#文章首发挑战赛#
Text: Xiao Peng's brilliant notes
Editor|Xiao Peng's splendor
[Preface]
In the course of the development of various space powers in the past, reconnaissance planes, bombers, and fighters were constantly seeking breakthroughs in altitude and speed.
Because the air defense technology in the past was not so advanced, in order to break through the interception of the opponent's air defense fire network, it was only possible to achieve the extreme in speed and altitude.
However, with the development and progress of the world's aerospace technology and the birth of various sophisticated air defense missile systems, in modern warfare, the requirements for the comprehensive performance of fighter aircraft are getting higher and higher.
Because in the new situation, the battlefield is no longer a competition of a single force, but speed is still one of the five most important characteristics for fighters.
There are only three countries in the world that have the ability to independently develop fifth-generation aircraft, that is, China, the United States, and Russia, so there is a very big competition in terms of power performance.
As the world's first fifth-generation stealth fighter, the American F22 is widely regarded as one of the most advanced fighters in the world, with a maximum speed of Mach 2.25.
However, the Russian Su-57 has a maximum speed of at least Mach 2, and some data say that its speed can reach Mach 2.12, so what is the speed of the mainland's fifth-generation aircraft? What are the advantages compared with other fifth-generation aircraft in the world?
【The Importance of Fighter Aircraft】
The military development of various countries has always been of great significance in maintaining the territorial integrity and security of the country, and with the development and progress of the times, fighter jets have also played an increasingly critical role.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the development and advancement of fighter aircraft have advanced by leaps and bounds, and many super aircraft have gradually entered people's field of vision.
These planes are not only equipped with very powerful surface-to-air and anti-aircraft missiles, but also have a very large degree of concealment, which can not only evade reconnaissance, but also point and hit wherever they want.
Among the countries in the world today, only the United States, Russia, and the mainland have the ability and technology to independently develop and manufacture stealth fighters.
However, in the development of globalization, some countries have begun to cooperate in the research and development of fifth-generation aircraft, such as South Korea's fifth-generation aircraft, which was developed and manufactured with the help of the United States.
In 2022, South Korea's KF-21 stealth fighter successfully made its first flight, becoming the world's fifth mass-produced stealth fighter after the F22 "Raptor" and F35 "Lightning" in the United States, the J-20 "Weilong" in the mainland and the Su-57 stealth fighter in Russia.
[First: F22]
Speaking of F22, everyone should be familiar with it, because the American "Raptor" is the world's first stealth fifth-generation fighter, and when it was first "born", it was even called the "ceiling" of the fighter industry.
Its maximum flight speed is Mach 2.25, in fact, this is not the fastest fighter, the United States third-generation fighter F-15, the maximum flight speed of Mach 2.5.
However, in the missile test materials released by the US side, it is shown that the maximum speed of the F-22 is Mach 2.4-2.5, but the fighter is required to launch with a certain overload, so the maximum speed of its weapon delivery speed is Mach 2.
However, although there is a slight gap in speed, but when the afterburner is turned on, it is far superior to the previous two fighters in 5G mobile envelope.
Statistically, the F22 is indeed slightly deficient, but in modern warfare, speed is no longer everything.
Its advanced stealth technology was unrivaled by all countries at that time, and the F22 had stronger air combat capabilities under the more advanced radar and electronic warfare systems than before.
In the 2007 "Red Flag Military Exercise" of the United States, F22 confronted F15 and F16 and won a crushing victory with a record of 36:1.
However, such an advanced fighter is naturally a "ceiling" in terms of cost, and the cost of one of its fighters has reached 360 million US dollars.
And in the process of service, it also needs to be constantly maintained, and basically after every flight for a period of time, it is necessary to reapply absorbing paint to maintain stealth performance.
[Second: F35A/B/C]
In fact, there are two fifth-generation aircraft in the United States, but under the brilliance of the F22, the F35 is not so noticeable.
With a maximum speed of around Mach 1.6, this fighter is the world's largest single-engine, single-seat carrier-based fighter, and like the F22, it also has a relatively high-performance stealth design.
This fighter was established in the 90s, and at the same time has the ability to strike comprehensively against the ground, the sea and the air, and also has the ability to take off and land vertically.
