From our childhood we look up in the sky to watch-out for a jet plane fly past. The string of smoke left behind always fascinated us. Jet technology gave mankind the power to master the speed of sound.
With faster speed jet technology evolved with their use in military aircrafts, creating requirements for new technologies to maneuver, control and access the potential of better jet engines.
Here is list of fighter aircrafts that went into serial production unique for their capabilities and practically implement technologies for the first time.
1940s
Heinkel He 178/280 – The
worlds’ first practical turbo- jet powered aircraft. Though it never
reached the operational status , but it laid a foundation for the new
propulsion method for the new breed of future aircrafts to come. It was
designed by German company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1939 just before the start
of World War II.
HE 178 was powered
by single HeS 3 Turbojet engine and was capable of flying at a max speed of 598
km/h and 200km range. While HE 280 was more powerful with 2 X HeS 8 Turbojet
engine with a max speed of 820km/h , 370 km range and a service ceiling of
10000 mtrs.
Messerschmitt
Me 262 – The world’s first operational
jet powered fighter aircraft. Developed by German company
Messerschimitt AG , it was a late war weapon( introduced in April 1944) but it still
claimed an astounding figure of 542 Allied kills. Moreover captured Me 262
ultimately influenced the design of F-86 Sabre and B-47 Stratojet.
Me 262 was
powered by 2 × Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets with max speed of 900km/h
(almost 200 Km/h more than the legendary P-51 Mustang), a range of 1050 km, and
service ceiling of 11450 mtrs. The Me 262 was so
fast that German pilots needed new tactics to attack their opponents , making
it difficult to operate in dogfights as well as for the opponents to intercept.
Gloster Meteor –
Developed by British company Gloster Aircraft Company it was the Allies’ first
operational jet powered fighter aircraft. It was first introduced in
July 1944 a total of 3947 were manufactured and finally retired in 1980s.. Though it
never saw action against Me 262 it was initially used as a deterrent for German
V-1 Flying Bombs and later claimed 46 German aircraft in ground attack. After
WW II Gloster Meteor saw action in Korean War, Suez Crisis and Argentina.
Gloster
Meteor was originally powered by 2 × Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 turbojets with a max
speed of 975 km/h, a range of 965 km and a service ceiling of 13,100 mtrs. It set the
first official air speed record by a jet aircraft of 975 km/h on 7th
Nov 1945 later broken in 1946 (991km/h)
Lockheed P-80
Shooting Star – America’s first jet powered fighter aircraft
developed by Lockheed Corporation introduced in 1945. Though the P-80 did not
take a single combat sortie in WWII but it is still considered as one of the
greatest first generation jet fighter owing to its role in the Korean war. In
the initial days of Korean War almost 70% of enemy kills accounted for is
credited to P-80. P-80 also claims the first win in most anticipated Jet Vs Jet
confrontation when it downed a MiG-15 in 1950.
P-80 was
powered by 1 X Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal compressor turbojet with a Max
speed of 965Km/h, a range of 1930km and a service ceiling of 14,000 mtrs.
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-15 – Introduced in 1949 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet
fighters. Developed by Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau in 1949 showed
it’s prowess in the Korean War making it the most widely produced (approx
18000) and one of the best jet fighter of all time. Soviets claims that in 1790
aerial battles the MiG-15 was involved, it claimed 1097 UN aircraft over Korea including
647 F-86 Sabre. As per different sources MiG-15 produced more than 60 Aces in
the Korean War.
MiG-15 was
powered by 1 X Klimov VK-1 centrifugal
flow turbojet Engine with a Max Speed of 1059Km/h, a range of 1240 km and a
service ceiling of 15500 mtrs.
North American
F-86 Sabre - Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as
the United States's first swept wing fighter providing first effective
deterrence against MiG-15s in the Korean War and is considered as one of the
best jet fighter of all time along with MiG-15. It was introduced in 1949 but
its versatility allowed it to be frontline fighter for many countries through
decades (Bolivian Air Force retired its F-86 in 1994). USAF claims
that F-86 pilots was responsible for shooting down 792 MiGs for a loss of only
78 Sabres with 40 Aces. In Indo-Pakistan
war of 1965 PAF claimed to score 91 air kills mainly attributed to F-86..
