"Comparison of flight speeds of fifth-generation aircraft, J-20 maximum flight speed Mach 2, what is the level compared with the United States and Russia"
Foreword: With the continuous development and progress of air defense weapons and equipment, the development direction of modern aviation industry has also changed. In the past, because air defense technology was not as advanced as it is now, in order to avoid the interception of air defense fire networks, in the 1950s and 1970s, aviation industry powers constantly sought ways for aircraft to break through each other's air defense firepower networks. If we want the other side's anti-aircraft firepower network to reach and the missiles cannot catch up, the best way is to fly high and fast. Flying high can make the height of many anti-aircraft firepower unattainable, flying fast can effectively avoid being intercepted by the opponent's fighters, anti-aircraft missiles cannot be chased, and ground fire control radars are difficult to aim and lock.
U2 reconnaissance aircraft
Therefore, at that time, the United States and the Soviet Union and other aviation powers constantly sought breakthroughs in the design of fighters, reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. Among them, the U2 reconnaissance aircraft designed by the United States is an outstanding representative of flying high, its maximum flight altitude can reach 27430 meters, when the best fighter miG-17 fighter of the Soviet Union can only reach an altitude of 13,000 meters at most, and the flight altitude of the MiG-17 fighter cannot intercept it at all, not to mention the ground anti-aircraft artillery. Therefore, at the beginning of the birth of the U2 reconnaissance aircraft, the ground facilities for reconnaissance of other countries were like entering no man's land, but with the continuous improvement of the means of response of various countries, 15 U2 reconnaissance aircraft were shot down in the airspace of other countries.
The U2 reconnaissance aircraft shot down by our country
The SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft took it to the next level, not only flying high, but also flying faster. It can fly at a maximum altitude of 26,600 meters and has set a speed record of 3,529.56 kilometers per hour (Mach 3.35) (the maximum speed of a manned aircraft), which is faster than the initial speed of 710 m/s when an AK-47 rifle can be shot out of the chamber (the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft can reach 1139 meters per second). This reconnaissance plane is even more legendary, and it is really a reconnaissance plane that flies faster than missiles. When the SR-71 reconnaissance plane was reconnoitring the Israeli nuclear facilities over Israel, there was a scene in which the missile could not catch up with the aircraft, and the Israeli F-4 fighter jet fired aimed at it aim-9 air-to-air missiles, but the missile flew slower than the SR-71. At the same time, it maintains a record of not being shot down, from service to retirement, no one in the actual combat record has ever been shot down by enemy aircraft or anti-aircraft missiles, and the anti-aircraft fire network and fighters of any country at that time could not intercept it.
SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft
There are also MiG-25 Foxbat supersonic interceptor fighters and military reconnaissance aircraft that can also fly at a maximum speed of more than Mach 3. Like the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, the MiG-25 Foxhopper supersonic interceptor fighter has also been intercepted by Israeli F4-launched AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and the result is that the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile failed to catch up with the MiG-25. At that time, the Israeli ground station found that the MiG-25 was speeding more than Mach 3.2, shocking the West. In addition, bombers such as the Soviet Union's Tu-22M medium-range supersonic bomber, the Tu160 "White Swan" strategic bomber, and the American B1B "Lancers" are also outstanding representatives of the pursuit of speed between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
MiG 25
However, today, with the continuous development and improvement of the anti-aircraft firepower network, the birth of various cutting-edge anti-aircraft missile systems, speed and flight altitude have been unable to completely evade the interception of the anti-aircraft firepower network. Therefore, we will find that today's fighters are no longer blindly pursuing flight speed and flight altitude in design, but seeking new breakthroughs in stealth, electronic warfare equipment, multi-service coordinated operations, etc. The future war is a three-dimensional war, no longer a single force competition. The Gulf War and the Iraq War are examples of modern warfare, and the coalition forces relied on powerful electromagnetic suppression tactics, cruise missiles, high precision and F117 Nighthawk stealth fighters to completely destroy Iraq's anti-aircraft fire network and open up safe passages for subsequent attacks. The design of new aviation equipment is no longer just about seeking breakthroughs in speed and altitude. For example, the stealth fighter has a maximum flight speed of mach 2, which is even lower than many third- and second-generation fighters.
