What is the most powerful fighter in the world?

F-35 Fighter

The American F-35 is known as the "World Fighter". Three years ago, the U.S. military's new fighter concepts of "universal low-cost light fighter" and "joint advanced attack technology" first appeared on the X-35 jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The U.S. military selected it and named it F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Its research and development costs will reach an absolutely unprecedented US$200 billion. There are 8 countries in the world participating in the cooperation, with investment of more than US$4.5 billion. It is estimated that there is demand for 4,000 aircraft in the market, which surprised the world media.

The F-35 with the convergence of high and new technologies

The convergence of many high and new technologies on the F-35 will give the F-35 the aura of being “the most advanced in the world.” The F-35's Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is a high-performance, lightweight multi-function system. It includes a 3rd generation staring forward-looking infrared (FLIR). This FLIR can accurately detect and identify targets at longer standoff distances. EOTS also features high-resolution imaging, automatic tracking, infrared search and tracking, laser designation; ranging and laser point tracking capabilities.

In December 2003, a Lockheed Martin-Nords expert team verified the combat effectiveness of the F-35 fighter jet. In the internal weapons bay of the full-size prototype, ordnance personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installed models of various weapons and provided evaluation of the installation process. The purpose of this verification is to ensure that the F-35's weapons bay can adapt to the various weapons mounted inside, while making it easy for ordnance personnel to install and mount them. The weapons tested included the Joint Standoff Weapon, Joint Direct Attack Munition, wind-corrected munitions dispenser, laser-guided bombs and the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

The F-35 also plans to mount new weapons. It may carry two miniature joint air defense area-launched air-to-ground missiles in the aircraft, one in each cabin. It may also mount a small homing offensive cruise missile. missile (SMACM). It will have the ability to strike moving targets in various weather conditions, and the price per piece is equivalent to 20% of the miniature JASSM. The range of the small homing attack cruise missile is about 250 nautical miles. The F-35 aircraft is capable of carrying eight small homing attack cruise missiles.

The F-35 is a general-purpose aircraft, and landing on an aircraft carrier is a function it must consider. EDO's Long Island, New York, factory is designing and developing landing auxiliary antennas for F-35 fighter jets. The work includes the design and fabrication of aircraft carrier and runway landing antennas and the development of networks to transmit information from external sensors to onboard communications systems.

While some future fighter aircraft have considered eliminating aerial cannons, the U.S. Department of Defense is adding a third type of artillery shell to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), namely PGU-25;U high-explosive incendiary ammunition ( HEI), used to attack air targets. The other two types of artillery shells are PGU-23;U training rounds and PGU-20;U air-to-ground attack ammunition. The aviation cannon equipped on the F-35 is an improved version of the existing GAU-12 25mm aviation cannon, developed by General Dynamics.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will become a multi-purpose fighter for the US military that focuses on ground attack. It has the ability to attack any target on land, sea and air all day and in all weather. On the future battlefield, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will join forces with the F-22 Raptor to form a high-low combination similar to the F-15 and F-16. When the F-22 eliminates the threat of enemy fighters and surface-to-air missiles, the F-35 will carry missiles to carry out all-weather precision strikes against scattered ground targets. Unlike the F-16, the F-35 has stealth capabilities and can penetrate defenses like the F-117 fighter jet. The maneuverability and agility of this aircraft are superior to those of the F-16C and F/A-18C, and its combat radius is 1,000 to 1,300 kilometers.

Funding troubles the F-35's first flight

The design concept of an aircraft was determined to be the seed of this aircraft, and the success of this aircraft's first flight is It really sprouted and this concept was initially confirmed. The F-35's first flight has been pushed back again and again. The main reason is the excessive design weight, but the more troublesome thing is the financial constraints. According to the US "Daily Aerospace" report, the US Congress Appropriations Committee has cut some funding for space-based radar, advanced broadband systems, missile defense and F-35 fighter jets from the fiscal year 2004 budget request.