F-86 was
powered by 1 X General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet engine with a Max speed of
1106 Km/h, a range of 2454 Km and a service ceiling of 15,100 Mtrs.
1950s
North American
F-100 Super Sabre - Produced by North American Aviation since
1954 , it was the first USAF supersonic jet fighter. Though no F-100 was ever officially credited
with any aerial victories also no F-100 in Vietnam was lost to enemy fighters.
However more 200 aircrafts were lost majorly due to ground fire. Though not
majorly successful it pioneered the design of operational supersonic jet fighter.
F-100 was
powered by 1 × Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21/21A turbojet engine with a Max
speed of 1390Km/h(Mach 1.3), a range of 3210 km and a service ceiling of 15000
Mtrs.
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-19 - Developed by Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau in 1955 the Mig-19
was the
Soviet Union's first serial production supersonic jet fighter. In
Vietnam War it was credited for 10 F-4 Phantom, 1 F-104 and 2 A-6 Intruder
kills while losing 10.
MiG-19 was
powered by 2 X Tumansky RD-9B afterburning turbojet engine with a max speed of
1455 Km/h (1.18 Mach), a range of 2200 Km and a service ceiling of 17500 Mtrs.
Vought F-8
Crusader- Build by Vought in 1957, it was a single-engine, supersonic,
carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft. F-8 was the first digital fly-by-wire
fixed-wing aircraft without a mechanical backup developed by NASA in
1972. It set a new Level Flight Speed Record of 1,634.17 km/h in August 1956
beating the previous record of 1,323 km/h set by a USAF F-100 for a serial
production jet fighter. It was the last American fighter with guns as the
primary weapon. During Vietnam War as per USAF claims F-8 is credited with 19
Air-to-Air kills against loss of 3 loss in Air Combat.
F-8 was
powered by 1 X Pratt & Whitney J57-P-20A afterburning turbojet engine with
a max speed of 1975 Km/Hr (1.86 Mach) at 36000 ft, a combat radius of 730 km
and a service ceiling of 17,700 Mtrs.
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-21-Designed by Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau and introduced in 1959, at
least by name, it is the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history and
the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War. It had the longest
production run of a combat aircraft (1959 to 1985 over all variants).During
Vietnam War VPAF claimed a total of 127 kills including 104 F-4s against loss
of 62 MiG 21 while UAF claimed to down 92 MiG 21. 13 of North
Vietnam's flying aces attained their status while flying the MiG-21. During
Bangladesh Liberation War India Air Force claimed 8 kills including 4 F-104
Starfighter. MiG 21was used extensively during the Six Day War , War of
Attrition, Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Lebanon War where they were pitted
against the Israeli Air Force with much modern F-16 and F-15. Though successful
against Mirage III and F-4, MiG 21 was later outclassed by the highly trained
Israeli pilots flying F-16s and F-15s.In the Iran-Iraq war MiG 21 claimed 43
kills (including F-14 Tomcats) against a loss of 49 MiG 21s.
MiG-21 is
powered by 1 × Tumansky R25-300 engine with a Max Speed of 2175 Km/h (1.8 Mach
but can achieve more than 2 Mach) , a range of 1210 km and a service ceiling of
17800 Mtrs.
1960s
McDonnell Douglas
F-4 Phantom II- Considered as one of the finest fighters of
the 20th Century it was developed by McDonnell Aircraft and
introduced in 1960. It set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an
absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. In Vietnam war USAF
F-4s downed 107.5 enemy aircraft including 62 MiG-21. The Phantom
has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status
in the 20th century. F-4 is still active with Turkish Air Force almost 65 years
after its introduction. A total of 5,195 F-4 were built, making it the
most produced American supersonic military aircraft.
F-4 is
powered by 2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A axial compressor turbojets with Max
speed of 2370 Km/h (Mach 2.23), a combat radius of 680 km and a service ceiling
of 18,300 Mtrs.
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LTV A-7 Corsair II – Build by
Ling-Temco-Vought in 1967 It was one of the first combat aircraft to feature
a head-up display (HUD), an inertial navigation system (INS), and a turbofan
engine. The A-7 flew a total of 90,120 combat sorties during the Vietnam war with only 54 losses – the lowest of any U.S. fighter in
the theater.
A-7 was
powered by 1 × Allison TF41-A-2 non-afterburning turbofan engine with a Max
speed of 1102 Km/h at 5000 ft, a range of 1981 Km and a service ceiling of
13,000 mtrs.
