FifthGeneration Meaning

8/9/2019 FifthGeneration Meaning

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Magazine

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A 5TH GENERATION FIGHTER:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

One of the “buzzwords” being used in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) debate is that it is a “5th

Generation fighter.” As such, it is implied that this generation of aircraft is a giant technological leap

ahead of current fighters. Is it really the case and what exactly constitutes a 5th generation fighter?

Ever since the Korean War, when significant numbers of jet powered fighters engaged in combat, the

United States Air Force (USAF) has used a “generation” classification to describe the capabilities in broad

terms of various types of jet fighters. What follows are the generally accepted criteria (and which have

been specifically debated in the case of the JSF) along with examples of each generation.

During the final months of the Second World War, the Messerschmitt Me-262 entered service as the world’s first “operational” jet

fighter. The true impact of its performance characteristics was perhaps limited by Adolf Hitler’s insistence that the Me-262 first be used

as a light bomber, rather than being focused on the more suitable roles of an air-superiority fighter or bomber interceptor. While Allied

propeller-driven fighters were at a distinct disadvantage in direct combat, they took advantage of the Me-262’s lack of maneuverability

at low speeds and attacked their adversaries particularly during the landing and take-off phases. The Allies consequently rushed jet

fighter production ahead, but their latest designs (Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, Gloster Meteor and De Havilland Vampire) saw very

limited / if any service before the war ended.

The Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe (“Swallow”) was the world’s firstoperational jet-powered fighter aircraft - (USAF Photo)

The De Havilland DH.100 Vampire was Canada’s first operational jet fighter andit is another example of a first generation design - (RCAF Photo)

The ensuing Korean War saw the initiation of true jet versus jet combat. The USAF F-86 Sabres and North Korean and Soviet /

Chinese MiG-15 fighters, were very close in overall design, performance and firepower. The fighters relied heavily on ground control

radar installations to guided their interceptions. Rudimentary radar ranging gunsights were introduced but the primary means of first

sighting and then killing the adversary was still the “Mark 1 eyeball.”

The Mig-15 and F-86 Sabre fought as adversaries in the skies over Korea. These restoredexamples illustrate the similarity of the designs - (Andrew Cline Photo)

1st Generation (1945 -1955)

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The CF-101 Voodoo was a classic 2ndgeneration fighter design -

(RCAF Photo)

The McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing)CF-188 Hornet, is a 4th generation

fighter - (RCAF Photo)

The McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom, shown inhere in later “Wild Weasel” guise, is the epitome of

a 3rd generation fighter - (USAF Photo)

The late 1950s and 1960s produced tremendous further

developments in fighter technologies. Supersonic flight was now

routinely assured through the use of afterburning engines. The

introduction of long range radars and air-to-air rockets and /or

guided missiles introduced the concept of “beyond visual range”

(or BVR) combat. A pilot could now shoot down an enemy withouthaving ever seen it as anything but a “blip” on the radar screen.

2nd Generation fighters are typically described by the

“Century” series of US fighters (F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo,

F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-106 Delta Dart, etc.)

which emphasized speed at the expense of maneuverability and

relied on their air intercept radars and long-range air-to-air

missiles. The Canadian-designed CF-100 Canuck is another

example of a 2nd generation fighter. Dogfights were considered a

thing of the past and many fighter designs began to eliminate

machine guns and / or cannons. Then the war in Vietnam

demonstrated the fallacy of this revised approach.

The lessons learned from Vietnam resulted in the return of the

“dogfighter” in 4th generation fighters. It was no longer enough for

a fighter design to be fast; it had to be agile as well. The “teen” series

of US fighters like the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting

Falcon, and F-18 Hornet not only offered exceptional performance

as fighters, but delivered a true “multi-role” capability by now being

able not only to dogfight but to clear enemy airspace, attack groundtargets, or intercept enemy bombers. PGM and ECM capabilities

also became the “norm.”

While 4th Generation fighters like the F-15, F-16 and F-18

provided great advances in maneuverability, they continued the

traditional approach of using on-board systems that were primarily

under the separate and individual control of the pilot.

New technology primarily developed for the next generation of

fighters, like Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars,

other modern computer technology including data links and

vectored thrust engines have now found their way into these 4th

3rd Generation designs (i.e. F-111, F-4 Phantom, F-5 Freedom

Fighter) consequently reintroduced the aspects of maneuverabil-

ity and a wider variety of weapons. These 3rd generation fighters

also took the 2nd generation’s previously radical developments

and made them commonplace with improved avionics and

on-board systems. The fighter designs were now evolving into

multi-role missions. Guided missiles, both infrared and

radar-guided, were now the primary weapons with cannons being

retained or re-introduced as in the case of the F-4 Phantom. The

first rudimentary “precision-guided” munitions (PGMs) were alsointroduced. Electronic Counter-Measures (ECM) also became

increasingly important.

2nd Generation (1955 - 1960)

3rd Generation (1960 - 1970)

4th Generation (1970 -2000)



5th Generation Fighters Explained

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The United States’ response to the emergence of the Russian-

designed Fulcrum and Flanker 4th generation fighters was to

produce the “Advanced Tactical Fighter” or ATF requirement which

generated a fly-off competition between the YF-22 and YF-23

prototypes. After years of development, the Lockheed Martin F-22

Raptor emerged from this competition as the world’s first, and, so

far, only operational 5th generation fighter. The F-22 stood out in

following ways: stealth ability - it used a combination of radar

absorbing materials and airframe design to significantly reduce the

radar signature; “super-cruise” ability - it uses powerful, efficient

engines to achieve supersonic speed without the use of

afterburners; “super-maneuverability” - it uses advanced flight

control, thrust-vectoring (in 2 dimensions), and aerodynamic

refinements to achieve “agility” unheard of in previous designs; and

advanced sensors - the design employs an AESA radar, data links,

and an infrared tracking system to provide “fused” data andtherefore a clearer picture of the battlefield.

