American fighter of the 5th generation. New Russian military aircraft - what do we have and what can we expect from the military-industrial complex? The new engine of the Russian fighter

T-50-1 and T-50-2 (c) Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP

In the 80s, Soviet designers, perhaps for the first time after the war, ensured such a clear advantage of domestic fighters over American ones, launching the MiG-29 and Su-27 as a response to the F-16 and F-15. Not to mention super-maneuverability, it was finally possible to reach an approximately world or even somewhat higher level in engine building ...

It was possible to achieve excellent parameters in radar, which made it possible to see targets in difficult conditions (against the background of the earth, in the mountains, in conditions of interference, as well as inconspicuous targets) better than American airborne radars can. After all, the generally recognized lag in the element base, and simply speaking, in radio components, did not at all mean a lag in radio electronics, especially where, in addition to electronics proper, serious science was also needed, for example, issues of processing radar signals, identifying targets in conditions of interference, etc. . Here we have always been ahead.

It was possible to introduce into the series a helmet-mounted aiming system and highly maneuverable missiles complete with it, which had a rotary nozzle and could turn around on a target literally on a patch. It was precisely because of the lack of such missiles that the Americans refused to introduce such a system on the F-16 and F-15, considering it ineffective. It was possible to increase the flight range. The ferry range of a fighter without external tanks of 4,000 kilometers is impressive.

Here is what the head of the Lipetsk Aviation Center, General Kharchevsky, then still a colonel, says about this (yes, yes, the same Kharchevsky who drove Putin to Chechnya on the Su-27):

Of course, not everything was immediately implemented on serial machines, but work continued. It was impossible to stop and rest on our laurels, because the Americans are not the kind of people to put up with the superiority of a potential enemy in the air. And to give way to positions in the arms market - even more so.

Preliminary work on the creation of a multifunctional front-line fighter of the fifth generation (MFI) began in 1979. Then it was called I-90 - a fighter of the 90s. That is, the work went in parallel with the Americans. A competition was also envisaged - in the Sukhoi Design Bureau they developed their own version.

MiG MFI

Taking into account the need to protect the vast territories of the Union, the Mikoyanites developed two aircraft - a heavy multifunctional fighter and a light front-line fighter (LFI), as was the case in the fourth generation of fighters, and these projects should have been unified as much as possible. They won the competition from the Sukhoi Design Bureau, in 1986 they were entrusted with further work. Taking into account the fact that the possibilities for improving the light MiG-29 were far from being exhausted, the Customer decided to focus his efforts only on the MFIs.

The requirements of the Customer, that is, the Air Force, were very strict for him. The aircraft had to have all the features of the fifth generation that we have already mentioned: supersonic cruising speed; high maneuverability, both at subsonic and supersonic speeds; stealth; multifunctionality, that is, the ability to work on both air, ground and sea targets; improved takeoff and landing characteristics; reduction in the cost of a flight hour and ground handling;

Integration of onboard equipment into a single information and control complex with elements of artificial intelligence (the so-called expert systems), which, among other things, would not only give recommendations to the pilot, but also "forgive" beginners for gross piloting errors;

Indication of the tactical situation with the possibility of mixing information, i.e. simultaneous output and mutual overlay on a single scale of images from various sensors (remember the miracle helmet on the F-35), as well as the use of telecode information exchange systems with external sources (this, in particular, allows you to combine the radar of several aircraft into one, as it were, virtual, but a more powerful radar. I will not load readers with terms like "antenna aperture", very simplified, if, for example, enemy stealth "flashes" by chance at least one aircraft, everyone will see. A similar system was implemented on the MiG-31, and then it was implemented on both the MiG-29 and the Su-27).

It was also planned to introduce a device for assessing the physical condition of the pilot: in the event of a loss of consciousness, it would automatically bring the aircraft into a safe mode.

A quick-mount springboard was also provided, which made it possible to take off from short sections of the runway that had survived the bombing.

And even access to the cab is via a 250mm wide retractable ladder rather than a traditional portable ladder.

There were many more requirements, more specific, some of which even now, after many years, are amazing.

Work on the creation of domestic processors for the aircraft was carried out in Zelenograd, the AL-41F engines with thrust vector control were developed by Lyulka Design Bureau, aerodynamics were designed with the participation of TsAGI, a new way to reduce visibility in the radio range (by two orders of magnitude!) - plasma - was developed at the research center named after . M.V. Keldysh, a new ejection seat and an anti-g suit - in the Zvezda Design Bureau, etc.

Please note that stealth was provided in all three ways: without sacrificing aerodynamics and super-maneuverability, somewhere they used forms characteristic of stealth (sloping keels, S-shaped air intakes so that the perfectly reflecting engine blades were not visible to the radars); somewhere - absorbing mastic, and somewhere - and plasma. Why is plasma not everywhere? The same paradox of "blindness" of stealth: after all, plasma absorbs not only enemy radiation. These three methods were supposed to provide acceptable stealth without compromising other parameters.

The fighter was supposed to outperform the American F-22A Raptor, which was being developed at the same time, information about which was already leaking through various channels to our designers.

The aircraft received a working index MiG-1.42, and the first, somewhat simplified version for testing - MiG-1.44. Version 1.46, significantly improved in terms of characteristics, was worked out and was being prepared for construction. These three versions should not surprise anyone: after all, some specific decisions are made only on the basis of the results of testing the first samples, and the best thoughts may appear later, and sometimes some subcontractor can develop the desired node only after a few years, but for now you have to make do with it. , what is. The F-22 is still being finalized, as, indeed, any other aircraft, even those in the series.

The first experimental aircraft was ready in the early 90s, and the most necessary equipment for the first flight (engines, for example) was supplied by allied companies in early 1994. Let's not forget that the so-called "perestroika" with "conversion" led to the fact that many subcontractors were more puzzled by pots, pans and other survival than direct duties. And where to go if the first person of the country and the CPSU talks about "universal" values ​​and disarmament? In the MiG Design Bureau, the role of "pots and pans" was played by lawn mowers, called factory wits, as is customary in aviation, by the names of the authors: ShiZa, i.e. Shifrin-Zaleev. I don’t know how they were with super-maneuverability ... This was in the second half of the 80s. In the 90s, consumer goods in the country were no longer of interest to anyone, and "survival" was carried out by leasing or even selling off production facilities, suburban recreation centers and pioneer camps that belonged to defense industry enterprises.

