Fifth generation fighter

New aircraft had to have significantly higher combat potential than their predecessors.

The main characteristics of fifth-generation fighters:

• dramatic decrease in aircraft visibility in the radar and infrared ranges in combination with the transition of on-board sensors to passive methods of obtaining information, as well as to high stealth modes;
• multifunctionality, that is, high combat effectiveness in the defeat of air, ground and surface targets;
• the presence of a circular information system;
• flight at supersonic speeds without using afterburner ;
• over-maneuverability ;
• the ability to carry out multi-angle firing of targets in close air combat, as well as to conduct multichannel missile firing while conducting long-range combat;
• automation of control of onboard information systems and jamming systems;
• increased combat autonomy due to the installation of a tactical situation indicator in the cockpit of a single-seat aircraft with the possibility of mixing information (that is, simultaneously outputting and superimposing “pictures” from different sensors on a single scale), as well as using telecode information exchange systems with external sources;
• aerodynamics and airborne systems should provide the ability to change the angular orientation and trajectory of the aircraft without any noticeable delays, without requiring strict coordination and coordination of the movements of the governing bodies;
• the aircraft must “forgive” gross pilot errors in a wide range of flight conditions;
• the aircraft should be equipped with an automated control system at the level of solving tactical problems , which has an expert mode "to help the pilot."

One of the most important requirements for a fifth-generation Russian fighter is over- maneuverability - the ability of an aircraft to maintain stability and controllability at supercritical angles of attack with high overloads, ensuring the safety of combat maneuvering, as well as the ability of an aircraft to change position relative to the flow, allowing it to aim a weapon at a target outside the current path vector .

Over-maneuverability originally appeared in the requirements for the fifth-generation American fighter. However, in the future, after a series of experimental studies, the Americans preferred to focus on the overall dynamism of the fighter’s combat system ^[2] . The refusal of the U.S. Air Force to achieve super-maneuverability was absolutely motivated, including by the rapid improvement of aviation weapons: the appearance of highly maneuverable all - angle missiles , helmet-mounted target designation systems and new homing heads made it possible to abandon mandatory entry into the enemy’s rear hemisphere. It was assumed that air combat will now be conducted at medium ranges with the transition to the maneuver stage only in the last resort, "if something is done wrong." Reduced radar visibility allows you to realize your intended goal - “first saw - first shot down”, which also makes the rejection of super maneuverability quite justified. On the other hand, the gradual disappearance of the American “monopoly” on fifth-generation fighters indicates the importance of over-maneuverability for fifth-generation fighters, since when two stealth fighters meet (considering the capabilities of their radar stations are the same), the tactics of warfare will return to past generations .

In the 1980s, the U.S. Air Force announced a competition to create an ATF ( Advanced Tactical Fighter ) aircraft designed to replace the F-15 . At the first stage, Lockheed and Northrop firms were selected, which built two copies of their proposed aircraft - Lockheed YF-22 and Northrop YF-23 . In this case, one instance of each machine was equipped with General Electric engines YF120, and the other - Pratt-Whitney YF119. Both aircraft first flew in 1990. According to the results of tests, the US Air Force in April 1991 announced victory in the YF-22 competition with Pratt-Whitney engines.

Deliveries of production cars began in 2003. The first F-22 squadron entered service on December 15, 2005.

In addition to the F-22, in the United States under the JSF program, a lighter F-35 Lightning II single-engine fighter in three versions - standard, with vertical take-off and with short take-off and landing - was developed and adopted for the US Navy since 2015.

China is working on two ^[3] fifth-generation fighter projects. According to the American Center for Air and Space Intelligence (NASIC), it was assumed that China could put into service its fifth-generation fighter in 2018 ^{[4] [ clarify ]} / already accepted /.

The first photos of the Chengdu J-20 fighter appeared on the Internet at the end of 2010. This aircraft first flew January 11, 2011. In March 2017, it was announced that the first J-20 aircraft, which thus became the first fifth-generation non-US fighter to be adopted, were put into operation.

The prototype fighter for another project, Shenyang J-31 made its first flight in tandem with a double J-11BS on October 31, 2012 ^{[5] [6]} . His first photographs appeared on September 15, 2012 ^[7] with tail number “31001”.

MAPO MiG has been preparing a project known as “1.44” since the early 1980s. The first flight "1.44" (also sometimes called IFIs) took place on February 29, 2000 at the airport at the LII named after M. M. Gromova in Zhukovsky. The plane was piloted by test pilot Hero of Russia V. Gorbunov. According to the pilot, “the flight that we were all waiting for was surprisingly routine. The car behaved obediently, although it is obvious that in its aerobatic qualities it is a fundamentally new aircraft. So all the work is yet to come. ” On April 27, 2000, “1.44” completed its second 22-minute test flight. In flight, a number of tests of aircraft and propulsion systems were carried out, in addition, unlike the first flight, the fighter released and retracted the landing gear. Due to insufficient funding in the 1990s, the technology used on the new fighter began to become obsolete and more and more inferior to the American one. Under the influence of economic, political and other factors, the program was closed ^[8] .

In June 2015, at the air show in Le Bourget, Director General of the MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation (RSK) Sergey Korotkov announced that the MiG RSK continues to work on a fifth-generation light fighter, although it does not have a corresponding order. As a platform for the fifth-generation light fighter MiG, the MiG-35 model is considered ^[9] .

