Tag: fighter aircraft

USA wants to arm Croatia

Croatia has to receive new fighter aircraft by 2023., as by then MiG-21s now in service will not be usable any longer. As process will last for at least two years, possibly longer, it is high time for it to start, yet it did not. Heritage Foundation indicated that USA wants to arm Croatia with … Continue reading USA wants to arm Croatia →

Balancing a fighter design

Introduction Producing a balanced fighter design is a key element of an effective air force. Yet it is also very hard, as tactical capability has to be balanced against strategical capability. "The best is the enemy of good enough" holds true for fighter design as it does for everything else. Fighter design is a balance … Continue reading Balancing a fighter design →

Measuring fighter aircraft maneuvering performance

Maneuvering performance can be divided into several types. Those types are transient maneuverability, angular maneuverability, energy maneuverability and endurance. Transient maneuverability denotes aircraft's ability to quickly switch from one maneuver to another. Energy performance measures aircraft's ability to gain, lose or maintain energy (speed and/or altitude). Angular (turn) performance measures aircraft's ability to achieve and … Continue reading Measuring fighter aircraft maneuvering performance →

A fighter for Canada

Introduction Canada is a Western country that at the first look has most at common with Russia. It is huge, but vast majority of its population is concentrated in a narrow swath of land to the south, near the US-Canadian border. It borders United States to the south and west, while to the east is … Continue reading A fighter for Canada →

Characteristics of aircraft types

ROLE AIR SUPERIORITY BOMBER INTERCEPTION GROUND ATTACK CLOSE AIR SUPPORT SIZE small (surprise, agility) large (range, missile load) medium-large (surprise vs range, weapons load) small-medium (surprise, agility vs endurance, weapons load) NUMBER OF ENGINES single (agility, surprise, operating cost) twin (top speed) twin (damage tolerance) twin (damage tolerance) COCKPIT/CANOPY TYPE bubble (situational awareness) sunk (drag … Continue reading Characteristics of aircraft types →

How to reduce fighter aircraft costs

There are three basic principles of fighter aircraft cost reduction: keep it small keep it simple keep it single However, they are not the only relevant issues; others will be adressed here as well. Keep it small Empty weight is a major factor in aircraft's cost, since higher empty weight (larger aircraft) means more materials … Continue reading How to reduce fighter aircraft costs →

Fighter aircraft gun comparision

Introduction Despite repeated proclamations about the "end of the dogfight", gun has always remained an important part of fighter aircraft's armament. There are several reasons. Having a gun provides a psychological security of having a fallback option if missiles are expended. Gun also has far lower minimum range than even most agile of modern dogfighting … Continue reading Fighter aircraft gun comparision →

Fighter aircraft engine comparision

Introduction This article will compare several engines used in modern fighter aircraft: EJ200 (Typhoon), M88 (Rafale B/C/M), RM-12 (Gripen A/B/C/D), F-135 (F-35A/B/C), F-119 (F-22A), F404-GE-402 (F-18C/D), F-414-400 (F-18E/F, Gripen E/F), AL-31F (Su-27, Su-30, J-11). Thrust to drag Since frontal area dominates drag, and engine frontal area dominates aircraft frontal area, thrust to drag ratio will … Continue reading Fighter aircraft engine comparision →

Comparing modern fighter aircraft

Nature of air to air combat “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ---G. Santayana Fighter aircraft exist to destroy other aircraft, and allow other aircraft to carry out their missions without interference from enemy fighter aircraft. That being said, there exists a colloqial - and incorrect - use of term … Continue reading Comparing modern fighter aircraft →