Lockheed Martin reluctantly announced that the first flight of the new generation F-35 fighter jet has been postponed from the fall of 2005 to August 2006.

The F-35 needs to be reduced by 910 kilograms. While the F-35 was scratching its head over the weight issue, another piece of bad news came: the U.S. Department of Defense will begin reviewing the U.S. Navy’s proposal to reduce JSF procurement. The U.S. Navy stated in the proposal that in order to increase the purchase of ships, it hopes to reduce the number of JSFs originally planned to purchase from 1,089 to 780. Among them, the original plan to purchase 609 short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) types has been changed to The original plan was to purchase 350 aircraft; the original plan was to purchase 480 carrier-based (CV) aircraft, but now it has been changed to 430 aircraft.

Naturally, reducing F-35 purchases by such a large amount will cause its cost to rise. According to the original budget, the single price of the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft required by the Air Force is approximately US$28 million, the single price of the STOVL aircraft required by the Navy and Marine Corps is approximately US$35 million, and the single price of the carrier-based model is approximately US$38 million. If the U.S. Department of Defense agrees to the Navy's proposal, the F-35's stand-alone price will increase to varying degrees. This will not only cause a blow to international partners, but will also embarrass its future market prospects due to high prices and difficulty in finding products.

F22

The F-22 Raptor is a new type of fighter jet developed by the United States that has caused a sensation in the world before it has been equipped with troops. The U.S. Air Force hopes to rely on a small number of F-22s to fight against all enemy aircraft and gain air superiority. The United States calls it an AirDominance fighter jet. As early as 1981, the U.S. Air Force decided to develop a more advanced tactical fighter to replace the F-15. After more than ten years of hard work, the first F-22 (number 4001) made its debut on April 9, 1997, and was given the official name Raptor. The aircraft successfully made its first test flight on September 7, 1997. ` F-22 fighter aircraft has one crew member, total length 18.92m, total width 13.56m, total height 5m, empty weight 13636Kg, maximum take-off weight 27273Kg; flight speed during supersonic cruise is 1590km/h, maximum flight speed at high altitude is 5km/ h, the maximum flight speed at sea level is 1482km/h, and the ceiling is 15240m. Weapon system: 1 M61A220mm Vulcan 5-barreled cannon with 480 rounds of ammunition. The main weapons bay can carry 6 AIM-120C active radar-guided advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, or 2 430Kg-class GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) to replace 4 AIM-120C missiles; side Each weapon bay carries an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile on the left and right sides. There are 4 external hardpoints for carrying other weapons or auxiliary fuel tanks. Materials used: The F-22 is the model that uses the most titanium alloys and composite materials among American fighter jets. Among them, titanium-64 alloy is about 36%, heat-setting composite materials are about 24%, aluminum alloy is about 16%, steel is about 6%, titanium-52222 alloy is about 3%, thermoplastic composite materials are more than 1%, and others are about 15%. The F-22 fuselage skin is all made of high-strength, high-temperature-resistant BMI composite materials. The newly developed high-strength cobalt-62222 alloy was used on the F-22 when it first came out. The main landing gear uses Airmet100 steel. The weapons bay doors and landing gear doors are made of thermoplastic composite materials. In addition to new materials, there are also new manufacturing processes and environmentally friendly processes to improve the dimensional accuracy and uniformity of composite products and reduce the weight of these products. Many components even consider environmental issues during the manufacturing process and use. Main tactical performance: First, due to the advanced communication radar equipment, it can detect enemy aircraft first; second, due to its strong concealment and electronic jamming capabilities, it can sneak up on the enemy without being detected; third, due to its sophisticated weapons and equipment, The shooting accuracy is high, the ammunition is highly lethal, and it has overwhelming lethality.

The superior overall tactical performance is mainly due to the use of computers. Take the 1969 moon landing craft as an example. Its computer had only 37KB of memory and performed 100,000 operations per second. The F-22's main task computer, the "Common Integrated Processor" (CIPC Common Integrated Processor), has a memory of 300MB and operates 10.5 billion times per second. Compared with the two, the memory is increased by about 10,000 times, and the computing speed is increased by about 100,000 times.

