Questions tagged [fighter]
A fighter is an aircraft designed primarily for aerial combat.
229
questions
15
votes
1answer
3k views
How do internally carried IR missiles acquire a lock?
On aircraft that carry their IR missiles on external stores, like the F/A-18, an IR-missile acquires a lock by having its seeker being directed to the target heat source by whatever means and the ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
The Mig 21 and the Mirage III have been criticized for lack of range, is this a limitation of the wing configuration?
Mig 21
Range: 1,470 km (910 mi; 790 nmi) at 10,000 m (32,800 ft) with 2 × K-13A missiles and 800 l (180 imp gal; 210 US gal)
(Wikipeda)
J-7
Combat radius: 850 km (459 nmi, 528 mi) (air superiority, ...
6
votes
2answers
479 views
Is it true the F-16 has never lost a dogfight?
(Source)
I have heard the F-16 has never lost an air-to-air dogfight - is this true?
1
vote
1answer
83 views
What was the decrease in approach speed of the KFIR over the Mirage 5 due to the canards?
The Mirage III approached at 170 knots according to the Dassault. The Mirage NG and the KFIR C2 as well as the Swiss Mirage 5s added canards to the design, what was the decrease in approach speed due ...
2
votes
2answers
94 views
Surface deflection if loss of hydraulics on combat jet
In a typical combat jet from the 1970ties, at loss of hydraulic pressure, how does the deflection surfaces behave?
If it happens on the runway, will the weight of the surfaces make them deflect ...
16
votes
1answer
583 views
Why does the F-15 have a swept-back trailing edge at its wing tips?
The F-15's wing has an curious feature: a swept-back trailing edge near the wingtips, along with an unswept inboard portion of the wing.
(Modified from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
0
votes
2answers
258 views
What is the relation between clouds and radar effectiveness?
Recently, India's prime minister Narendra Modi commented on how cloudy weather can help a fighter jet escape from radar. Is there any technical reasoning to back these comments?
Here is the quote ...
0
votes
0answers
79 views
Does a jet fighter intercept cost the airline money? [duplicate]
Last April a TUI flight from Frankfurt (Germany) to Hurghada (Egypt) was intercepted above Montenegro by Italian Air Force ordered by NATO. The order was given because the airline had lost ...
5
votes
4answers
314 views
What are the advantages/disadvantages of in-fuselage engines (eg most fighter jets) vs wing/fuselage mounted engines?
Most modern jet fighter designs incorporate their engine(s) within the fuselage, while most other medium/large aircraft mount them either under the wings or on the rear fuselage.
What are the ...
15
votes
1answer
4k views
What are the unusually-enlarged wing sections on this P-38 Lightning?
Halfway through this video of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, there's an unusual-looking example. Notice the enlarged wing sections outboard of the engine bodies, and also how the cockpit fairing ...
1
vote
3answers
467 views
Can a civilian purchase a new (Not Retired) fighter jet? [duplicate]
Let's take a jet like the F22 for example. Strip all the classified systems/weaponry out of it (civilian wouldn't need that), and just leave the basic aircraft itself.
Could a civilian technically ...
0
votes
1answer
128 views
Does the US export the Mark 77 aerial bomb? [closed]
The Mark 77 bomb used by US fighter aircraft detonates with an impressive array of inferno when dropped in a cluster which is often done at airshows.
Questions
Is the Mark 77 bomb solely used by ...
3
votes
1answer
356 views
Does the P&W F100 turbofan engine of the F-16 really produce this much power?
I've been trying to calculate the power a P&W F100 engine on a F-16 is producing using some of the available data on thrust and velocity and I ended up with a number that I want to confirm. Here's ...
-1
votes
1answer
146 views
If the Meteor BVRAAM is the best AAM, and the APG-81 is the best radar for detecting aircraft, then why don't all fighter aircraft simply use these? [closed]
Why are some missiles incompatible with some aircraft?
If fighter A has better radar and missiles than fighter B, then why isn't it possible to simply integrate the better radar and missiles into ...
2
votes
1answer
479 views
How fast do the F-35 weapons bay doors open/close during combat ops?
(YouTube)
I came across the following Norwegian F-35 video launching a live missile from its right bay door. Of course, opening the door and launching the missile drastically increases RCS, but it ...