Hawker Siddeley
Harrier Family- Developed by Hawker Siddeley and introduced in
1969. It was the first V/STOL “Jump Jet” aircraft. In Falklands War
Sea Harrier achieved 20 Air-to-air kills against no losses. During Operations
Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq 86 McDonnell Douglas Harrier II were used to
complete 3,380 flights and about 4,100 flight hour. Harriers also participated
in combat over Yugoslavia, in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, in Operation
Iraqi Freedom, In Libya, Somalia, Liberia, Rwanda, Central African Republic,
Albania, Zaire, Kosovo and Sierra Leone .
Hawker Siddeley Harrier was
powered by 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus 103 turbofan engine with Max speed of 1176
Km/h , a combat radius of 370Km with load and a service ceiling of 15,600 Mtrs
British Aerospace Harrier II was
powered by 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus Mk. 105 vectored thrust turbofan engine with max speed of 1065Km/h, a combat radius
of 556km and a service ceiling of 15,170 Mtrs.
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II was
powered by 1 × Rolls-Royce F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan engine
with a max speed of 1083 Km/h, a combat radius of 556 Km and a service ceiling
of more than 15000 Mtrs.
1970s
McDonnell Douglas
F-15 Eagle/Strike Eagle – Designed and developed by McDonnell Douglas
in 1976, F-15 the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 aerial combat
victories being credited to its name.F-15 was mainly developed to
counter 2.8 Mach speed MiG-25. F-15 versions are still in production, 48 years
after the first flight. In 1979 Israeli F-15 claimed to down 13 MiG-21 and 2
MiG-25 against loss of 5.During 1982 Lebanon war F-16 claimed 40 air-to-air
victories of MiGs(23 MiG-21 and 17 MiG-23) against a claimed loss of 8. During
Gulf War F-15 is credited with 36 air-to air victories.F-16 is the fastest
serial production fighter in USAF with Max speed of Mach 2.5+.Later in 1988
F-16 Eagle formed the basis for development of more modern F-15E Strike Eagle.
F-15 is powered by 2X Pratt & Whitney
F-100-PW-100 engines with a Max speed of 2665+Km/h(Mach 2.5+), a combat radius
of nearly 2000 Km and a service ceiling of 20,000 Mtrs.
F-15E Strike Eagle is powered
by 2 X Pratt & Whitney F100-229 afterburning turbofan engine with a Max
speed of 2665+Km/h(Mach 2.5+), a combat radius of 1850 Km and a service ceiling
of 18,200 Mtrs
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-25/MiG-31- Designed by Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau and
introduced in 1970, MiG-25 is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. It is
the only fighter aircraft capable of Mach 3+ speed(only second to Lockheed
SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft).MiG-25 had various speed and height records to its name. MiG-25
became the first aircraft to go higher than 35,000 Mtrs(115,000 ft). In
1977 it set a absolute height record of 37650 Mts (1,23,520 Ft).
In all
29 records were claimed by MiG-25, of which seven were all-time world records
for time to height and speed. During Iran-Iraq war it was claimed that MiG-25
was responsible for air-to air kills of 19
Iranian fighters, plus 4 foreign jets against a loss of 10.In Gulf war in an
single incidence an Iraqi MiG-25PD, eluded 8 USAF F-15s at long range. In yet
another incident, two MiG-25s outran 4 F-15s after eluding 10 air-to-air
missiles fired by the F-15s. MiG-25 later was the basis for more advanced
MiG-31.
MiG-25 was powered by 2 X Tumansky R-15B-300
afterburning turbojets with a max speed of 3470 Km/h (Mach 3.2), a range of
1730 Km and a service ceiling of 24,400 Mtrs.
MiG-31 was powered by 2 × Soloviev D-30F6
afterburning turbofan engine with a max speed of 3000Km/h (Mach2.83), a combat
radius of 1450 Km and a service ceiling of 20,600 Mtrs.
