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
Tag: performance
A-10 effectiveness assessment
Introduction A-10 is the premiere close air support fighter today, and one of the very few dedicated CAS platforms in existence. Close air support is one of the most important, and most difficult, missions that air force can be tasked with. However, it is part of a spectrum of missions which require cooperation with other … Continue reading A-10 effectiveness assessment
Airborne IRST properties and performance
Introduction IRST is a sensory device which uses IR (infrared) radiation for detection and targeting purposes. IR radiation has wavelength of 0,75 to 1.000 microns (micrometers), longer than wavelengths of color red in the visible spectrum (visible spectrum ranges from 0,39 to 0,7 microns, with violet at 0,4 and red at 0,7 microns). It is … Continue reading Airborne IRST properties and performance
Single vs twin engined fighters
Single engined fighters have typically been favored due to their low procurement and operational costs, ease of maintenance and assumed better air-to-air performance. Yet there is also a belief that single-engined fighters are inherently less survivable and lower-performance than twin-engined fighters. Fighter aircraft of World War I and II were invariably single-engined. Few twin-engined fighters … Continue reading Single vs twin engined fighters
F-35 and its troubles
While people term F-35 a "multirole" aircraft, and Lockheed Martin stated that it is second-best air superiority fighter in the world, F-35 is primarly a dedicated ground attack aircraft. This can be seen relatively easily, as there are different requirements for fighters and for ground attack aircraft. Primary requirement for ground attack aircraft is ability … Continue reading F-35 and its troubles
Usefulness of BVR combat
United States, as well as many of its allies, have always looked towards increasing range of combat as much as possible. Just as often, it failed, especially in the air, where technologists' dream of destroying enemy air force before it reaches visual range remains unfulfilled to this day. Main reason for it is that BVR … Continue reading Usefulness of BVR combat
On AviationIntel F-22 vs Typhoon article
http://aviationintel.com/2012/07/28/in-response-to-reports-of-simulated-f-22-raptor-kills-by-german-eurofighters/ While author is indeed correct that training sorties do not necessarily mean that one type of aircraft is superior, multiple sorties can, when analyzed properly and assuming that setup is known, provide some information about respective fighter's capabilities. Huge control surfaces and thrust vectoring are useful for high-altitude and low-speed maneuvers, not in … Continue reading On AviationIntel F-22 vs Typhoon article
History and War 