5th Generation (2000 - today)

generation fighters. These improved fighter designs are not considered advanced enough to be considered 5th generation fighters but can

be considered a step beyond the original 4th generation criteria. This category now includes European fighters such as the Typhoon,

Rafale, and Gripen along with the US F-15 Eagle and the F-18E/F/G Super Hornet plus modernized versions of the Russian Fulcrum and

Flanker fighters. These latest designs of fighters are often referred to as “Four+” designs or 4.5 generation fighters.

A good example of these 4+ designs is the latest proposed improvements to the Boeing F-15 and F/A-18 Super Hornet. The F-15 Silent

Eagle (SE) was first displayed by Boeing on 17 March 2009 but further plans for its introduction now appear to be suspended. The F-15SE

variant was intended to use 5th generation technology to reduce the radar cross section. Distinguishing features of this version were theconformal weapons bays (CWB) that replace the conformal fuel tanks (CFT) to hold weapons internally and twin vertical tails canted

outward 15 degrees to reduce radar cross section. This variant would also have had additional radar absorbing material where needed. A

compromise was that the CWB takes the place of most of the previous fuel capacity in the CFT. Similarly, the latest Super Hornet design

concept incorporates advanced technology and capabilities from the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) Program which would see

the latest block of aircraft further equipped with an improved cockpit with advanced avionics, AESA radar, an enclosed weapons pod and

conformal fuel tanks, plus internal infrared and missile warning sensors along with improved engines.

This latter feature was a fundamental break with previous approaches and is one of the revolutionary aspects of 5th generation

aircraft. The major combat systems automatically interact to present the pilot with an optimum solution. In other words, the pilot does

not have to individually control or determine which system is the best in any particular set of circumstances. While previous increases

in fighter capabilities were largely “linear,” there is a belief that this latest improvement is in fact a “step-change.” This is based on the

premise that 5th generation fighters incorporate far-reaching technological advances over their 4th generation predecessors. These

include all-aspect stealth (while retaining 4th generation performance characteristics), Low Probability of Intercept Radios / Radars

(LPIR), and integrated avionic systems that provide an unprecedented level of situational awareness and support to decision-making by

the pilot.

The F-22 cost close to $200 million each, but, in 2011 F-22 production was terminated due to budget constraints after only 187 of theoriginally planned 750 aircraft were built.

The Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor, set the standard

for 5th generation fighter designs - (USAF Photo)

The Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II is now inproduction - (USAF Photo)





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5th Generation Fighters Explained

The F-22 was however designed primarily as an air superiority fighter. In contrast, the Joint Strike Fighter program was intended to

replace a wide range of fighter, strike and attack aircraft and was therefore intended as a multi-role platform from its inception.

Consequently, the F-35 does lack some of the F-22’s original 5th generation features. The compromises in the F-35 design mean that

it is incapable of super-cruising. If a F-35 pilot wishes to go supersonic, afterburner power will be required. Except in the F-35B STOL /

VTOL variant, the F-35 design also lacks a vectored thrust engine nozzle. The overall design will also simply not allow for the same

super-maneuverability characteristics as the F-22.The F-35 is however an inherently stealthy design having incorporated stealth features throughout its airframe, engine, sensors and

weapons carriage. The F-35 will also clearly exceed the F-22’s

capabilities in sensors and avionics. Making use of modern

computing power, an AESA radar, infrared sensors plus data links,

the F-35 should be able to offer to its pilots and, through its inte-

grated communication suite, to any other allied platforms and control

systems, a very clear picture of the battlefield. Additionally, given the

number of F-35 aircraft to be produced and the number of fleets

being replaced in Western air forces, the Lightning II will possess

significant advantages in terms of interoperability with allies.

In summary, the F-35 does not offer all the features of the

arch-typical 5th generation F-22. It cannot provide super-cruise and

super-maneuverability capabilities but it promises to exceed the F-22

in terms of its sophisticated avionics and sensors and in

multi-mission capabilities. Some critics have however stated that if

current fighters like the Gripen, Typhoon and Super Hornet can be

considered 4.5 generation designs, that perhaps the F-35 Lightning

should be considered a “5th generation minus” fighter.3-view arrangement of the F-35A,

the conventional landing / take-off variant -(Lockheed-Martin image)

A Boeing proposal for a 6th generation design is now underdevelopment - (Boeing image)

With the speed of technology developments / improvements increasing at exponential rates, it is perhaps no surprise that a 6th genera-

tion of fighters is already being contemplated.The United States Navy has recently announced its F/A-XX fighter program, looking for a “6th generation” fighter to enter service

around the year 2025. This new fighter would incorporate more advanced technology, including the option of operating the aircraft with a

pilot or without one.

The USAF is also pursuing a 6th generation design. In the “Next Generation Tactical Aircraft”, the USAF seeks a fighter with “enhanced

capabilities in areas such as reach, persistence, survivability, net-centricity, situational awareness, human-system integration and weapons

effects,” as indicated in a 2010 pre-solicitation notice.

“The future system will have to counter adversaries equipped with next generation advanced electronic attack, sophisticated integrated

air defense systems, passive detection, integrated self-protection, directed energy weapons, and cyber attack capabilities. It must be able to

operate in the anti-access/area-denial environment that will exist in the 2030–50 timeframe.”

Boeing is now working on a 6th generation design. Similarly the Lockheed Martin “Skunk Works” division has developed a concept

which calls for greater speed, range, stealth and self-healing structures. 6th Generation fighters are also expected to use more adaptive

versatile engine technologies to allow for longer ranges and higher performance.

6th Generation



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