And as a result, the first flight took place only in May 1999. This is despite the fact that the Chinese offered their participation in the program, subject to the transfer of a license for its production.

The end of this story is known. In 1999, it was decided to give priority to the developments of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, and include MAPO "MiG" in its composition. The motives were probably the high declared price of the MFI and M. A. Pogosyan's statements about the superiority of the S-37 over the MFI in terms of performance characteristics and the possibility of launching it into a series in the near future. Despite this, work on the MFI continued, and on February 29, 2000, the first prototype of the MiG 1.42 nevertheless took off. Nevertheless, the new head of the design bureau was not interested in the further development of someone else's project, despite the failures of his own S-37 and the high level of readiness of the MFI, which could already be put into mass production at the Sokol. As a result, in 2002, a government decree was issued on the creation of the PAK FA, which finally buried both the MFI and the S-37.

Su-47 Berkut

Su-47, aka S-37, aka Su-27KM. There are plenty of conflicting versions about him in the press, so I will state one, the most, in my opinion, plausible.

It began as a competitor to the MiG MFI. Of course, the project provided for all the requirements for the fifth generation (or almost everything, more on that below), but the main, clearly visible difference from other aircraft is the swept back wing (KOS). And if for the majority of those interested in aviation it only raised questions like "Why did they screw the wings back to front?", then the doubts of specialists were much more justified.

Experiments with such a wing have been known for a long time. Back in 1944, the German Junkers Ju-287 bomber took off for the first time, which, for obvious reasons, did not go into production:

Photo warbirdsresourcegroup.org

Immediately after the war, KOS began to be investigated at the LII (flight test institute). One of the gliders P.P. Tsybin with KOS and a powder accelerator in 1947 reached a speed of 1150 km / h. Then they returned to the tests of KOS in the 70s. Here is a photo of the purge of the experimental version of the MiG-23 with KOS:

Photo fan-d-or.livejournal.com

The Americans did not lag behind, for example:

Experimental Northrop Grumman X-29. Photo airwar.ru

Why is such a wing so stubbornly attracting designers? Pavel Bulat talks about this well at http://www.paralay.com/stat/Bulat_9.pdf. Without going into technical terms, we will briefly list its advantages.

1. Air resistance at subsonic speeds is 20% less.

2. When the flight speed approaches the speed of sound, so-called shock waves or shock waves appear. This again leads to an increase in resistance, which is called wave resistance. KOS has less.

3. KOS behaves better at high angles of attack.

4. KOS has better longitudinal stability characteristics and the effectiveness of controls.

Well, a couple more advantages that are important for the fifth generation.

5. Deviated "inward" leading edge is better for stealth in the front hemisphere.

6. Weapons (rockets and bombs) must be hidden in the internal compartments, and they, for obvious reasons, should be located near the center of gravity of the aircraft. In conventional aircraft, there is also a center section, wing fastening elements, which prevents the creation of large compartments. At KOS, as we see from the photo above, the center section is shifted back, leaving room for weapon bays free.

And from these advantages follows the best maneuverability, even without the use of engines with a controlled thrust vector, and b about Great lift compared to a conventional wing of the same area, and an increase in flight range at subsonic speeds, and good anti-spin characteristics ...

We list the shortcomings, based on the article of the same Pavel Bulat.

1. Flight at supersonic speeds differs from subsonic ones by a shift in the so-called aerodynamic focus (sorry, I couldn’t do without special terminology), and this makes it necessary to change the balance of the aircraft, for which the horizontal tail serves. So, in the normal scheme, the balancing resistance is much less than in the scheme with KOS, and in the "duck" scheme, when the front horizontal tail is used instead of the stabilizer (just like in the MiG-1.42), this resistance also decreases with increasing speed. That is to say, an aircraft with KOS is poorly suited for long-term supersonic flights, and this, as we remember, is one of the requirements for the fifth generation. However, the designers said that with two engines with a thrust of 20 tons each, a long non-afterburning supersonic is possible. Who is right - I do not know.

2. With an increase in the angle of attack, the load on the wing increases, and it bends. At the same time, for a conventional wing, the "local" angle of attack decreases, for a KOS, it increases even more. This is not good, because it causes the destruction of the wing, and they tried to deal with this by increasing the rigidity, which led to an overweight of the structure.

The problem was partially solved with the advent of composites. This is carbon fiber and other new trends. Roughly speaking, these are several dozen layers of special fabric impregnated with a hardening binder and pressed. Composites are in many ways better than aluminum or titanium. With their appearance, it became possible to set the elastic properties so that the local angles of attack do not increase. True, for this it is necessary to provide a complex, directional structure of carbon fiber bundles, and this indicates its unrepairability. After all, the slightest damage with a break in the threads leads to the fact that not this small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe surface, but the entire panel loses its strength.

But such an aircraft has one indisputable advantage: as one American pilot said (although he said this about the "cobra" maneuver), "Wow factor hits through the roof." This gave grounds to say that KOS was used in order to impress the state commission, win the competition and close the funding for themselves. But in fact, supposedly, various projects for the future PAK FA were already being worked out on paper, and in reality, no one was going to use KOS. M.P. thought so or not. Simonov, the then General Design Bureau of Sukhoi, no one will say now, but this version is also supported by the fact that afterburner supersonic was hardly provided, and the fact that PAK FA was developed according to a completely different scheme, developments with KOS were not used ...

However, the competition was won by the MiG MFI, and the fate of the Su-47, it would seem, was decided: the aviation museum in Monino, next to other exotic projects.

But the project managed to interest the navy. What attracted naval aviators? Two features arising from the properties of KOS. The takeoff / run length was only 90 meters, and in addition, the KOS, due to the large permissible angles of attack, allowed an aircraft carrier to take off from the springboard with a large but safe drawdown:

I will add that these requirements are especially important also because in Soviet aircraft carriers it was not in vain that they abandoned the steam catapult (as is done with American aircraft carriers) in favor of a springboard: after all, at sub-zero temperatures, freezing of steam is an insoluble problem.

