Combat Jet Aircraft Generations
Zeroth generation
- Characteristics
- Pre-jet designs with jet engines added on
- Straight wings
- Examples
- Me-262
- P-80/F-80 Shooting Star
- Gloster Meteor
First generation
- Characteristics
- High-subsonic speeds
- Swept wings for stability at transonic speeds
- Examples:
- F-86 Sabre
- MiG-15
- Hawker Hunter
- Dassault Mystere IV
Second Generation
- Characteristics
- Sustained supersonic flight, enabled by
- Early air-to-air missiles
- Many 2nd generation planes were designed primarily as interceptors, to deal with the threat of high-speed, high altitude bombers
- Examples:
- F-104
- MiG-21
- English Electric Lightning
Third Generation
- Characteristics
- First aircraft designed around air-to-air missiles as their primary weapon, with guns relegated a secondary role
- Look-down/shoot-down radar
- Much more maneuverable than generation 2
- Much higher payloads than generation 2
- Examples:
- F-4 Phantom II
- MiG-23
- Mirage F-1
Fourth Generation
- Characteristics
- Turbofan engines for reduced fuel consumption
- Relaxed stability
- Fly-by-wire (necessary because of relaxed stability)
- Introduction of computerized/digital systems into cockpits
- Electronic Scanned Array radars capable of tracking many targets
- Datalink (often described as "4th generation++", as it's often a retrofit)
- Examples
- F-15 Eagle
- F-16 Falcon
- Su-27
- MiG-29
- Mirage 2000
- Eurofighter/Typhoon
Fifth Generation
- Characteristics
- Stealth
- Vectored-thrust/high angle-of-attack capabilities
- Fully computerized cockpits (glass cockpits)
- Head-mounted displays replacing HUDs
- "Supercruise" — able to travel at supersonic speeds without afterburner
- Advanced sensors, electronics, and software, capable of integrating data from multiple sources and presenting a unified view of the processed information to the pilot ("sensor fusion")
- Examples
- F-22 Raptor
- F-35 Lightning II
- Chengdu J-20 (with WS-15 engine)
- Sukhoi Su-57 (formerly known as the PAK-FA) (operational status uncertain)
- Currently the US and China are the only countries with operational 5th generation fighters
- Russia is attempting to build a 5th generation fighter fleet with the Su-57, but it's unclear how many production models they have and what their readiness is
