also gather information by flying over enemy areas.
- Strategic fighter: Can fly long distances, like escort fighters that protect bombers.
Some fighters, like the Fighter-bomber and reconnaissance fighter, have two main roles. They combine fighter abilities with another job on the battlefield. Sometimes, a fighter design is changed to do other jobs entirely, like ground attack or unarmed spying. This can happen for political reasons or for advertising.
For example, the Sopwith Camel from World War I did a lot of ground attack. In World War II, planes like the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Hawker Hurricane were used for ground attack when they were no longer the best air-to-air fighters. Some planes, like the F-111 and F-117, were called "fighters" even if they couldn't really fight other planes. This was often for political reasons.
Expensive fighters like the US Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, and the Russian Sukhoi Su-27, were used as all-weather interceptors and air superiority fighters. Later in their lives, they often gained air-to-ground attack roles. An interceptor is usually built to chase down bombers. So, it often climbs very fast but might not be as good at quick turns.
In military names, a letter often shows what kind of aircraft it is. "F" is now commonly used for fighter (like Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II). In the past, the U.S. used "P" for "pursuit" (like Curtiss P-40 Warhawk).
What Weapons Do Fighters Use?
Fighters mostly used guns for air-to-air combat until the late 1950s. Unguided rockets were also used in WWII, mainly for ground attacks but sometimes for air combat. Since the late 1950s, guided missiles have been used for air-to-air fighting.
Throughout history, if a fighter plane surprised an enemy or got into a good firing spot, it usually won the fight. This was true no matter what weapons it carried. The only big exception was how poorly guided missiles worked in their first 10-20 years.
Guns and Cannons
From World War I until today, fighter aircraft have used machine guns and automatic cannons. These are still important backup weapons. The power of these guns has grown a lot, keeping them useful even with missiles.
In WWI, fighters typically had two small machine guns. By WWII, they had more machine guns, or bigger ones like 0.50-caliber (12.7mm) guns, or cannons. For example, a standard WWII American fighter with six 0.50-cal machine guns could fire about 8 pounds (3.7 kg) of bullets per second. British and German planes often used a mix of machine guns and cannons, which fired explosive shells.
After the war, 20-30 mm revolver cannons and rotary cannons were introduced. The modern M61 Vulcan 20 mm rotary cannon, used on American fighters today, fires about 22 pounds (10 kg) of projectiles per second. These projectiles fly faster and explode. Modern gun systems also use radar and computers to help pilots aim.
Even with these improvements, getting into position to use guns is still hard. Guns have a limited range, usually about 1,000 meters (about 0.6 miles). They are most effective when firing from behind the target. Guns are much cheaper to use than missiles. Also, gun projectiles are not affected by the electronic tricks that can sometimes stop missiles. When a pilot can get close enough, guns have a 25% to 50% chance of "kill per firing pass."
Guided Missiles
The limited range of guns led to the development of guided air-to-air missiles. There are two main types: heat-seeking (infrared homing) and radar-guided. Radar missiles are usually heavier and more expensive, but they have a longer range and can track through clouds.
The very successful AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missile was developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s. These small missiles are easy for lighter fighters to carry. They work effectively from about 10 to 35 km (6 to 22 miles) away. Newer versions, like the AIM-9X, can track targets from any angle and even "lock on" after being launched. The AIM-9X costs about $0.6 million each.
Early heat-seeking missiles were not very reliable. In the Vietnam War, their success rate was low at first, but it improved over time. Israel used many heat-seeking missiles in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, getting 171 kills out of 261 total kills (65.5%) with them. The AIM-9L Sidewinder was very successful in the 1982 Falklands War, hitting 19 out of 26 missiles fired (73%). However, in the 1991 Gulf War, against enemies with defenses, the AIM-9M only hit 11 out of 48 fired (23%).
Radar-guided missiles work in two ways. Older types, like the AIM-7 Sparrow, needed the launching plane to keep its radar locked on the target. This meant the firing plane couldn't move much and was more open to attack. Newer types, like the AIM-120 AMRAAM, have their own small radar system. They guide themselves to the target. This means the firing plane doesn't need to keep its radar locked, which is much safer. The AIM-120D, a current American radar missile, can hit targets over 160 km (99 miles) away at high altitude. It costs about $2.4 million each.
Radar missiles were also not very reliable early on. In the Vietnam War, their success rate was only about 10%. From 1958 to 1982, out of 2,014 missile firings in five wars, only 528 kills were achieved. Only 76 of these were from radar missiles. This means each radar missile kill cost a huge amount of money.
However, with lots of development, radar missiles have become much better since the late 1970s. In the 1991 Gulf War, radar-guided missiles had a 75% success rate. Since 1991, radar missiles have achieved over 50% of all kills. The AIM-120D has achieved 9 kills out of 16 shots (56% success). Six of these were "beyond-visual-range" (BVR) kills, meaning the target was too far to see.
Modern missiles allow fighter pilots to avoid close-range dogfights, which are very risky. While using missiles effectively still needs skill, they make air combat simpler against enemies without good defenses. Missiles help planes be much more effective by partly automating air-to-air combat.
Modern Fighters: The Latest Generations
Fifth-Generation Fighters (2000s-2020s)
Fifth-generation fighters are the most advanced planes today. They are built to work together in a connected combat system. They have advanced radar systems that can send data without being easily detected.
These fighters use special materials like advanced composites and heat-resistant coatings. They also use radar-absorbent materials and paint (RAM/RAP) to be "stealthy" and hard to see on radar.
These aircraft are very complex and expensive. The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor was the first fifth-generation fighter, entering service in 2005. The U.S. Air Force originally wanted 650 F-22s, but only 187 were built. This made each plane very expensive, around $150 million.
To share the costs, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program involved eight other countries. Together, these nine countries plan to buy over 3,000 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighters. The F-35 is designed to be a family of three different planes: one for conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), one for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL), and one for aircraft carriers (CATOBAR). Each type has a different price and slightly different features.
Other countries are also developing fifth-generation fighters. China has the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang FC-31. Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 became the first fifth-generation fighter in service with the Russian Air Force in 2020. Japan and India are also working on their own advanced fighters.
Sixth-Generation Fighters (2020s-Present)
As of 2018, several countries have announced plans for sixth-generation aircraft programs. These include France, Germany, China, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
France and Germany are working together on a New Generation Fighter. It will replace their current planes by 2035. The United Kingdom is developing its own stealth fighter called Team Tempest. This plane is planned to enter service in 2035.
The United States Navy expects its first sixth-generation jet fighter to be ready between 2025 and 2030. The U.S. Air Force is also looking for a new fighter for the 2030-2050 period.
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See also
In Spanish: Avión de caza para niños