And in order not to advertise the new project too much, they acted very simply: they called it the Su-27KM (modified ship), although it had nothing in common with the Su-27.

Of course, the plane had to be thoroughly reworked. In addition to the brake hook and the keels tilted inward, a flat rotary nozzle appeared, a cabin detachable during ejection, which allowed the pilot to survive longer in the water (however, this is the merit of the famous Zvezda Design Bureau, which developed the K-36 ejection seat previously known to the whole world), and the planes it was planned to fold according to the original scheme.

I'm not strong, but I dare to believe that the wing folding system did not add any strength to it, the wing. In any case, the fact that the PAK FA was developed from scratch, and not according to the Su-47 scheme, clearly indicates that it was not possible to solve all the problems with the KOS, and the maximum speeds and angles of attack of the built Su-47s were significantly limited due to the detected fatigue defects of the wing and center section. This is despite the fact that the wing folding system has not yet been implemented.

Due to the collapse of the country, the project stalled before the tests were over. The completion of the three existing aircraft was already carried out at the expense of the design bureau, and at future MAKS air shows the aircraft was honestly positioned not as a fighter, but as a technology demonstrator. On this aircraft, not only the KOS was tested, but also the weapons compartment, and much more that went into action on the future PAK FA. And large panels made of composites, with a minimum of gaps and fastening elements (this reduces radar visibility, weight, and improves aerodynamics) were diligently and in all details photographed at exhibitions by foreign journalists, among whom there is always a fair amount ... mmm ... let's face it , rather spies than journalists.

PAK FA (T-50, Su-50)

So, we already know that in the USSR, fifth-generation fighters were developed simultaneously with similar developments in the United States, but the collapse of the country prevented the implementation of the plan.

Has this work gone to waste? No. Of course, the aircraft developed in those years did not go into production, but many advantages were obtained as a result of this work.

Firstly, a huge amount of research and development work has been carried out, a huge amount of experience has been accumulated, which has not gone away.

Secondly, after all, not only the design bureaus of Mikoyan and Sukhoi were engaged in this work. The research institutes of TsAGI, VIAM, CIAM, CIATIM, and engine builders, and radar developers, and a huge number of institutes, design bureaus, and factories worked on new aircraft. After all, thousands of subcontractors are involved in the production of the aircraft, and each of them received his own task.

Thirdly, despite the secrecy, Russian specialists followed with interest the development and testing of the Raptor by the Americans. After all, someone else's experience, whether successful or not, teaches competent specialists something, and besides, it becomes clear what exactly your future aircraft should resist, what you need to strive for so that it surpasses the enemy.

And therefore, when in 1998 the designers again received the terms of reference for the development of the fifth generation fighter (according to its requirements, it did not differ too much from the previous one), they already had ready-made draft designs in each design bureau. Without going into details, I will say that the task again included two aircraft - a light and a heavy one, and also considered options for a "medium" fighter and a vertical variant. And again they decided that the MiG-35 could be suitable for the role of the LFI, the vertical version was postponed for the future, as a result they settled on the Sukhoi Design Bureau with PAK FA.

What does he represent? Some journalists from the yellow press claim that this is a dumb copy of the American Raptor. Let me tell you right now that this is not the case. This can be seen immediately by an aerodynamic specialist, but it is obvious to anyone who is interested, especially if you compare two aircraft when viewed from the side: a short Raptor with huge keels, and a flat, long PAK FA.

And if you just think a little: the plane was developed precisely with the aim of surpassing the Raptor, otherwise why is it needed at all? And this was controlled not only by the domestic Ministry of Defense, but also by the Indian one, since the project is joint, and they will not spend such huge money in vain. And since the capabilities of the Raptor have long been known, there was no need to even guess. I will add that the Indian representatives put forward very strict requirements for the aircraft, and very stubbornly defended them. They agreed to cooperate only when they got acquainted with the project in detail and were convinced of its prospects.

What does he represent? There are many interesting features.

To begin with, I will say that there are often insistent demands to compare the capabilities of the PAK FA and the Raptor, and at the same time their number, pilot raid and other details. As if the US is already at war with Russia. Guys, I'll tell you scary things in secret: firstly, neither Raptor will be able to fly to Russia, nor PAK FA to the USA. And if it comes to a direct collision, then it is necessary to compare not fighters, but strategic missiles and anti-missile defense systems. Although US supporters will not like such a comparison again, since even the United States still has no protection against the ancient "Satan", whose resource was recently extended. "Star Wars" SDI turned out to be a fake, and there is neither money nor brains for European missile defense.

True, some American journalists were pretty amused when they said that the great and terrible F-35 would loiter over Poland and shoot down Russian ballistic missiles launched somewhere in the Urals, but here one can only envy the fenced grass that they smoke. How many kilometers are there from Poland to the Urals? What missile is capable of such a range? Will the F-35 lift it? And how long will it fly to the Urals? Or chase "Satan" all the way to Washington and fall into the target with her? :)

Well, and compare the capabilities of aircraft? Yeah why not! Only secrecy interferes with this, and therefore do not cling too much to the data: according to Raptor, that according to PAK FA, they are taken, of course, from open sources.

So, the first difference is super-maneuverability. It was retained despite stringent stealth requirements that go against aerodynamics. At the same time, they applied new solutions that are not available either in the Raptor or in other aircraft. This, for example, is the turning part of the wing influx, that is, the influx plays the role of not only a vortex generator, but also the front horizontal tail. This solution reduces visibility.

The engines are spaced apart (the Raptor has them next to each other). This allows for increased maneuverability, while also freeing up more space for internal weapon bays. The ventral tunnel between them increases lift, and maneuverability is maintained even at high altitudes. At the same time, spaced engines increase survivability in the event of combat damage or an engine fire.