20
votes
4answers
8k views
Why are special aircraft used for the carriers in the United States Navy?
Why are aircraft such as the legacy F-14 and now the F/A-18 used by the US Navy carriers?
It seems to me that developing a new aircraft from the ground up is very expensive. Is it not possible to ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Which military aircraft does this seem to be? [F-16 vs MiG-21]
Can someone identify the aircraft based on the components, riveting style, or other technical details visible in these crash pictures?
a) Based on publicly available details, the chief suspects are ...
6
votes
2answers
223 views
Do fly-by-wire fighter aircraft automatically reverse the direction of control surface deflections during a tailslide?
During a tailslide (a flight regime where the relative airflow over the aircraft is from the tail towards the nose; i.e., an attack angle between 90º and 270º; i.e., the airplane is moving tail-first),...
2
votes
1answer
254 views
Since when had fighter jet designer stopped caring about Whitcomb's Area Rule?
According to this source, designers of military fighter jets seemed to have stopped centering their design on Whitcomb's Area Rule for quite a while. Yet even the twin series fighters struggle to ...
1
vote
1answer
243 views
What phraseology does ATC use with jet fighter pilots? [closed]
What do they usually say or ask when the fighter pilot wants to take off, when it's in the air, and what is the reply from the fighter pilot?
2
votes
3answers
724 views
Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored?
Are modern fighter jets bulletproof and armored? One would not be wrong given part of their operations is being on the receiving end of enemy ammunition shooting at them.
4
votes
1answer
215 views
Why is the detcord on canopies wavy?
We know that the wavy lines on the canopy are detcord, to shatter the glass in case of ejection.
Why are they wavy?
2
votes
1answer
313 views
Why is YF22 designed with conventional rudders while YF23 with all-moving rudders?
Are all-moving rudders more stealthy? If so, how come YF22 which is just as fixated with rear body stealthiness as the YF23 comes with conventional ones?
Also, all-moving rudders have fixed camber, ...
13
votes
3answers
730 views
Do fighter jets have deicing in their wings?
If there is such thing as deicing for fighters? If so, is bleed air or electric heating preferred? I could not imagine that a $50MLN fighter jet would not be able to get the ice off its wings.
4
votes
1answer
690 views
6
votes
3answers
546 views
Can a bird strike destroy the stealth capability of F-35?
There is a video according to which a F-35 aircraft has been struck by a bird in Israel. This, allegedly, disabled its stealth capability.
More than a year earlier, two storks allegedly damaged ...
0
votes
4answers
244 views
Aviation theory for fighter pilots
Background:
I'm an 18-year-old Finn and so I'll be starting my military service next summer. I'm currently applying to the Air Force to become a fighter pilot, but I don't have any previous training ...
-6
votes
1answer
181 views
How was this flight authorized?
In this clip, we see a fighter performing risky manoeuvres at very low altitude around a densely populated civilian area.
What authorization would have been required for this and why would it be ...
0
votes
2answers
489 views
Was any MiG-29 modernized to incorporate digital systems?
Did any air force using the MiG-29 ever modernize their aircraft so that they can fly on fully digital equipment such as the following?
Digital HUD
Digital fly-by-wire
Digital navigation system
...
5
votes
3answers
585 views
What is the vocabulary used by fighter pilots used to communicate?
As far as I understand, fighter pilots or more general military aircrews will use a dedicated phraseology to communicate with each other, which is different to communicating to ATC.
Is this ...
2
votes
1answer
154 views
What is the late BF109's (G models) internal fuel capacity?
What is the late BF109's (G models) internal fuel capacity? I've been trying to google the answer for a few hours with no luck, perhaps someone here has the right source
2
votes
1answer
428 views
What kind of jet fighter is this?
I visisited Tirana, Albania the first week in August. Outside a shopping mall called "TEG" there was an old jet fighter on display. I can't recognise what make and model this is. Can anybody here help ...
1
vote
1answer
231 views
On modern fighter aircraft, why do most carry a rotary cannon when they tend to have little use against aircraft? [duplicate]
I understand that in multirole or strike aircraft the cannon has a CAS use, but on a purely fighter aircraft, does the benefit of a fallback weapon outweigh the handicap of added weight?
