What is the best fighter in the world? The best fighter in the world: top-10

Beginning with the Second World War, and perhaps even during the armed conflicts that preceded it, such as the wars in Spain and Abyssinia, the decisive role in the outcome of the combat actions of aviation became apparent. Domination in the air determines success. Then came Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, the Middle East, again Iraq and many other local clashes that confirmed the great importance of aircraft in the conduct of the battle. Without the ability to effectively resist the actions of assault and bomber aviation, the enemy does not stand a chance of winning. And for this we need air defense equipment, and special type aircraft, which have a number of special qualities, such as speed, maneuverability and low vulnerability.

Representations about what should be the best fighter, changed over the years. The metamorphoses of this type of military equipment were influenced by both developing technologies and experience gained at the cost of large sacrifices.

Thirtieth-fortieth, era of screw fighters

In the sky of Spain, the Soviet I-16 aircraft proved to be very good. As of 1936, it was, perhaps, the best fighter in the world. In his design, Polikarpov's engineers applied the latest technical solutions revolutionary for that time. This was the first production model with retractable landing gear, powerful engine and armament (including the possibility of installing unguided missiles). But the dominance of "Chatos" ("Puffy" - as it was called by the Republicans for the wide profile of the hood) did not last long. In the sky appeared the German "Messerschmitt-109", which during the entire Second World War was subjected to several modifications. Only a few aircraft, close in class and engine power, could compete with him, including the English Spitfire and the American-designed Mustang.

However, with all the outstanding technical characteristics, it is very difficult to find a comprehensive criterion for determining the best aircraft. The fighter, it turns out, can also be different, and you need to evaluate it in many ways.

Fifties, Korea

In the postwar period, with the advent of jet engines , the generation of fighters began to count. The first of these can be attributed to the initial development of engineers around the world, created back in the mid-forties. At us it was MiG-9, on the parameters not far gone from "Messershmitt-262". Already during the Korean War, the Americans were shocked by an unpleasant surprise for them.

The swift, compact and very maneuverable MiG-15 crushed the seemingly unshakable power of US strategic aviation. With this MiG, the second generation begins. Then it was the best fighter in the world, and it took time to create him a worthy opponent, which became "Saber".

Sixties, Vietnam and the Middle East

Then there was the Vietnam War. In the sky, two lifelong rivals, "Phantom" and MiG-21, began to spin in "dog fights". These planes were very different, and in size, and weight, and in terms of weapons. The American F-4 weighed twice the Soviet interceptor, was less maneuverable, but had a number of advantages in long-range combat.

Determine which is the best fighter fought in the Vietnamese sky, it is difficult, but the overall score was in favor of the MiG. One should also take into account the fact that in comparable prices the Soviet aircraft cost much (at times) cheaper, besides, in the event of an unfavorable outcome of the battle, the Americans lost two pilots, and not one. Both these aircraft were already in the third generation of aircraft. In the meantime, progress continued, with increasingly stringent demands placed on interceptors.

The fourth generation, since the seventies

Since 1970, the development of fighter aircraft went on the new trunk lines. Avionics has become not just a means to help the pilot in finding enemies and solving navigational problems, she has taken on a number of management functions. The degree of visibility of the aircraft for enemy radars became extremely important. The parameters of the engines changed, and the thrust vector became variable, which made it necessary to revise the notion of maneuverability radically. Determine which is the best fighter is related to the fourth generation is not so easy, opinions on this subject are divided. The American F-15 has its supporters, especially in the West, and they have their own arguments, the most important of which is the successful experience of combat use of the "Eagle". Others believe that in the fourth generation the best fighter in the world is the Su-27 of Russian production.

Generation after generation

Generations of jet interceptors are separated from each other by several features: by the time of development, the form and type of the wing, the information saturation and some other criteria, but a clear line between them is not always simple, it remains conditional. For example, the deep modification of the MiG-21 has improved its characteristics so much that it can be approximately considered the fourth generation aircraft for virtually all combat effectiveness indicators.