Another original solution - the engines are not parallel, but at a slight angle to each other (damn, I once stared at the pictures for a long time, until I was convinced that this was not an optical illusion :). In normal mode, the direction of the jet stream is compensated by an all-angle rotary nozzle, and in the event of failure or combat damage to one engine, this arrangement allows you to more confidently stay in the air. This photo clearly shows that this is not an optical illusion, at the same time both the weapon compartments and the turning part of the wing influx are visible:

The aircraft has two inclined keels, like the Raptor. But there are also new items here: firstly, they are much smaller in area, which reduces visibility, and secondly, they are all-moving, there are no separate rudders. This is also for stealth. In addition, they also play the role of an air brake, that is, they can deviate inconsistently, in different directions. A separate brake is no longer needed, which reduces weight.

However, a puncture came out with the keels. There are too many new things: all-moving, and can serve as an air brake, and a small area, the lack of which is compensated by automation, and are made of carbon fiber (it is lighter in weight and better for stealth), and the way they are installed is rather tricky ... As a result, the strength of the keels turned out to be insufficient, and the then Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Mikhailov said that a decision was made not to strengthen them, but to limit the maximum speed of the PAK FA to 2M (approximately 2125-2400 km / h - it is not known at what height this figure was meant) instead of 2.15M according to the terms of reference and even more real.

I will add that the message that slipped through the American press that the Raptor reached a speed of 2.6 M is not true. With Raptor air intakes, which are unregulated in the classical sense, this is impossible in principle, in addition, at such speeds, the thermal barrier already begins to noticeably act (heating of the aircraft from air friction at such a speed is over 300 degrees), and neither aluminum nor carbon fiber can withstand it.

It's not worth talking about maintainability, and even more so - about the price of aircraft.

Engines

The flat nozzle was abandoned in favor of super-maneuverability. At the same time, the visibility in the rear hemisphere theoretically becomes worse, but in the previous article we saw the shooting of the Raptor in a thermal imager: it doesn’t save much, to put it mildly. The air intakes, like those of the Raptor, are curved in two planes, that is, the engine blades are not visible to the locators. Now PAK FA flies on one of the modifications of the AL-41F engines. They have less thrust than those that are now being tested and will be installed regularly, but all the requirements for the fifth generation are met even with them. The new engine will have not only higher thrust, but also better efficiency. Although the efficiency of Russian engines has surpassed American ones, already starting with a pair of Su-27s and F-15s. It is difficult to search for specific characteristics of fuel consumption, but here are indirect data:

The first value is PAK FA, the second is F-22

normal takeoff weight: with 100% fuel: 30610 kg / 30206 kg

Fuel mass: 11100 kg / 9367 kg

Practical range: 4300 km / 2500 km

Of course, the better aerodynamics compared to the Raptor also reduce fuel consumption, but neither it nor the 1.7 tons more fuel supply by themselves will provide such an impressive difference in range.

By the way, many modifications of both this and the new engine are being worked out, with improved parameters, reduced weight, etc. All of them are designated differently (AL-41, Type-30, item-117, item-129, item-133, project "Demon", etc.), and it's not too easy to figure it out. I recall a heavy sigh in one of the American aviation magazines: "The designation system of the Sukhoi Design Bureau horrifies bourgeois analysts."

A novelty is a plasma ignition system, which allows you to get rid of oxygen replenishment when starting the engine, even at high altitude.

Weapon

By itself, a fighter can be as good as you like, but without a weapon it is worthless. Let's see what the designers have prepared? The set is quite extensive.

For close combat - a 30 mm caliber gun. There are two internal compartments for bombs and missiles, each more than 5 meters long. There you can "hide" from 6 to 12 bombs or missiles. In addition, up to six external hardpoints can be installed. Consider what PAK FA can take with you.

But first, a little about the types of rockets. The first rockets were unguided, it was necessary to aim for their launch using the same sight as for cannons / machine guns. They appeared with us during the Great Patriotic War, terrifying the Germans no worse than the famous Katyusha, but their descendants NURS (unguided rocket) are still used, more often on helicopters. Everyone has probably seen launchers in the form of cylinders with several holes for rockets, these are just them.

Then came airborne locators, or, more precisely, radar stations for interception and aiming, and with them radio-controlled missiles. The pilot on the locator screen captures the target, approaches it to the missile launch range, the "PR" signal lights up - the launch is allowed, we press the trigger, the rocket leaves the pylon, but we continue to keep the enemy on the locator screen. In this case, a narrow beam of the radar is directed at him, and the rocket goes along this beam. And only when she gets so close that you can’t miss, the “Lapel” signal lights up - you can dump. Sometimes this can be dangerous if the target is a heavily loaded bomber or tanker. It can take off in such a way that fragments will get you.

They try to defend themselves against such missiles by shooting passive interference, simple packs of foil tape. In the hope that the locator beam will lose the plane and will follow the ribbons. In response, the radars began to sort targets by speed so as not to notice low-speed ones, and take other measures to combat interference.

Next developed homing missiles. Their thermal homing head (TGSN) senses heat from the enemy's engine. As you approach, the “ZG” light turns on - capturing heads, which means that the missiles saw the target, launch - and you can dump it right away. This is called the "let it go - forget it" principle. It is curious to smoke near such a rocket and see how the GOS is watching your cigarette. At first, it's somehow not very pleasant to see it :)

They defend themselves from them by firing off heat traps, everyone has seen similar footage on TV when a similar "firework" flies out of an airplane.

Well, then there were missiles with a wide variety of guidance methods, including multi-channel ones, which are not so easy to deceive.

1. The main weapon is the RVV-BD, a long-range air-to-air missile.

The maximum launch range is 300 km (export version - 200 km), and according to some reports, it reaches high contrast targets from 400 km. Please note: all the data below is for export versions of missiles and bombs (the letter "E" in the designation that often comes across means export), it's just easier to find them. As you can see, it does much better for itself. The mass of the warhead is 60 kg, high-explosive fragmentation. The guidance system is inertial, with radio correction and active radar homing in the final section of the flight path.