J-20 night flight
Take the J-20, for example, at the 13th Zhuhai Air Show, the official revealed some J-20 "Weilong" stealth fighters. Among them, it is mentioned that the fuselage of the J-20 is 21.2 meters long, 4.69 meters high, has a wingspan of 13.01 meters, and has a maximum flight speed of Mach 2.0. This is also the first time that the official disclosure of the J-20's fuselage size data, the most important point is the disclosure of the J-20's maximum flight speed of Mach 2.0. In terms of speed, the flight speed of the J-20 "Veyron" stealth fighter is not outstanding, and the maximum flight speed of heavy fighters such as the Su-27, Su-30, Su-35 and F15 is more than Mach 2.0, and even can reach Mach 2.5.
J-20
So what is the maximum flight speed of the J-20 "Veyron" stealth fighter Mach 2.0 in the fifth generation of aircraft? According to data released by Wikipedia, the U.S. Air Force's F22 Raptor stealth fighter has a maximum flight speed of 2414 km/h (Mach 2.25) (the actual speed is classified by the US Air Force). However, the fact may be greater than this speed, because the F22 "Raptor" stealth fighter equipped with two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines, its maximum thrust of more than 16 tons, super power will be able to give the fighter a higher flight speed, to know that the F119-PW-100 turbofan engine The thrust of the ENGINE equipped by the US military is second only to the super power engine of the F135, which is one of the best in all fighters in the world. The super power makes it possible for the F22 Raptor to have a higher flight speed.
F22 Raptor stealth fighter
However, the maximum flight speed announced by the J-20 at the air show can also only be the maximum flight speed under certain conditions, rather than the true maximum flight speed. Because as early as 2018, a "People's Network" launched a titled "Soldier One Minute", and a video in the video mentioned that the J-20 fighter can cruise 52 kilometers a minute. If we calculate at this speed, 1 minute equals 60 seconds, 52 km equals 52,000 meters, and speed is approximately equal to 866.7 m/s. If calculated according to the Mach speed, Mach is about equal to 340.3 m/ s, so that 866.7 meters per second is equal to Mach 2.55, which means that the official at that time has mentioned that the maximum flight speed of the J-20 "Veyron" stealth fighter can reach Mach 2.55. Therefore, the data released at the air show may only publish the speed of flight in a certain state.
A piece launched by the People's Daily is titled "Soldier One Minute", and a video in the video mentions that the J-20 fighter can cruise 52 kilometers a minute
The U.S. military's F35 Lightning stealth fighter, according to public data, has a maximum flight speed of only Mach 1.6. Although the F35 "Lightning" stealth fighter is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 turbofan engine (taking the F35A as an example), the maximum thrust can reach 19 tons, which is the engine with the largest thrust used by the active fighter, so that the maximum take-off weight of the single-engine "Lightning" stealth fighter can reach 31.8 tons (F35C), almost reaching the level of heavy fighters, and also exceeding the maximum take-off weight of the F/A18E, which shows how good the performance of its engine is. Due to the slow flight speed, it was an embarrassing situation that the Intercept tu 160 "White Swan" strategic bomber could not catch up in 2019, and could only watch the Tu 160 open force slip away, and the F35 was tragically played by the bomber. The reason why F35 flies slowly is actually related to the design itself, from the appearance point of view, F35 is relatively fat, for this reason it is also called "fat electricity" by the public, the fuselage is bloated so that the flight resistance coefficient becomes larger, which is not conducive to high-speed flight, which makes the F35 fly slowly.
F35 Lightning stealth fighter
Russia's Su-57, according to public data, has a maximum flight speed of 2120 km / h (Mach 2.0). However, this data may also be the maximum flight speed of flight in a particular state. Because for a long time, Russia has an advantage in the maneuverability of fighters, such as the Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 fighters have better maneuverability than the same level of fighters in the United States, and the flight speed is also faster. Coupled with the Su-57 is equipped with a larger thrust AL-41F1A (product 117) three-dimensional vector spout turbofan engine, its maximum thrust can reach 17 tons, even more than the F22 engine has an advantage. So, in theory, the maximum flight speed of the Su-57 may be even more advantageous than the F22.
Su 57
However, the maximum flight speed has always been the core secret of various countries, and the published data are generally the speed obtained by flying in a specific state, not the limit flight speed. At the same time, in the process of combat, stealth fighters in the future are the biggest advantages, and the flight speed is not as important as in the past. Stealth fighters will fight for stealth ability, and who can not be discovered and attacked first on the battlefield will gain an advantage. What do you think about that? Welcome to comment and leave a message!
(Periscoper, October 11, 2021, please do not reprint without authorization, plagiarism will be investigated!) ）