Stealth Vs. Speed: A Look At Trade-Offs In Modern Fighter Jet Design
Story by Matthew Lee • 3w
Air combat has radically changed since the dogfights of World War II. Even after guided air-to-air missiles arrived in the late 1940s, most aerial engagements throughout the late 20th century still occurred within the pilots' visual range. But in the 21st century, aerial warfare looks very different.
According to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, air combat is skewing more toward beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagements, rather than the gun-against-gun fights of old. This trend is the result of many things: Smarter air-to-air missiles capable of engaging targets at standoff ranges, advanced sensors, and radars allowing pilots to identify and lock onto far-off targets, and so on.
However, what truly set in motion this quiet revolution in aerial combat is the appearance of stealth fighter jets, including the likes of the U.S F-22 Raptor, the Chinese Chengdu J-20 Fagin, or the Russian Su-57 Felon. Their low observability means they can bypass enemies' sensors and radars, ambush unsuspecting flights using missiles from afar, and then retreat to safety. Nowadays, fighter jets rarely need to "switch to guns" against other aircraft outside close air support (CAS) missions.
With classic dogfighting now de-emphasized, this begs the question: Do modern stealth fighters still need extreme speed or super-maneuverability? Or do they only need maximum stealth?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/stealth-vs-speed-a-look-at-trade-offs-in-modern-fighter-jet-design/ar-BB1mkBAV?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=00f367654a494bfbb8a32922005175d6&ei=46