Let me remind you that the AIM-120C missile, which the Raptor is armed with, has a launch range of 120 km, in the future it will be modified for the AIM-120D missile with a launch range of 180 km. True, the Americans have serious problems with missiles, their engines suddenly turned out to be unreliable, although before that they worked fine: "Bad luck again! Problems with the AMRAAM rocket engine". They fail at low temperatures, and their acceptance is suspended. Let me remind readers that at an altitude of 10 km the temperature in both summer and winter is approximately minus 56.5 degrees. And since this missile is the main one for all aircraft of the NATO bloc, consider that there is nothing to hit the enemy with ... Or rather, there is something, but only at low altitude, not in winter and not in polar latitudes :)

2. RVV-SD.

The launch range of the "E" variant is up to 110 km. The mass of the warhead is 22.5 kg, rod, multi-cumulative. The guidance system is inertial with radio correction and active radar homing in the final section of the trajectory.

3. RVV-MD.

A missile for close-range highly maneuverable air combat with all-aspect passive infrared guidance (dual-band IGS). Launch range - up to 40 km. The mass of the warhead is 8 kg.

A very interesting rocket. The engine is with a controlled thrust vector, and if the pilot captured the target with the help of a helmet-mounted system somewhere on the side, by turning his head, then this missile is able to turn around on the target.

4. Kh-38MLE.

Refers to short-range modular guided missiles. Through the use of various types of guidance systems and various combat equipment, enhanced combat capabilities are provided for operations against a wide range of ground targets, as well as surface targets in the coastal strip.

X-38MLE - inertial + semi-active laser

X-38MAE - inertial + active radar

X-38MTE - inertial + thermal imaging

X-38MKE - inertial + satellite navigation

The first three types can be equipped with combat equipment with a high-explosive fragmentation or penetrating warhead. X-38MKE - cluster warhead

Launch range from 3 to 40 km

5. Kh-58UShKE.

Anti-radar missile. What it is? We release it to any ground locator, command post, etc., and within a radius of several tens of meters any electronics "dies" - locators, computers, radio stations, control systems, not to mention mobile phones, for example.

The missile can be used both for programmed radar targets and for targets quickly detected by the PAK FA target designation system. The maximum launch range (in the carrier altitude range from 200 m to 20 km) is 76 - 245 km. The probability of a missile hitting a circle with a radius of 20 m, in the center of which there is an operating radar, is at least 0.8. Warhead - high-explosive, weight 149 kg. The launch weight of the rocket is 650 kg.

6. KAB-500S-E, Guided aerial bomb

Weight - 560 kg (including 195 kg - mass of explosives). Drop height from 500 m to 5 km. Targeting accuracy (Equo) 7 - 12 m. Warhead - high-explosive.

This is probably not a complete list of weapons, they write about 14 different types of weapons, but so far they decided to remove the secrecy only from this. However, in some places the X-35 anti-ship missile is also mentioned.

Onboard equipment

The main part, of course, is the nasal AFAR, in which there are 1522 transceiver modules (the Raptor has 1200). Two side-view AFARs. Two AFARs in wing socks. Two AFAR L-band in the slats. This is a decimeter range (somewhere from 15 to 30 cm), stealth is clearly visible in it, although the accuracy is worse than in centimeter. But the main thing is that the pilot is warned, he sees the target, and then - the problems of the RVV-BD missile, which has enough of its own guidance systems, and when it approaches it in order to see it, it will be more and more accurate and confident. The Raptor does not have such a decimeter radar, and is not expected in the foreseeable future. Of course, it is better to get closer to 120 km - the launch range of the Raptor missile, everything will be much more accurate there: there the Raptor will already see the usual radar, and, most likely, even the optical system.

They prefer to remain silent about the rest of the antennas, although there is probably an antenna on the back, because it appeared on some versions of the Su-27. On it, part of the missiles could be hung "back to front". Surprise for the enemy chasing you :)

The panic in the NATO leadership began as soon as the fifth generation fighter took off for the first time in the air with a new power plant that allows reaching the speed of sound without the use of afterburner. The German edition of Contra Magazin recognizes the outstanding fifth-generation machine and a big problem for NATO, since the North Atlantic bloc has the best fourth-generation fighter Eurofighter, American F-22 and F-35 due to their shortcomings, they are not taken into account, and even Chinese aircraft of the new generation are left far behind.

The new engine of the Russian fighter

On a frosty January morning in 2010, under the factory designation, for the first time, it broke away from the concrete airfield and made a test flight of a new fifth-generation aircraft. It was demonstrated to the public at MAKS-2011, and in 2017 the car received a new index - with which it continues test flights.

At the end of 2017, on December 5, a test flight with the second stage engine, the so-called “product 30”, continued for 17 minutes, which was successful, testing and testing in the air of the new engine will continue for another three years.

The accumulated huge potential in the aircraft industry was successfully used when creating the engine of the second stage for and this once again proved that the groundwork that the Russian aviation industry received in Soviet times is not lost and is used to create highly intelligent digital systems.

Second stage engine for SU-57

In this power plant, the nozzle has a flat surface inside and a jagged edge along the outer contour, which is important for obtaining the best stealth technology and maintaining high maneuverability.

The mixing of hot air from the power plant with the external cold flow occurs more intensely when the machine is maneuvering and forces the cold jet to pass between the outer edge and the inner surface, which significantly reduces the visibility of the aircraft in the infrared range.

Compression-expansion of the power drive is a design feature of the Russian engine nozzle Su-57 and American cars of the fifth generation.

Despite this similarity in the Russian power plant, the compressor impellers are structurally made of radio-absorbing elements, which most effectively increases the stealth and maneuverability of the Russian aircraft and makes it possible to fly supersonic in cruise mode. According to experts, these qualitative changes prove superiority over the Raptor.

Su-57 equipped with the latest weapons

On the Russian began testing a new generation of aviation weapons. The Tactical Missiles Corporation has developed and created the latest high-precision weapon system for the fifth generation fighter, which is located both inside the fuselage and on external hardpoints. The weapon is currently being tested in the air and the results will be known soon.

