Today we are going to talk about the 5th generation combat jets.
This is going to be the first edition of the post series we are going to call “Aeroposts”. You may ask yourself why this topic is relevant to all of us, the truth is that this technology is just the tip of the spear of all the technology we have developed as a whole civilization.
This technology is related in either a direct or indirect way to all the applied or non applied sciences, like many other sciences and specializations, a further development on any aerospace technology would reflect itself on other areas and could be applied in some other ways.
F-35 using its vertical thrust.
For this same reason, the technology we se today on the military aircraft will be at some time used on airliners when it is completely developed, where its main objective is to keep passengers safe, whose lives have a bigger impact as they aren’t filling a document that states that they accept the risks of flying on a prototype or unsafe aircraft.
For instance, we are taking the Enterprise Embraer (from Brazil), whose aircrafts Embraer 170/190 use the idea of centralized energy distribution which is used on military aircraft, to say the least, there are “boxes” with the primary connections this way you avoid leaving the connections exposed all around the aircraft allowing vibes and bullet rounds (in some particular cases) to damage them.
Su-47 "Berkut".
That was a brief introduction, moving onto the main topic: <strong Which characteristics define the “generation” of a jet fighter?.These could be, its aerodynamic performance, the utility or complexity of their Avionics (Aircraft Electronics), the performance or max thrust provided by the engines, the maximum range of their weapons, its detection systems, or the quality and accuracy of its sensors, among other specs
The last generation (5th Gen) jet fighters are defined by:
- A fuselage that disperses or absorbs the radar radiation to stay invisible to enemy radars, and also be able to store weapons on an internal bay.
- Engine(s) capable to hold a supersonic speed without using afterburners or their max thrust rate
- Extreme agility and maneuverability.
- Integrated or joint sensors that work systematically.
Jas 39 Gripen.
Which was the first 5th Generation Jet Fighter?
The first Fighter with these specs, the one that also defined them, was the well known and iconic F-22 Raptor, with a joint design team from Lockheed Martin and Boeing since the 80s.
F22-Raptor
F-22 Raptor.
Designed to fit the Air Superiority role and replace the F-15 Eagle, it is also able to lock and fire on ground targets, like the F-15 was even when these capabilities were not fully exploited.
Most of the information regarding the F-22 is still classified, which shouldn’t surprise us, as we should already know how the north American government manage this important information. Also considering the effects of these politics, and being the first 5th gen fighter, its completely normal to rely on this secrecy and the factor of intimidation it provides.
F-22 breaking the sound barrier.
Like in any other aircraft, the most expensive component is the engine. The Raptor uses two Pratt & Whitney F119 Turbofans, which were specifically designed to be mounted on the F-22. This engine is able to vector its thrust nozzles, this gives a higher maneuverability. Its nominal power is 35.000Lb which equals 160kN, this is slightly behind the bigger airliners engines like CF6 which are capable to power jets like the A300, A310 and A330. In other words, these engines are really powerful for the relatively small jet.
P&W F199.
Still, the main attraction of this jet drived a lot of speculation and rumors, and it is its alleged invisibility to enemy radars, which today hasn’t been denied nor proved, but still it’s important to note that this technology does exist, whether this technology it is actually used or not, it’s another topic. div>
F-22.
Another important spec, is the integration of the communications and the information sharing between the sensors, pilots and other aircrafts or ground personnel. This was achieved thanks to the Data Links which allows the information sharing in real time, giving the upper hand in tactical matters.
F-22.
This was a brief resume on the Raptor jet, which gave life to the 5th gen fighters, but if we chose to talk about the other jets among this generation, or the others who are being designed at this moment, this would be a much longer post than what it actually is. So we are jumping directly to its newest counterpart, and as we could expect, it’s made in the mother Russia.
Called Pak-Fa, also known as T-50, which was officially designed Su-57 this year.
Su-57
Su-57.
It could be considered the Migs 1.44 bigger brother (a canceled project), just like the F-22 has his little brother we call the F-35 Lightning, which was completely developed, produced and in operation.
The Sukhoi 57 is still under development and have been found some troubles about if the engine is able to undertake the role and its fitted for a 5th gen fighter. This was ultimately solved deciding to finish the general development of the fighter leaving the engine topic for the last moment, it has been said that they decided to upgrade a Su-35 engine to make it fit the specs needed, this will be achieved by the Saturn AL-41.
Su-57 having an engine failure at the MAKS 2011 airshow. [L:YT].
As it was said before, these engines are already used by the Su-35 and it is expected that they fulfill the performance standards, and they will be upgraded and enhanced version of the engines mounted on the Super Flanker. These engines theoretically have a thrust near 32,000 Lb and 140 kN, slightly behind the engines of the F-22 Raptor, this leaves two options, either the structure of the Su-57 has to be lighter, or there should be another change on the engines at some point, be it another upgrade or another completely different engine.
Su-57.
The Sukhoi company assures that the Su-57 has/will have the same or better capabilities than those of the Raptor in terms of detection, range and fire capabilities. We can see that there are some similarities between both fighters, which could be seen as a way to reduce the time invested on the aerodynamic design, that could be explain in 5 words, military intelligence at its best.
Su-57 and the aerodynamic condensation.
If you liked this first aeropost, Resteem and follow for the next post to come! And please comment or ask questions if you would like to!