Compared with the F22, its biggest advantage is low cost, wide coverage, and one of the most prominent advantages is that the engine is very strong.
With a maximum take-off weight of 31.8 tons, it has almost stepped into the ranks of heavy fighters, and it is still a single-engine design.
Its maximum thrust can reach 19 tons, and the maximum thrust of the continental J-20 is about 15.6 tons, so this "Lightning" fighter was the largest single-engine fighter ever to take off at that time.
However, this also brings certain drawbacks, that is, there is no way to carry more aviation fuel, and both the range and combat radius are very limited.
[Third: Su-57 stealth fighter]
The third fifth-generation aircraft in the world is Russia's Su-57, which is known as Russia's strongest fifth-generation aircraft, and there is no data on how fast this fighter is.
However, after long-term observation, it was found that the speed of this fighter was at least Mach 2 or more, and later official information released by Russia showed that its maximum speed reached Mach 2.35.
Because this fighter uses cross-sectional stealth technology, there has been important progress in diffraction radar and other aspects, so it has a very big improvement in speed.
On the basis of lifting speed, its shell is also streamlined, and the design of the leading edge sweep can greatly reduce the aerodynamic drag during flight, thereby reducing the impact of turbulence and inertial drag.
The radar system equipped with it is also particularly advanced, which can respond to various threats in the process of air and even land operations, and also has the ability to accept global navigation systems.
In addition to being able to track multiple targets in high-speed flight, it can also detect and track multiple targets in adverse weather conditions, which gives it a unique survival advantage.
[Fourth: J-20 "Weilong" stealth fighter]
The fourth is the continental's J-20, the continental's maximum speed of this fighter exceeds Mach 2.5 or so, which means that its combat efficiency and survivability will be stronger.
Moreover, in the process of air combat, it can also enhance the penetration ability of fighters to better complete the raid mission, as the mainland's first stealth fifth-generation command fighter, it has higher and stronger capabilities in stealth, perception and maneuverability.
It can carry a variety of advanced weapons and equipment, such as the loading of air-to-air missiles can make the J-20 more capable of strikes, and it also has a large combat radius, which can successfully perform long-range combat missions far from the base.
The advent and service of this stealth fifth-generation aircraft also means that the development of the mainland air force has entered a milestone moment, and it has cross-era significance in the history of the development of the mainland air force.
【Comparison of production quantities】
The F22 fighter was discontinued after six years of production, when the financial crisis broke out in 2008, and the U.S. government naturally fell into a state of financial constraints.
The cost of fifth-generation aircraft is very high, so in 2009, it announced the end of production of F22 fighters, before which its total production reached 187.
Because the F35 is relatively low-cost, it is now the largest stealth fighter in the total volume, and its production has exceeded 1,000 units, and some people predict that this fighter will continue to be mass-produced in the future.
Because in addition to its own needs, it also has a very broad market, such as Britain, Japan, South Korea and other countries have a large demand for this fighter.
Although the mainland's J-20 was the latest to make its first flight among the four fighters, we were even ahead of Russia in the follow-up research and development process.
In the general environment, since 2018, the mainland has been increasing the production of J-20, and the existing statistics show that the total production of this fighter is about 200 aircraft, ranking second in the world, and the annual output has reached about 50 aircraft.
The performance of the Russian Su-57 design is very powerful, but because Russia is gradually reducing military spending, its research and development speed has gradually slowed down or even stagnated for a while.
In the follow-up research and development process, the overall performance was a little behind, and later there were some failures and accidents, so its assembly speed was greatly delayed, and now the number of this fighter is only less than 50.
【Conclusion】
Now, with the progress and development of high-tech technology in various countries, fifth-generation aircraft can no longer meet the needs of modern warfare, and everyone is trying their best to seek new breakthroughs and developments.
Compared with the fifth-generation aircraft, the sixth-generation aircraft will also be loaded with more and more advanced black technology, and it is believed that after the advent of the sixth-generation aircraft, the air combat pattern will be further changed.
What is undeniable is that no matter which country succeeds in developing the sixth-generation aircraft first, it will promote the development of the world's military science and technology and bring about a new round of prosperity in the aviation industry.
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