The most important thing about the F-22 computer system is that its software design can organize a large amount of complex data into simple, easy-to-understand, and clear information. Pilots do not have to read data and text displays from many instruments and displays to decide on tactical actions. These were replaced by computer software followed by the comprehensive use of stealth means. There are a few basic ways to "sneak up" on an enemy without being detected. One is the traditional use of blind spots, clouds, sunlight, etc.; the other is the use of stealth technology; and the third, of course, is the combined use of both. The F-22 is obviously going to take the third approach. The so-called stealth means that it is extremely difficult for the enemy to observe the F-22 in four aspects: radar, naked eyes, infrared and sound. The third is to use a new type of engine. The F-22 uses two F119-PW-100 turbofan engines. When using the afterburner, each thrust can reach 156Kn (350001b). Even without the afterburner, the thrust of the F-15 and F-16 fighter engines is the same. It is above the thrust range of 111.2-129Kn (25000-29000Ib). Equipped with this kind of engine, it can perform supersonic cruise without afterburning. The F-22 can maintain a cruise speed above Mach 1.4, which helps to increase the combat range, shorten the time to enter the combat airspace, and also helps to quickly evacuate the battlefield. The fourth is that the F-22’s internal and external weapons have huge lethality.

The F-22 is undoubtedly the current trump card of the United States in air combat, but there are also two main potential problems worth studying. First of all, the power of a small number of precision-guided weapons is quite limited and vulnerable. Secondly, no matter how advanced the F-22 is, it has the same weaknesses as any other aircraft. When it is parked on the ground, a grenade can destroy it. If the safety of the airport is not ensured, it will be destroyed.

The F22 is the latest generation of fighter jets of the US military. Although it has not yet entered official service, it has caused quite a stir. Some people attribute the F22 to low visibility, supersonic cruise, battlefield information technology and high mobility. Some people argue that the F22 is not as maneuverable as the SU27/37 or even the J10. It happens to be the 5.1 holiday, so I’m here to talk about it, a purely technical discussion.

First of all, let me clarify a misunderstanding. Many people think that modern air combat is still similar to the "dog fight" over Vietnam. Biting each other's tails, and then solving the problem with cannon within 2000 meters. In fact, this kind of battle rarely actually occurs in the hypothetical air battle in the Taiwan Strait, because the emergence of medium-range air-to-air missiles, coupled with omnidirectional infrared missiles, makes the two sides have few opportunities to actually rush to face each other, and most of them will be destroyed by missiles. . Only after the two sides have gone toe to toe can they start fighting. However, since both sides have multiple planes at multiple levels, the plane that overshoots will be shot down by other fighters with missiles. Therefore, there will be aircraft that enter the dogfight in a head-on conflict, but the number will not play an absolute role in the fight for air supremacy.

The F22 has the biggest advantage in the above situation, which is to carry out mid-range saturation attacks. After that, it makes a supersonic turn and quickly escapes under the cover of the aircraft behind it. go home.

In large fleet operations, coordination and battlefield awareness are very important. As a combat system, SA (situation awareness) is another focus of the F22. The F22's SA is another advantage. F22 uses community broadcast technology to automatically integrate the collected information on F22 with other F22s and early warning aircraft in real time. And the computer on board will intelligently evaluate the target, who has been targeted and attacked by its companions, and who is the most threatening. In short, the Vietnamese experience of the United States in this regard has made them conduct very detailed research. Some netizens said that it would be a good idea to destroy the early warning aircraft because these air bosses would hide behind the fighter jets, and they would usually be escorted by a fighter jet. Therefore, it is simply unrealistic for our planes to rush over and fight. If you can rush over, it means that you have eliminated almost all the fighter jets, which is equivalent to not blinding the enemy aircraft group. Another method is long-range air-to-air missiles. With a range of 400 kilometers, the guidance will be easily interfered. This technology is very immature. Moreover, to deal with this threat, the United States uses high-energy lasers for self-defense. This is why in The essential reason for installing a laser on the 747 nose.

