Starting from the Second World War, and perhaps during the armed conflicts that preceded it, such as the wars in Spain and Abyssinia, the decisive role in the outcome of hostilities of aviation became obvious. Air supremacy determines success. Then there were Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, the Middle East, Iraq again and many other local clashes that confirmed the great importance of aircraft in combat. Without the ability to effectively resist the actions of enemy attack and bomber aircraft, there is no chance of victory. And this requires both air defense systems and special-type aircraft with a number of special qualities, such as speed, maneuverability and low vulnerability.
The idea of what the best fighter should be has changed over the years. The metamorphoses of this type of military equipment were influenced both by developing technologies and experience gained at the cost of great sacrifices.
Thirties-forties, the era of propeller-driven fighters
The Soviet I-16 aircraft performed well in the skies of Spain. As of 1936 thiswas perhaps the best fighter in the world. In its design, the engineers of the Polikarpov bureau applied the latest technical solutions, revolutionary for that time. It was the first serial model with retractable landing gear, a powerful engine and weapons (including the possibility of installing unguided rockets). But the reign of "Chatos" ("Snub-nosed" - as the Republicans called him for the wide profile of the hood) did not last long. The German Messerschmitt-109 appeared in the sky, which underwent several modifications throughout the Second World War. Only some planes close in class and engine power could compete with him, including the English Spitfire and the American Mustang developed somewhat later.
However, with all the outstanding technical characteristics, it is very difficult to find an all-encompassing criterion in order to determine the best aircraft. A fighter, it turns out, can also be different, and you need to evaluate it in many ways.
Fifties Korea
In the post-war period, with the advent of jet engines, the countdown of fighter generations began. The first of them can be attributed to the initial developments of engineers around the world, created back in the mid-forties. For us it was the MiG-9, which, in terms of its parameters, was not far from the Messerschmitt-262. Already during the Korean War, the Americans were shocked by an unpleasant surprise for them.
Swift, compact and verythe maneuverable MiG-15 crushed the seemingly unshakable power of US strategic aviation. From this MiG originates the second generation. Back then it was the best fighter in the world, and it took time to create a worthy opponent for it, which was the Saber.
Sixties, Vietnam and the Middle East
Then there was the Vietnam War. In the sky, two lifelong rivals, the Phantom and the MiG-21, spun in “dog fights”. These aircraft were very different, both in size, and in weight, and in the degree of armament. The American F-4 weighed twice as much as the Soviet interceptor, was less maneuverable, but had a number of advantages in long-range combat.
It is difficult to determine which was the best fighter in the Vietnamese skies, but the overall score was in favor of the MiG. It should also be taken into account that in comparable prices a Soviet aircraft cost much (many times) cheaper, moreover, in the event of an unfavorable outcome of the battle, the Americans lost two pilots, and not one. Both of these aircraft belonged to the third generation of aviation technology. Meanwhile, progress continued, with more and more stringent requirements for interceptors.
Fourth generation since the seventies
Starting from 1970, the development of fighter aircraft went along new main lines. Avionics has become not just a tool to help the pilot in detecting enemies and solving navigation problems, it has taken on a number of control functions. Becamean extremely important degree of visibility of an aircraft for enemy radars. The parameters of the engines have changed, and the thrust vector has become variable, which forced us to radically reconsider the concept of maneuverability. Determining which is the best fourth-generation fighter is not so easy, opinions are divided on this matter. The American F-15 has its supporters, especially in the West, and they have their own arguments, the main of which remains the successful experience of the combat use of the Eagle. Others believe that in the fourth generation the best fighter in the world is the Russian-made Su-27.
Generation after generation
Generations of jet interceptors are separated from each other according to several criteria: development time, wing shape and type, information saturation and some other criteria, but it is not always easy to draw a clear line between them, it remains conditional. For example, a deep modification of the MiG-21 has improved its performance so much that it can be roughly considered a fourth-generation aircraft in almost all indicators of combat effectiveness.
Direction of design thought
Fifth-generation interceptors today form the basis of the air forces of Russia and other technologically advanced countries. They are able to perform various combat missions, protect the airspace of their states, they are sold within the framework of military-technical cooperation to strategic partners. But work onnew projects are ongoing. Promising samples of the latest aviation technology have some features that distinguish them from previous models, which gives reason to believe that the fifth generation has come. Its features include low radar visibility, expressed in the desire to remove all types of weapons previously placed on external suspensions and the technology of radar absorbing surfaces, which received the name "Ste alth" with the light hand of the Americans. In addition, all the latest achievements in the field of aircraft engine building, rudders and control systems also indicate that the aircraft belongs to the latest generation. It is also important to use composite materials in the design, which reduces weight, and again, increases ste alth. This is exactly what the best fighter in the world should be today. A photo of such an aircraft is recognizable, the outlines of the fuselage and planes are somewhat angular, the engines leave an inconspicuous contrail, and the nozzles have a rather high angle of possible rotation.