The Raduga and Vympel design bureaus are involved in the creation of high-precision weapons for the new vehicle, but, for reasons of secrecy, it is still unknown what exactly these weapons will be. These design bureaus plan to equip the next-generation supersonic aircraft with medium and long-range air-to-air missiles RVV-SD and RVV-BD.

The latest missile armament of the Su-57

Design Bureau Raduga plans to supply air-to-surface weapons consisting of Kh-58UShK and Kh-38 missiles. NPO Novator has plans to supply ultra-long-range air-to-air weapons, which include the KS-172 missile.

A little earlier in 2016, the NNPU-50 cannon mount was tested on a model of the front of a combat aircraft, the bomb and missile load only inside the fuselage will be 4.2 tons, and eight suspension points will be used for aircraft weapons on the outer surface. Testing weapons for the fighter is the final cycle, in 2018 it is expected to enter combat units, but so far with the engine of the first stage.

Conclusion

It is obvious that the North Atlantic bloc cannot yet oppose our aircraft, and it must be admitted that the revolution in the United States in the field of aircraft construction has brought American aviation to the brink of destruction, since the evolutionary process of creating new aircraft has been disrupted. In Russia, they consistently developed the entire chain of Sukhoi Design Bureau machines from to and in the USA they neglected this, for which they paid.

The T-50 is not just a modern combat aircraft. Its appearance speaks of two very important events: it is the first mass-produced combat vehicle fully developed in the post-Soviet period; it is also the first Russian fighter of the fifth generation.

background

In the mid-70s, the military-industrial complex of the USSR and the USA entered into another race - to develop a fifth-generation fighter. For the uninitiated, all this looked somewhat strange, since fourth-generation fighters - the Su-27, MiG-29, F-14 and F-15 were just getting on the wing. Nevertheless, the best forces represented by the leading design bureaus and scientific centers were thrown into the “battle” from both sides.

They were given a difficult task - to create in a short time a new fighter with unique characteristics: reduced visibility, combat effectiveness of a new level, the presence of a circular information system, the ability to achieve supersonic without afterburner, and super maneuverability.

The fifth-generation fighter should feel confident in close and long-range combat, have on-board automated control systems and jamming systems, have increased autonomy, improved aerodynamics, which will provide it with higher maneuverability. He must also be able, if necessary, to correct piloting errors made by the pilot and solve some tactical problems.

intermediate finish

The fact that the Americans were the first to cross the finish line was quite predictable. Their serial 5th generation fighter F-22 Raptor entered service with the Air Force in 2005. Russia then could not boast of anything like this, since its military-industrial complex, destroyed in the dashing 90s, was just beginning to recover.

In fact, directly in the Sukhoi Design Bureau, work on the new machine began only in 1998. Three years later, the concept was finally formulated and received the code name PAK FA - a promising front-line aviation complex. Its other name is T-50.

PAK FA T-50

The T-50 has absorbed almost the entire set of the above characteristics. The machine is multifunctional and "omnivorous". She can handle both air and ground targets. The T-50 is hardly noticeable in any spectrum - visual, thermal and electromagnetic. Thanks to the controllable thrust vector, it shows miracles of maneuverability, has an extended range of flight modes and supersonic speed, which it achieves without resorting to afterburner.

The first three Russian fighters of the 5th generation were assembled in Komsomolsk-on-Amur at the KnAAZ them. Yu. A. Gagarin in 2009, after which their testing began almost immediately. The first flight took place on January 29, 2010. The T-50 was piloted by Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia S. L. Bogdan.

Some features of the PAK FA

Stealth

Approximately a quarter of all materials used in the construction are composites based on carbon fiber. Most of all they are involved on external surfaces, which has significantly reduced radar visibility.

For the same purpose, the fighter's weapons are placed in internal closed compartments; the air intakes have a specific configuration, and the airframe is partially made of radar-absorbing coatings.

Engines

As for engines, for now the T-50 flies with two improved AL-41F1s, which it inherited from the Su-35. In the future, he will receive his personal engines with thrust vector control, which will provide him with a speed of 2100 to 2600 km / h without afterburner.

Onboard electronics

The “eyes” of the first domestic 5th generation fighter are a phased array radar (PAR) with a detection range of up to 400 km. At the same time, she "sees" almost everything that flies and moves on the ground, performs the functions of navigation, identification, electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.

Armament

The missile arsenal (in two internal compartments) of the T-50 accommodates 10 missiles, of which 2 are melee and 8 are medium-range. It is complemented by a twin modernized 30-mm cannon with 100 rounds of ammunition. If necessary, additional 14 missiles are placed on external hangers.

Cabin

The cockpit of the new fighter "borrowed" a lot from the cockpit of the Su-35. All flight characteristics are concentrated on two 15-inch displays. At the same time, the pilot has the opportunity to compose information in the most convenient format for himself. Flight information and aiming are displayed on a widescreen windshield display.

T-50 vs. F-22 Raptor

With the start of testing the T-50, serious disputes are raging in the Internet community about who will still win in a possible air duel of fifth-generation fighters - he or his main counterpart F-22 "Raptor". At the same time, each of the parties puts forward its own “more weighty” arguments, the value of which without a real duel is very doubtful.

Do not belittle the merits of the American machine, created by Lockheed Martin and which has been in service with the US Air Force for 12 years. However, according to many experts, the plane turned out to be extremely expensive - over $150 million each. A total of 187 aircraft were produced, of which 5 were lost as a result of accidents.

In this regard, the opinion of test pilot Sergei Bogdan, the first who raised the T-50 into the sky, is of interest. In his opinion, having lost in time, Russian developers have gained an advantage in the implementation of more modern technologies and developments. Repeated transfers in the acceptance of the aircraft into service only indicate that the customer, represented by the Russian Aerospace Forces, is interested in a fully finished aircraft.

Assessing the aerobatics of the Raptor at Farnborough, Sergei Bogdan frankly admitted that the Russian Su-30 showed a more advanced program 10 years ago. According to his deep conviction that even in a possible air battle, our T-50 will not yield in anything.

In the family of "fifths" the addition is expected

American F-35

It can already be safely stated that the process of creating fifth-generation fighters will not stop on the F-22 and T-50. So the Americans are next in line for a lighter single-engine F-35 (manufactured by Lockheed Martin), oriented for export.