1980s & Beyond
SukhoiSu-27/Su-33/Su-30/Su-37/Su-30MKK/Su-30MKI-Developed
by Sukhoi Company (JSC) and introduced in 1985 it is the world’s 1st
super-maneuverable fighter. Su-35 was first tested in 1988, while Su-30 was
first introduced in 1996.Su-30MKI was introduced in 2002 while Su-35 in 2008.It
was the first fighter to perform Pugachev’s Cobra and the Kulbit maneuvers. The
Su-27 was the first Soviet fighter to
use operational fly-by-wire control system. Su-30MKI was the first serial
production fighter to use 2-dimensional thrust vectoring. Though the
fighter has seen limited action but it was considered the most advanced fighter
of it’s time. In it’s limited combat the Su-27 has a kill/loss ratio of 6-0,
and two losses due to ground fire in Abkazhia War, Angolan Civil War, Ethiopian-Eritrean
War and first Chechen War. India sent Su-30MKs, an earlier variant of the
Su-30MKI, to take part Cope-India 04 in 2004. The results have been widely
publicized, with the Indians winning "90% of the mock combat
missions" against the USAF's F-15C. However, the parameters of the
exercise favored the IAF.
Su-27 is powered by 2 × Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F
turbofan engines with a max speed of 2500Km/h(Mach2.35), a range of 3530km and
a service ceiling of 19,000 Mtrs.
Su-30 is powered by 2 × AL-31FL low-bypass
turbofan engines with a max speed of 2120Km/h(Mach 2.0), a range of 3000km and
a service ceiling of 17,300 Mtrs.
Su-35 is powered by 2 × Saturn 117S
(AL-41F1S) thrust vectoring turbofan engines with a max speed of 2390Km/h(Mach
2.25), a range of 3600km and a service ceiling of 18,000 Mtrs.
Su-33 is powered by 2 × AL-31F3 afterburning
turbofan engines with a max speed of 2300Km/h(Mach 2.17), a range of 3000km and
a service ceiling of 17,000 Mtrs.
Su-30MKI is powered by 2 × Lyulka AL-31FP
turbofan engine with thrust vectoring with a max speed of 2500Km/h(Mach 2.35), a
range of 3000km and a service ceiling of 17,300 Mtrs.
Su-30MKK/MK2 is powered by 2 × Lyulka AL-31F
turbofan engines with a max speed of 2120Km/h(Mach 2.0), a range of 3000km and
a service ceiling of 17,300 Mtrs.
Lockheed F-117
Nighthawk-Produced by Lockheed Skunk Works the F-117 was the first operational fighter
aircraft to be designed around stealth technology, a technology that
was much ahead of it’s time. It was introduced in 1983 primarily as a
Ground-attack aircraft. The F-117 has a radar signature as low as
0.025sqm. During the Gulf War in 1991, the F-117A flew approximately 1,300
sorties, clocking over 6,905 flight hours and scored direct hits on 1,600
high-value targets and without a single loss. F-117 was LATER used in Operation Desert, Operation Allied
Force, Operation Enduring Freedom and finally Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
F-117 was
powered by 2 × General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofan engine with max speed of
993Km/h, a range of 1720km and a service ceiling of 13716 Mtrs.
Lockheed Martin
F-22 Raptor- Developed jointly by Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics & Boeing Defense, Space & Security it is the world’s first and only
operational all weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft. It is also
the world’s only operational 5th
generation fighter.Introduced in 2005 F-22 is considered as the most
outstanding fighter ever build. F-22 is the first operational aircraft to
combine super-cruise, super-maneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion into a
single platform making it almost the perfect fighter. It is
the only USAF serial production fighter capable of performing Pugachev’s Cobra
and uses 2-Dimensional thrust vectoring. Though yet to be tested
in real combat but theoretically F-22 is the only fighter capable of
simultaneously conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions with
near perfection.
F-22 is
powered by 2 × Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 Pitch Thrust vectoring turbofan
engine with a max speed of 2410Km/h(Mach 2.25), a range of 2960 Km, combat
radius of 760Km and a service ceiling of 20,000 Mtrs.
A Special Mention
Lockheed SR-71
Blackbird-Developed and introduced in 1966 as a reconnaissance aircraft by Lockheed,
Skunk Works division SR-71is the fastest aircraft ever built.
Though never used(incapable) in combat operation SR-71 was the world’s 1st
military aircraft to be build around stealth technology. SR-71 created and the holder of
the World Airspeed record of 3529.6Km/h set way back in 1976. Sr-71 had an
unimaginable service ceiling of 25,900 Mtrs. Till today, the
Blackbird is still the fastest, highest-flying, most-effective reconnaissance
aircraft in history.
Douglas D-558-2
Skyrocket-Developed by Douglas Aircraft Company D-558 was a air-launched rocket
and jet-powered supersonic research aircraft first to conquer Mach 2 speed in
1953.
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