Strike fighter facts for kids
A strike fighter is a special kind of military airplane. It's built to do two main jobs: attack targets on the ground or sea, and also fight other airplanes in the sky. Think of it as a "two-in-one" aircraft! These planes are very flexible and can be used for many different missions.
Some modern strike fighters include the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
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How Strike Fighters Came To Be
The idea of a "strike fighter" started to appear in the 1940s. At that time, navies (like the U.S. Navy) began using the term for their fighter planes that could also attack targets on the ground or at sea. Planes like the Westland Wyvern were early examples.
In the 1950s, there was a competition to design a "lightweight tactical strike fighter." This was for a plane that could be used for quick attacks.
The term "strike fighter" became much more common in the United States Navy by the late 1970s. It was used to describe a new plane called the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. This plane was designed to be good at both fighting other planes and attacking ground targets.
In 1983, the U.S. Navy even changed the names of its "Fighter Attack Squadrons" to "Strike Fighter Squadrons." This showed how important the ground attack part of their mission had become. Soon, other military branches also started using the term "strike fighter" for planes like the F-15E.
The Joint Strike Fighter Program
In 1995, the U.S. military started a big project called the Joint Strike Fighter program. The goal was to create a new family of advanced planes that could do many different jobs. These jobs included attacking ground targets, gathering information (reconnaissance), and defending against enemy aircraft.
This program led to the creation of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 is a very modern "fifth-generation" strike fighter. It has special "stealth" technology, which means it's very hard for enemies to detect on radar.
Modern Strike Fighters
Here are some examples of modern strike fighters used by different countries:
Boeing F-15EX Eagle II- McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle
- Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Sukhoi Su-30MKK- Sukhoi Su-34
Shenyang J-16
See also
- Interdictor aircraft
- Interceptor aircraft
- Fighter-bomber
- Attack aircraft
- Multirole combat aircraft