Chinese J-20

It is being tested in China. Russian and Indian designers are ready to start creating the FGFA fighter based on the T-50. The Japanese do not want to be left behind. Their promising aircraft will probably be called the ATD-X Shinshin.

What will the sixth generation be like?

However, the design idea is already “surfing the expanses” of the future, shaping the appearance of the aircraft of the next, sixth generation. According to Northrop Grumman, the car will be equipped with a laser gun and “add” new stealth technologies. The Boeing concern proposes a "mixed wing" scheme - a kind of "flying wing".

The development of the Russian 6th generation fighter has been going on for at least 5 years. It is known about two participants in the project - the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern (KRET) and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). According to KRET representative Vladimir Mikheev, two versions of the aircraft will be created - unmanned and manned, flying at a speed of 2 to 5M and armed with electromagnetic guns. The first flight is expected no earlier than 2023-25, the new machine should enter the series by 2030.

The air force has long been the backbone of the armed forces of any army. Aircraft are becoming not just a means of delivering bombs and missiles to the enemy camp, modern aviation is multifunctional combat systems with wings. The latest F-22 and F-35 fighters, as well as their modifications, have already been put into service with the US Army, and here we mean "army" as ground forces. This means that the infantry is now on a par with tanks and infantry fighting vehicles have fighters in their composition. This highlights the role of aviation in modern warfare. This shift towards multifunctionality made possible new developments in the field of aircraft construction and a change in the principles of war. A modern fighter can fight without approaching a target closer than 400 km, launch missiles at 30 targets and turn around and fly to the base at the same second. The case is of course a private one, but it describes the picture more than. Not quite what we are used to seeing in Hollywood blockbusters in which, no matter how far you look into the future, fighters in the air and in space are fighting the classic "dog fights" of the Great Patriotic War. Some time ago, a couple of news sites were full of news that in the simulation of the battle of "drying" and the F-22, the domestic machine emerged victorious due to superiority in maneuverability, of course, it was about superiority in close combat. All articles noted that in long-range combat, the Raptor is superior to the Su-35 due to more advanced weapons and guidance systems. What distinguishes 4 ++ and 5 generations.

At the moment, the Russian Air Force is armed with combat aircraft of the so-called 4 ++ generation, the same Su-35s. This is a product of a deep modernization of the Su-27, MiG-29, which have been available since the 80s, it is planned to begin a similar modernization of the Tu-160 soon. 4 ++ means as close as possible to the fifth generation, in general, modern "drying" differs from PAK FA in the absence of "stealth" and AFAR. Nevertheless, the possibilities for modernizing this design have been exhausted in principle, so the issue of creating a new generation of fighters has been standing for a long time.

Fifth generation

Fifth generation of fighters. We often hear this term in the news about modern weapons and at aviation shows. What is it? "Generation" is, in general terms, a list of requirements that modern military doctrine imposes on a combat vehicle. The 5th generation vehicle should be stealthy, have supersonic cruising speed, advanced target detection systems and electronic warfare, but the most important thing is versatility. No wonder the projects have the word "complex" in their name. The ability to fight equally well in the air and hit ground targets largely determines the appearance of the fifth generation. These are the tasks that were set before the future designers of the new symbol of domestic aviation.

The development of a new generation began in the USSR and the USA almost simultaneously, back in the 80s, and in the States in the 90s they already chose a prototype. Due to events known to the whole world, the Soviet program found itself in stagnation for many years, this is the reason for the backlog in our days. As you know, the 5th generation fighter F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning are already in service with the United States and a number of other countries. Remarkably, the Raptors have not yet been supplied even to the allies, having noticeable advantages over the Lightnings, the exclusive presence of the Raptors in the US Army makes their Air Force the most advanced in the world.

Our response to the Raptors is still being prepared, the deadlines have been repeatedly postponed, from 2016 to 2017 2019, now it’s 2020, but experts say that another postponement is possible, although they note that the new Russian fighter every day more and more takes the form of a product ready for serial production.

Su-47 Berkut

In Russia, the fifth generation has a long-suffering history. As you know, PAK FA, also known as the T-50, and more recently the Su-57, is not the first attempt to get an ultra-modern multi-role fighter into service. One of these attempts was the Su-47, also known as the Berkut. The test of a new aircraft with reverse swept wings took place back in the 90s. The car is very memorable and has been in sight and heard for a long time. "Reverse" wings partly played a cruel joke with him. Such a design brought the aircraft to a new level of maneuverability, however, to solve all the problems of a similar design of forces, neither in Russia nor in the States, where in the 80s there was the X-29 project, a fighter with a similar wing sweep. Also, this prototype did not meet all the requirements of the fifth generation, for example, it could overcome supersonic sound only in afterburner.

Only one fighter was built and now it is used only as a prototype. Perhaps the Su-47 will be the last attempt to create an aircraft with a reverse swept wing.

Su-57 (PAK FA)

PAK FA (Perspective Aviation Complex of Frontal Aviation) is a new Russian aircraft. Became the first successful attempt to bring to life the fifth generation of aircraft. At the moment, there is little information about its characteristics in the public domain. From the obvious, it has all the characteristics of the fifth generation, namely supersonic cruising speed, "stealth" technologies, active phased array antenna (AFAR) and so on. Outwardly, it looks like the F-22 Raptor. And now everyone who is not too lazy is already starting to compare these machines, no wonder, because the Su-57 will become the main “protagonist” in the fight against the Raptors and Lightnings. It is worth noting that in the new realities, the improvement of missiles will also occupy a special place, as already mentioned, entry into battle takes place at gigantic distances, so how much a fighter will be maneuverable and how well it feels in close combat is the tenth thing.

In Russia, the “arrows” for the latest aviation technology are the R-73 rocket and its modifications, which rightfully bear the glory of a formidable weapon. But the designers, according to the good Russian tradition, "just in case" provided for the installation of a 30-mm air gun on the Su-57.