3
votes
4answers
938 views
What drives the shape of an engine's intake on a fighter jet?
Rectangular intakes have more corners which might increase subsonic pressure losses and would weigh larger than a pitot (Semi-circular) type intake. Are the designer drivers solely based on supersonic ...
30
votes
3answers
4k views
Why does Martin-Baker use a Gloster Meteor as a testbed for ejection seats?
Martin-Baker uses a Gloster Meteor for testing ejection seats, according to their website.
While it's a stylish plane, and a true delight that there are still airworthy fuselages of this plane left, ...
2
votes
3answers
883 views
Why was Energy Maneuverability theory not applied to the F-14?
In John Boyd's (declassified) 1966 Energy Maneuverability [PDF] report, studies were done on the F-4 and on the MiG-21 and those studies were applied to the F-15, F-16 and F-18. My questions:
Why ...
2
votes
2answers
675 views
Can current fighter jets perform a deadstick landing?
If a current modern day fighter were to have a total engine failure over a suitable landing site or airport, can the pilot safely perform a dead stick landing? If so, are they routinely given training ...
4
votes
3answers
858 views
What is the difference in VTOL technology between British Aerospace Harrier II and F-35B?
F-35B safer and looks more stable in terms of VTOL capability.
What is the basic difference between Harrier II and F-35B's VTOL technology?
8
votes
1answer
412 views
What additional functionality is provided by the F-14 nose pitot, absent in early models?
Early model F-14A had no nose pitot:
... but they seem to have quickly acquired them sometime in the late 1970s. The Iranian F-14s have them, and it's quite hard to find a picture of an F-14 without ...
14
votes
4answers
992 views
Why don't single-engine jets suffer severe gyroscopic effects?
I was reading up on World War I fighter aircraft, and saw that rotary piston engines, which powered many of those planes, produced extreme gyroscopic effects due to the large, heavy chunk of metal ...
1
vote
1answer
233 views
Is making faster military fighters even practical?
I was curious after reading a book on Cold War plane development about the Soviet ideology of making increasingly powerful jets that could break Mach 3 and so on. With the advent of BVRAAM's such as ...
2
votes
1answer
295 views
Reason for limited engine fuselage on Sukhoi fighter aircraft? [closed]
To my amateur eye, there appears to be limited fuselage on the engines for Sukhoi fighters from Su-27 on. That is, the fuselage follows the curvature of the engines closely and there is a definite ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
How do solo fighter pilots sleep?
Tonight I watched Nova's "The Impossible Flight", a documentary film about the around the world Solar Impulse project where a solo pilot set the world's record for a 5 day non-stop flight from Japan ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
Do fighter jets have an auxiliary power unit?
Do fighter jets have an auxiliary power unit? If they don't, then how does the propulsion/ignition process start in the engine?
21
votes
2answers
4k views
Why are only some aircraft in this formation creating contrails?
The Republic Day celebrations at New Delhi, India had a series of flypasts by the Indian Air Force.
What struck me the most was that in a formation with a C-17 in middle and two Su-30MKI flanking it, ...
3
votes
1answer
383 views
How are modern fighters cleaned? [closed]
I found this photo of a fighter jet being cleaned, how does this process work?
(usatoday.com)
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Do fighter jets use elevators as ailerons?
I saw jets in game using elevators to roll right and left, but I never saw them doing in real life. I was wondering if fighter jets actually use elevator to roll like they do in game.
4
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the lightest weight operational jet/turboprop fighter ever deployed in combat?
Since the beginning of WWII there was been a trend towards larger fighter aircraft. In about 1960 the United States continued with larger fighters (F4, F100, F111, F15) but also started a branch of ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Can civilians who buy ex-military fighter jets get the necessary maintenance information for them?
I was looking for fighter jets which are available to be bought by private citizens. I was wondering: how would you schedule the maintenance, as most of the jets are ex-military and there are no ...
15
votes
3answers
2k views
What fighters have both 1 & 2 engine versions?
Northrop originally built the F-5 "Freedom Fighter" (and T-38 "Talon") with two engines. Later it was re-fitted with a single F404 engine from the F/A-18, re-designating it the F-20 "Tigershark" to ...
