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Top fighters of the World
By Karl Schwarz
All the forecasts suggest that unmanned aerial vehicles will take over more and more military tasks. Yet, realistically, it is likely to be several decades before unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) replace the fighter-bombers and fighters of the latest generation. And even then manned high-performance jets are unlikely to disappear entirely, as the human operator at the centre of the action is still the best decision-maker in dynamic operational scenarios.
Against this background, the prospects for the fighter manufacturers are therefore not at all bad. Especially in the US armed forces, the air forces of Europe, the Middle East and Asia, there is considerable demand to replace older models. Of course it is unlikely that existing fleets will be replaced on a 1:1 basis; rather, their numbers may be expected to fall drastically. Nevertheless, the American market research company Forecast International is still predicting the production of 1,510 fighters worth $76.3 billion (Euro53.8 billion) for the five-year period from 2007 to 2011. Including jet trainers, it estimates the market volume to 2015 at 3,865 aircraft, worth $155.9 billion or Euro109.9 billion.
Existing types from the USA, Europe, Russia and, in the long-term probably China as well, are all competing for a slice of this cake. The fighters available for sale today belong without exception to the fourth and fifth generations and employ in different forms advanced technologies such as:
- Stealth characteristics, i.e. the airframe is optimised to generate as small a radar and infrared signature as possible. Features which contribute to this goal include specially contoured air inlets, edges all aligned in the same direction and radar-absorbent coatings. To a limited extent, precision bombs and missiles can be accommodated in internal weapons bays.
- Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with fixed antenna consisting of hundreds of transmit/receive modules. This allows the beam to be steered in every direction without any delay. Air-to-air and air-to-ground functions are processed virtually in parallel. On top of this, an AESA system can even transmit large amounts of data to other platforms or, if required, act as a jammer.
- Datalink system that supports network-centric operations and allows the reception of continuous updates while the fighter in turn supplies other aircraft and ground stations with important information.
- Infrared sensors for air-to-air and air-to-ground applications. These offer a passive alternative to radar and are important for the use of precision munitions.
- Flexible armaments options with extremely agile air-to-air missiles for close range, long-range missiles with active radar and an arsenal of air-to-ground munitions from the small guided bomb to the heavy stand-off weapon designed for use against hardened command centres.
- Sophisticated electronic self-protection systems with warning receivers, jammers and towed decoys.
- Thrust vector control, providing additional agility in close combat and, when combined with the fly-by-wire system, allowing unbelievable flight manoeuvres.
Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II combines many of these features. The Joint Strike Fighter, which is to be offered in several versions, plays a central role on the market. If the US Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy and the eight international development partners all remain on board during production, in the long term as many as 3,100 F-35's could be built. However, first the engineers have their hands full trying to keep the weight within specification and establishing the reliability of advanced systems such as electro hydraulic actuators and a combination package consisting of starter, generator and air-conditioning. The price looks set to rise, and some of the participating nations are unhappy with the workshares granted to their own domestic suppliers.
Such problems are creating an incentive for countries like Norway to bail out of the JSF consortium. Saab with its Gripen and Eurofighter is open to offers to collaborate closely in the further development of its aircraft. The Swedes are relying heavily on further exports as the Swedish Air Force wants to reduce its JAS-39 fleet from a buy of over 200 aircraft to 100. This will release several dozen Gripens from the first production batch, and these will need to be marketed.
Eurofighter can think in quite different numbers. If the United Kingdom and Italy do not make cuts in the forthcoming negotiations over the third production batch of 236 aircraft, 678 Typhoons will be built by the middle of the next decade just for the four partner nations. On top of this, Austria and – more important – Saudi Arabia are already export customers. Further successes will depend critically on rapid expansion of the armaments options, which currently are still largely confined to air-to-air missions, so as to include an attractive arsenal of air-to-ground munitions.
In this area the French Rafale is further advanced, although this has not really helped it so far. Dassault is still waiting for its first export order, one possible customer being Morocco.
But the USA could well thwart French ambitions in that country, as it has three other fighter jets on offer as well as the F-35. There are virtually no export restrictions on the Lockheed Martin F-16, the success model of the last few decades. The erstwhile lightweight fighter evolved into an all-rounder and, in the latest E/F version for the United Arab Emirates, it even has an AESA radar. Potential customers for the Boeing F-18E/F, which is in series production for the US Navy, will have to pay somewhat more than for the F-16. The twin-engined fighter, which too can be fitted with an AESA system, has so far been ordered only by Australia – as an interim solution until the F-35 becomes available. Finally, the Boeing F-15, which was recently purchased by South Korea and Singapore, is still attractive for special customers.
On the other hand, Lockheed Martin's F-22A Raptor, by far the most expensive fighter in the world, will not be available for export at least in the foreseeable future. The US Air Force is purchasing for itself a fighter which supposedly will guarantee it air superiority in every situation for decades to come, at a price tag of $160 million per unit. However, in view of the cost, Raptor unit numbers have currently been limited to 183.
As well as American and European manufacturers, the Russians also play an important role. Sukhoi in particular has succeeded in recent years in finding takers for its high-performance Su-27/Su-30 family in countries like China and India. Venezuela too recently made a purchase from Moscow, not least for political reasons. A supposedly much improved model will be on offer from 2010 in the form of the Su-35. Also known as the Su-27M2, this aircraft is expected to have its maiden flight soon. Unlike previous “Su-35” versions, this one has a modified airframe with larger tanks. The small canards have gone. The aircraft is powered by the 117S engine from NPO Saturn, and the Irbis radar from Tikhimirov with passive electronic beam steering has been installed in the nose.
The Su-35 will probably be the last derivative of the Flanker family, as Sukhoi has been working since 2002 on the PAK FA (Perspektivnij Aviatsionnij Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsij) for the Russian Air Force. Also known as the T-50, the new generation multi-role fighter aircraft is likely to take off on its first flight in 2009. It is somewhat lighter than an Su-27 and will initially have two 117S engines. Tikhomirov is contributing a radar with active electronic beam steering. On top of this, the T-50 is to have stealth characteristics.
It is some time since Mikoyan has done as well as Sukhoi, but business has picked up at this aircraft manufacturer since an order was received from India in January 2004 for a carrier version of the MiG-29. The company is currently working on the MiG-35, which is based on the modified airframe of the MiG-29K/KUB and will have new electronics such as a FLIR below the air intake. The MiG-35 will be the first Russian fighter to fly with an AESA radar (Fasotron-NIIR Zhuk-MA). If the customer wants, the RD-33MKB engine can also be equipped with swivelling nozzles.
For the sake of completeness, two further types deserve a mention. Mitsubishi is building the F-2, which is based on the F-16, strictly for its own use, while India is working on development of the Tejas (Light Combat Aircraft) – an arduous undertaking which has been going on since the beginning of the 1990s. The aim is now to produce the first deliveries in 2009/2010.
And what does China have to offer? Chengdu is developing the single-engined FC-1 (JF-17 Thunder), which, with a maximum take-off weight of 12.4 tonnes, could be attractive to smaller countries as a relatively cheap lightweight fighter. Pakistan is a partner on the programme and has a requirement for 150 aircraft. At present the most modern type for use by the Chinese is the J-10, a multi-role fighter aircraft with delta wings and canards which entered into service in about 2005.
From FLUG REVUE 12/2007
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