Fighter aircraft

A community portal about Fighter aircraft with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: 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 maneuverable. They were developed in response to the fledgling use of aircraft and dirigibles in World War I for reconnaissance and ground attack roles. These early fighters were mostly wooden biplanes with light machine guns. As aerial warfare became increasingly important, so did control of the airspace. By World War II, fighters were predominantly metal monoplanes with wing-mounted cannon. Following the war, turbojets replaced piston engines as the means of propulsion, and missiles augmented or replaced guns. For historical purposes, jet fighters are classified by generation. The generation terminology was initiated by Russian defense parlance in referring to the F-35 Lightning II as a "fifth generation" plane. Years are not exact and intended as a guideline. Modern jet fighters are predominantly powered by one or two turbofan engines, armed primarily with missiles, with a cannon as backup armament, and equipped with a radar as the primary method of target acquisition.

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China crosses threshold on Military Technology Independence

Written by moinansari on

From: rupeenews.com

| NEW YORK | RUPEE NEWS | July 28, 2008 | Moin Ansari | Many in the West have now beletedly realised that China has crossed the threshold on Military Technology Independence and is no longer dependant on Russia for it defense needs. China’s phenomenal growth in the economic and manufacturing sector have allowed it to experiment and produce aircraft and missiles without Russian help. Unlike India which has yet to produce its own aircraft (LCA is still being designed after a decade of wasted effort) or missiles (Indian missle failures. Scrap the program? Agni, Trishul, Naag missile programs were scrapped) China no longer imports Russian aircraft on a wholesale basis. Any imports are limited and imports are for the sake of transfer of technology. China now has the technology to design, build and improve on current designs and move to the next generation of air crafts, missiles and other equipment.

China is developing new technologies with Pakistan which has had access and experience with American and French planes–something that the Chinese do not have. Chinese technology exports to Pakistan: JF-17 Thunder, J-10s, J-11s. This alliance has propelled the aircraft manufacturing of China to new levels and given the Pakistanis access to Chinese acumen which it did not have before. JF-17 Thunders Beyond the JF-17 Thunders. The J-10s etc

Pakistan’s 250 JF-17s, 50 F-16: Indias panicky “concern”. The Indian establishment’s answer to the threat is throwing more money at it. After recovering from the Flying Coffin fiasco, the Indian Airforce is now spending $125 Billion on new acquisions of planes which will be obsolete when they land in New Delhi. Trail of tears and failure: Indian missiles. For the first time, the Indian Air force has had to make some difficult decisions–in Missile technology and aircraft production. Indian Airforce crying wolf? or facing shortage of jets? unless immediate steps are taken to arrest the reduction in IAF’s force levels, the nation will, for the first time in its history, lose the conventional military edge over Pakistan”. The declining Indo-Russian relationship. Delhi scrambles for new arms sources but they come with strings. The previous IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi warned the UPA government. Russia elides India in Flanker Su-30 development

China Close to Military Technology Independence, AVIATION WEEK Exclusively Reports
Analyses of China’s military industrial capabilities reveal fast-tracked, high-tech programs, possibly aimed at Taiwan

Last update: 3:55 p.m. EDT July 28, 2008 NEW YORK, July 28, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — In exclusive interviews, U.S. intelligence analysts tell AVIATION WEEK that Beijing’s transition toward military technical independence is close to its goal in an article entitled “Peer Pressure” by David A. Fulghum and Douglas Barrie.

Developments include “advanced fighter aircraft, air-launched weaponry, tanker and strategic transport aircraft, and cruise and ballistic missiles, much of it purposefully designed for a Taiwan-sized expeditionary conflict,” says the Aviation Week & Space Technology article. “Analysts say they anticipate an even keener, more focused effort in military science and technology over the next 10-15 years.”

For years, Beijing has turned to Russian technology for innovation, but now it is close to being able to contribute equally to a partnership with Moscow. Its J-11B, an “indigenous” version of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, has been fitted with local radar, engines and air-to-air missiles, including the PL-12 radar-guided missile, which uses some Russian content but has better kinematic performance than Russia’s R-77. Other programs, such as the F-12, digital radio frequency memory (DRFM), directed-energy systems (e.g., high-power microwave, radio frequency and lasers), and modernized battlefield doctrine, are also under development, possibly in preparation to mount offensive economic and military operations against Taiwan while holding U.S. forces at bay.
David A. Fulghum is the senior military editor at AVIATION WEEK with expertise in operations, science, radar and intelligence. A veteran airman and award-winning writer, Fulghum is the first journalist to have flown 15 models of USAF aircraft. He has been cited for awards 12 times by the Aviation Writers Association and Royal Aeronautical Society. He has also held editorial posts at U.S. News & World Report and Time Life Books. Fulghum is the co-author of three books on the Vietnam War and can be reached at davef@aviationweek.com.

Douglas Barrie, AVIATION WEEK’s London Bureau Chief, has been a defense and aerospace journalist for 20 years. He has worked for Jane’s Defence Weekly, Flight International, and Defense News, and joined AW&ST in 2002. Barrie is a recipient of the C.P. Robertson Memorial Trophy. To contact Barrie, email barrie@aviationweek.com.

Turn to the July 21 issue to read the article in its entirety or contact Lisa Jaycox at +1 212-512-3272 or lisa_jaycox@mcgraw-hill.com for a PDF. AVIATION WEEK

Chinese J-11s.

The Y-89 AWACS
Hataf, Ghauri, Babar, Abdali missiles

Su-27s and Su-35

PAKISTAN TO REPLACE THE F-16s with the F-35 in 2020: Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat. The F-35 is descended from the X-35 of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Its development is being principally funded by the United States with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. Demonstrator aircraft flew in 2000;15 December a production model first took flight on 2006. The United States Air Force plans to acquire 1,763 aircraft.

F-35s

Trail of tears and failure: Indian missiles.

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