In the absence of an early warning aircraft, the F22 will use its own information advantages and system advantages to share information from other F22s (mainly from behind, outside our range) and other base stations, such as F18s, warships, and ground Radar information etc. As for full-band interference, I can only say that the netizen who came up with this idea has not studied physics.

Getting into a dogfight is the last situation the F22 wants. It's not that the F22 is unsuitable for dogfights, it's just that its biggest advantage isn't here. In fact, due to the advanced technology of vector thrust (the United States installed axisymmetric vector thrust on the Israeli F15/16 in the mid-1990s to verify the effect), the integration of the propulsion body, and the adaptive control system, the F22's maneuverability Sex and agility (simply put, agility is the derivative of mobility) have made a leap forward. The 60-degree elevation angle of the F22 can be controlled, it can roll, and it can be used to point the nose. More importantly, it is under the mount of typical air combat. The so-called 110 degrees of the SU27 is shown in the uncontrollable Cobra maneuver with no mounts, half a tank of fuel, and it can hardly explain any practical significance. Because Cobra is an aerodynamic shape of SU27 that brings inherent reactions. Once the action starts, it cannot quit or change midway. In fact, the elevation angle of the SU27 is only about 27 degrees. It is indeed a large fighter with relatively good maneuverability, but it is only better among the third generation. As for the three-sided wing, some people say that it can form a similar flexible surface, but I guess this is just an imagination. This layout coupled with vector thrust seems to have many control surfaces, but in fact it is a waste for highly statically unstable aircraft. It may also be useful for old fighter jets.

In fact, the United States also admits that even the F22 will not have much advantage when it comes to confronting the J7 equipped with omnidirectional infrared missiles and aiming helmets at close range. It's not that the maneuverability is bad, it's just that for a missile that can do 40G, the maneuverability of any manned aircraft is in vain. The United States is actively developing unmanned fighter jets. By then, all that will enter the fight is a flying server.

In addition, the F22's telex has the adaptive function of intelligent reconstruction, coupled with the armor of key parts, the system has sufficient redundancy. It has great bullet resistance, in comparison, the SU series is far behind. It’s not that our planes can’t return with injuries, it’s just that the American ones are better. In fact, Americans developed adaptive control after studying the phenomenon of returning with injuries. If you hit it, it may only be a decrease in system performance, but it will allow the pilot to fly as usual instead of falling off.

Speaking of various aerodynamic technologies and various possibilities, the United States and the United States have actually verified them earlier than the Soviets. The X29 verified forward-swept wing technology, and the F15MST verified three-sided wing and propulsion control integration technology. , and vector thrust. The X31 demonstrates canard technology and vectored thrust integration. As early as the mid-1990s, Israel's F15 had axisymmetric vector thrust. In fact, many technologies were only used as technical reserves by the United States and were further matured based on this position. It was not Russia that took the lead.

Speaking of the J10, it is indeed a big leap, a leap for us to independently design and develop fighter jets. This kind of leap is compared to itself. In fact, J10 and F16 are only slightly better than Taiwan's F16, basically not much different from Mirage2000. In fact, fighter technology involves many branches and is a reflection of the country's comprehensive technical strength. Design is one thing, and manufacturing is another. For example, the engine has always been a weak point. In fact, it is mainly automatic control and material technology. As early as the early 1990s, the turbine front temperature of GE's E88 energy-saving core engine in the United States reached 1550K, which is something that no current Russian engine can achieve. This involves C/C composite materials, ceramic materials, intermetallic compounds, film cooling and other technologies, and currently. Russia is still stuck in the use of high-temperature alloys.

In fact, the F22 is indeed the best fighter in the general sense. It is meaningless to directly compare the SU37 and J10 with it.

(Extracted from Baidu Encyclopedia)