The direction of the design idea

Interceptors of the fifth generation 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 as part of military-technical cooperation to strategic partners. But work on new projects is ongoing. Promising examples of the latest aircraft technology have some features that distinguish them from previous models, which gives reason to believe that the turn of the fifth generation has come. His attributes include a small radar visibility, expressed in an effort to remove all types of weapons previously placed on external suspensions and the technology of radio absorbing surfaces, which was called "Stells" by the Americans. In addition, all the latest achievements in the field of aircraft engine construction, rudders and control systems also indicate the ownership of the aircraft to the last generation. It is also important to use composite materials in the construction, which reduces weight, and again, increases stealthiness. This is what the best fighter in the world should be today. The photo of this aircraft is recognizable, the outlines of the fuselage and planes are somewhat angular, the engines leave a hardly noticeable inversion trail, and the nozzles have a rather high angle of possible rotation.

Raptor

Something they are elusively similar, although the general layout schemes, and the technical parameters of the interceptor aircraft of the fifth generation differ significantly. To them it is possible to attribute first of all "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 vehicle in the world to be mass-produced and adopted into service with the requirements for a fifth-generation interceptor. All other similar models, including Russian ones, are under development and debugging. There is also an important factor that allows to doubt the correctness of such an opinion. The fact is that the F-22 has never participated in combat operations, and how it behaves in real battle conditions is unknown. At one time, the American military-industrial complex widely advertised the invisible bomber Bi-2, and then it turned out that even obsolete Soviet radars, which were in service with the Yugoslav army, could well detect it.

And how are we?

In Russia, of course, do not ignore the US attempts to achieve military hegemony. We are planning to create a plane capable of fighting with the most perfect interceptor of a probable enemy. He was planned to "put on the wing" back in 2005, but prevented mainly economic difficulties. 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 its technical assignment in 1999. Simple calculations suggest that the date when the Russian Air Force will receive the best fighter in the world - 2014 or 2015.

Little is known about him. They called the project not just an airplane or an interceptor, but a Complex of Frontline Aviation. (PACFA - "P" stands for prospective, "A" for aviation, and some tautology for aircraft designers is forgivable.) Take-off weight is about 20 tons, just like the American F-22s and F-35s not yet adopted. Tactical characteristics make it possible to use the machine from small VFDs, and the technology of low radio visibility is used. Naturally, 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

For a long time our Chinese friends did not bother to develop their own aircraft. Usually in the PRC they chose a good Soviet model, which received a good reputation, bought technical documentation and produced under its own index, consisting of the letter Y (for civil) or J (for military) and numbers. However, the economic boom of recent decades, which turned China into a universal universal workshop, pushed the people's aircraft industry to begin work on their own projects. Perhaps the J-10 and not the best fighter in the world, but all the well-known TTD of this aircraft say that it is a car on the verge of the IV and V generations with the possibility of further modification. The original solution of the general layout scheme (deltoid "duck" without the classic tail unit) eloquently says that this time the Chinese aircraft manufacturers managed without external borrowings, showing their own approach.

Top-Hat Parade

The history of world aviation is rich in outstanding achievements. The transfer of interceptor aircraft, which have become masterpieces of engineering art, will take up too much space. How to choose the best fighter from them? Among the successful models one can not help recalling La-5 and La-7, Aerocobre, where IN Kozhedub and AI Pokryshkin fought, the French Mirage, the Swedish Saabs, the English Laityng and Many other powerful and beautiful machines. The task is complicated by the fact that no matter how perfect the combat aircraft, he was almost always a worthy rival. Therefore, the conditional rating of the most outstanding interceptors makes sense to present in pairs:

1. "Messerschmitt-109" and "Spitfire." During the Second World War, Soviet aircraft were good, but they lacked powerful engines, so they were out of the top list.
2. MiG-15 and the Saber F-86. They had plenty of experience with each other in Korea.
3. "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.
4. "Eagle" F-15 against the Su-27. "Eagle" has a very good reputation due to the successful use in modern theaters of military operations. "Dry" is not inferior to him on the majority of technical and tactical indicators, and by some surpasses, but his combat experience is not enough for him to win an absolute victory in the competition for the title "the best fighter in the world". 2014 was marked by the admission of a dozen Su-35S aircraft into the Russian Air Force's combat units, which are a deeply modernized version of the Su-27.
5. T-50 and Raptor. Opponents, in all likelihood, are quite worthy. It is better they do not meet in aerial combat, but if it does happen in the future, there is a high probability that our car will not let you down.

What will be the best fighter in the world of the 21st century? It remains to be seen only to what new concepts the engineers and aircraft designers of the future will come. The century has just begun, and by all accounts, it will be stormy ...