At the moment, the Sukhoi Design Bureau is engaged in the implementation of the project of the ordered fifth-generation fighter, the project has the full name “ Advanced Frontline Aviation Complex ” (PAK FA) ^[10] , its platform is called “T-50”. The new fighter made its first flight on January 29, 2010 ^[11] in the Far East, where the manufacturing enterprise, KnAAPO, is located . The prototype spent 47 minutes in the air and landed on the runway of the factory airfield, the Sukhoi press service said. The fighter was piloted by Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation Sergey Bogdan . In total, 6 flights were carried out in KnAAPO, after which the fighter was transported to the LII them. Gromov , where two more test flights were performed. The long delays between each test flight can be explained by the fact that only one machine participated in the flight tests at the initial stage. March 3, 2011 to the first flight model (w / n 51) joined the second flight instance (w / n 52), having some improvements regarding the first prototype. The flight lasted 44 minutes, the plane was piloted by Sergey Bogdan . March 14, 2011 during testing, the aircraft for the first time overcame the sound barrier . On November 3, 2011, the hundredth test flight took place. November 22, 2011 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the first flight was made by the third T-50 aircraft. In total, before the start of mass production, it is planned to carry out at least 2000 test flights.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in early 2010 that the installation batch of the fifth generation aviation complex should be delivered to the Ministry of Defense in 2013, and serial purchases should begin in 2015 ^{[12] [13]} .

On June 30, 2017, it was announced that the Russian Ministry of Defense was expecting the first batch of 2 Su-57 production aircraft in 2019.

In Japan in 2004, it was decided to create its own fifth-generation fighter X-2 (ATD-X) Shinshin , built using stealth technology. In 2006, this project received the status of a promising development, which at the end can be taken into service. Shinshin is developed by the Japanese company Mitsubishi .

Shinshin is expected to use several stealth technologies, including scattering geometric shapes, radar absorbing materials, and the widespread use of composites . In a promising fighter, the technology of an optical fiber remote control system with multiple duplication of data exchange channels will be implemented. This solution will allow you to maintain control of the aircraft in case of damage to one of the subsystems, as well as in the conditions of electronic suppression . In the mid-2000s, it was reported that ATD-X planned to implement Self-Repairing Flight Control Capability (SRFCC) technology. This means that the on-board computer of the fighter will automatically detect the resulting damage and reconfigure the operation of the flight control system by including redundant serviceable subsystems in the circuit. In addition, it is assumed that the computer will also determine the degree of damage to various structural elements of the aircraft - ailerons , elevators , rudders , wing surfaces - and adjust the operation of the remaining whole elements to almost completely restore fighter controllability.

In April 2010, the Japanese government announced a tender for the supply of jet engines for ATD-X Shinshin prototypes. According to the requirements, jet engines must have a thrust of 44-89 kilonewtons in the afterburner mode. Power plants are planned to be finalized for installation on them of a system of all-round control of the thrust vector, which is planned to be realized not with the help of a moving nozzle, but with the help of three wide plates. This technology was first implemented in the United States in 1990 on a Rockwell X-31 aircraft. Imported engines will be used only for prototype testing, and serial fighters will receive XF5-1 engines developed by the Japanese company Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries .

On March 8, 2011, Lieutenant General Hideyuki Yoshioka, head of the Department for the Development of Advanced Systems for the Air Force Self-Defense, Ministry of Defense of Japan, stated that tests of the first prototype ATD-X were scheduled for 2014. According to Western experts, if Japan does not refuse to implement the Shinshin program, the new aircraft will be able to enter the troops in 2018–2020 ^[14] .

The Japanese government officially announced on December 20, 2011, that the fifth-generation F-35 fighter was chosen as the new main combat aircraft for its Air Force. This decision was made at a meeting of the National Security Council in Tokyo , chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. The budget for fiscal year 2012 includes preliminary costs for the purchase of the first four F-35s. In total, Japan intends to acquire at least forty such aircraft. In the future, we can talk about a larger batch, since Tokyo will have to gradually completely replace with all new 200 Japan’s F-15s with new cars.

India is conducting a joint development with Russia of a modernized fifth-generation fighter for both countries. On-board displays and other electronics are being designed by India, and the rest of the aircraft is Russia. In parallel, India is developing its own fifth-generation fighter HAL AMCA and plans to complete it in 2018 ^[15] .

South Korea announced the implementation of the program to create its own stealth fighter KAI KF-X , which will be created in conjunction with Indonesia ^[16] . As expected, the South Korean KAI KF-X aircraft of the “4 ++ / 5” generation with elements of stealth stealth technology will be adopted after 2020 ^[14] .

Iran is developing its first such aircraft, the IAIO Qaher-313 , which is also referred to as stealth. The prototype was presented in 2013 and 2017 ^[17] .

Sweden has developed such a fighter SAAB Flygsystem 2020 .

Turkey is also developing its own TF-X fighter.

• The tests of the Russian fifth generation fighter began
• MiG develops two fifth-generation fighters
• Joint Strike Fighter Program
• F-22A (raptor)
• "Sukhoi" released a video of the first flight of PAK FA // Lenta.ru