Raptor
Somehow they are subtly similar, although both the general layout schemes and the technical parameters of fifth-generation interceptor aircraft differ significantly. These include, first of all, the Raptor F-22. Specialists, mainly American, believe that this is the best fighter in the world. The main argument in favor of this opinion is the fact that the Raptor is the only mass-produced and adopted machine in the world that meets the requirementspresented to the interceptor of the fifth generation. All other similar models, including Russian ones, are under development and refinement. There is also an important factor that allows one to doubt the correctness of such an opinion. The fact is that the F-22 has never participated in hostilities, and how it will behave in a real battle is unknown. At one time, the American military-industrial complex widely advertised the Bi-2 ste alth bomber, and then it turned out that even outdated Soviet radars, which were in service with the Yugoslav army, could well detect it.
How are we?
In Russia, of course, do not disregard the US attempts to achieve military hegemony. We are planning to create an aircraft capable of fighting the most advanced interceptor of a potential enemy. It was planned to “put it on the wing” back in 2005, but difficulties, mainly of an economic nature, prevented it. In developed countries, it usually takes a decade and a half to create a similar model and put it into service, and the Sukhoi Design Bureau received the terms of reference in 1999. Simple calculations suggest that the date when the Russian Air Force will receive the best fighter in the world is 2014 or 2015.
Not much is known about him. They called the project not just an aircraft or an interceptor, but a Frontal Aviation Complex. (PAKFA - "P" stands for promising, "A" - aviation, some tautology is excusable for aircraft designers.) Takeoff weight - about 20 tons, like the American F-22 and not yet accepted forweapons F-35. Tactical characteristics make it possible to use the machine from small VPD, the technology of low radio visibility is applied. Naturally, the electronic equipment is the most modern. It is likely that this will be the best fighter in the world. T-50 is another name for the PAKFA platform, it is possible that these working codes will give way to the classic designation "Su" with some number.
China
Our Chinese friends have not bothered to develop their own aircraft for a long time. Usually in the PRC they chose a good Soviet model that received a good reputation, purchased technical documentation and produced it under their own index, consisting of the letter Y (for civilians) or J (for military) and a number. However, the economic boom of recent decades, which has turned China into a global workshop, has pushed the people's aircraft industry to start working on their own projects. Perhaps the J-10 is not the best fighter in the world, but all the known technical specifications of this aircraft indicate that it is a machine on the verge of IV and V generations with the possibility of further modification. The original solution of the general layout scheme (delta-shaped "duck" without the classic tail) eloquently says that this time the Chinese aircraft manufacturers did without external borrowing, showing their own approach.
Top hit parade
The history of world aviation is rich in outstanding achievements. The mere enumeration of interceptor aircraft, which have become masterpieces of engineering art, will take up too much space. How to choose the mostbest fighter? Among the successful models, one cannot help but recall the La-5 and La-7, the Aerocobra, on which I. N. Kozhedub and A. I. Pokryshkin fought, the French Mirage, the Swedish Saabs, the English Lightning and many other powerful and beautiful machines. The task is complicated by the fact that no matter how perfect the combat aircraft, he almost always found a worthy opponent. Therefore, it makes sense to present the conditional rating of the most outstanding interceptors in pairs:
- Messerschmitt-109 and Spitfire. During the Second World War, Soviet aircraft were good, but they lacked powerful engines, so they were not on the top list.
- MiG-15 and Saber F-86. They fought each other to their heart's content in Korea.
- "Phantom" F-4 and MiG-21. Vietnam, the Middle East and other military conflicts have pointed to the strengths and weaknesses of these very different aircraft.
- Eagle F-15 against Su-27. "Eagle" has a very good reputation due to its successful use in modern theaters of war. "Dry" is not inferior to him in most technical and tactical indicators, and in some superior, but his combat experience is not enough for an absolute victory in the competition for the title of "the best fighter in the world." The year 2014 was marked by the adoption of a dozen Su-35S aircraft, which are a deeply modernized version of the Su-27, into the combat units of the Russian Air Force.
- T-50 and Raptor. Opponents, apparently, are quite worthy. It would be better if they did not meet in dogfights, but if this does happen in the future, there is a high probability that our machine will notlet you down.
What will be the best fighter in the world of the 21st century? One can only guess what new concepts the aircraft engineers of the future will come up with. The century has just begun, and by all indications, it will be tumultuous…