In developing

Another transition to the "five" is planned for another 4 ++ aircraft - MiG-35. Sketches of the "face" of the future interceptor have already been shown, but it is not yet clear whether there will be a need for it or whether the Su-57 will cope with its functions. Not only would a light fighter meet all the requirements of a new generation, it is necessary to develop a fundamentally new engine and solve the problem with the installation of "stealth". Which is impossible for machines of this class in modern realities. As mentioned earlier, the fifth generation assumes multifunctionality, which, in theory, the Su-57 should have, so what tasks will be assigned to the MiG is still not clear.

Another promising machine for the aviation forces of the Russian Federation is the PAK DA, which is being developed within the walls of the Tupolev design bureau. From the abbreviation it is clear that we are talking about long-range aviation. According to the plan in 2025 - the first flight, but given the craving for postponing the release of anything, you can immediately throw on a couple of three, or even five years. Therefore, most likely we will not soon see how the new "Tupolev" takes off into the sky, obviously long-range aviation will get by with the Tu-160 and in the near future its modification.

sixth generation

On the Internet, no, no, yes, a yellow article about the sixth generation of fighter jets slips through. That development is already in full swing somewhere. This is certainly not the case, because we recall that the latest fifth generation is in service only with the United States. Therefore, it is too early to talk about “development in full swing”. Here we would finish with the fifth. As for the speculation about what the weapons of the future will look like, there is room for discussion. What will be the new generation of aircraft?

From the sixth generation, we should expect that all standard characteristics will increase. Speed, agility. Most likely, the weight will decrease, thanks to new materials of the future, electronics will reach a new level. In the coming decades, we can expect breakthroughs in the creation of quantum computers, this will allow us to move to an unprecedented level of computing speed, which in turn will allow us to seriously modernize the modern aircraft AI, which in the future may rightfully be called a “co-pilot”. Presumably, there will be a complete rejection of the vertical tail, which is absolutely useless already in modern realities, since fighters operate mainly at the limiting and prohibitive angles of attack. From this, interesting forms of the airframe may follow, perhaps again an attempt to change the sweep of the wing.

The most important question that the designers of the future will decide is whether a pilot is needed at all? That is, whether the fighter will be controlled by AI or by a pilot, and if by a pilot, whether the pilot will control the aircraft remotely or still in the old fashioned way from the cockpit. Imagine an airplane without a pilot. This is a huge “relief” for the car, because in addition to the weight of the pilot himself and his equipment, a decent load is created by the pilot’s seat, which should save lives, which makes it difficult for a car stuffed with electronics and mechanisms for pilot ejection. Not to mention changing the design of the airframe, which does not have to allocate a huge space for a person and puzzle over the ergonomic design of the cockpit to make it easier to control the machine in the air. The absence of a pilot leads to the fact that you no longer need to worry about overloads, which means that the car can be accelerated to any speed that the structure will pull, the same goes for maneuvers in the sky. It will also facilitate the training of pilots. And this is not only about reducing the requirements for the health of the pilot. Now the pilot is the most valuable thing in fighters. Colossal amounts of time and resources are spent on preparation, the loss of a pilot is irreparable. If the pilot controls the fighter from a comfortable chair deep in a bunker at a military base, then this will change the face of war no less than a "transplant" from horses to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

The prospect of completely abandoning the pilot still looks like a task for the more distant future. Scientists warn about the consequences of using AI, and the very philosophical and ethical component of replacing a person with a robot in war is still being studied. Still, we do not yet have the computing power to create a full-fledged replacement for the pilot, but a technological revolution in this area is possible in the coming decades. On the other hand, the flair and military ingenuity of the pilot cannot be recreated by zeros and ones. So far, all these are hypotheses, so the appearance of modern aviation and the air force of the near future will still have a human face.

Despite the fact that several decades have passed since the last world war, the arms race between states continues. The countries of the world continue to create more and more combat units, such as tanks, ships and, of course, aircraft. In the field of flight technology, progress is moving at a rapid pace, and this can be said at least on the basis of the fact that the 5th generation is already coming among aircraft. Aircraft have already gone through four generations, and the fourth is currently the most common. However, of course, time goes by, so gradually people are turning to new technologies. In this article, you will learn about what will be the 5th generation of aircraft, which is almost on the threshold. First, we will talk about what the fifth generation of aircraft is in general, how it will differ from the fourth, and then you will learn about the three most promising new generation fighters that are currently undergoing flight tests and preparing to officially break into the airspace of this world.

What is this generation?

So, first you need to talk in more detail about what the 5th generation of aircraft is. The fourth generation of aircraft appeared in the sixties of the last century, and ten years later, talks began about what the fifth generation fighters would be like. Given how difficult it is to develop new technologies in such a field, it is not surprising that such conversations began almost immediately after the appearance of the fourth generation of fighters. The first 5th generation fighter appeared in 2001 - it was the American F-22 Raptor. Since then, full-fledged fifth-generation fighters have not yet been released, but it is worth noting that work is underway in many countries, and four already have models that, as mentioned above, are undergoing flight tests. These countries are the United States of America, the Russian Federation, Japan and China, and China is preparing for a mass launch of two aircraft at once.

But how exactly does the 5th generation of aircraft differ from the fourth? In fact, there are a huge number of differences, so it is worth listing only the key ones. First, new generation aircraft will be much less visible on radar. This is achieved in a variety of ways, including through the passive transmission of information from onboard sensors. Secondly, they will differ in the broadest functionality. This means that the new aircraft will be able to effectively engage targets in all directions: in the air, on the ground and on the water. Thirdly, these aircraft will be able to fly at supersonic speeds, but the afterburner will not be used. Fourth, they will be distinguished by increased maneuverability. There are a number of other advantages, including the ability to perform all-round shelling of selected targets in close air combat, automation of on-board systems control, increased combat autonomy, and much more.

This introduction must be completed, because ahead of you is information about real models. Naturally, this is not about the pioneer F-22 Raptor, which was released fifteen years ago. You will learn about the most modern models that have not yet been put into permanent production, but are only at the testing stage. Which fifth-generation fighter is by far the most efficient and promising? That is what you are about to find out. Three leading models will be compared: the Russian T-50 fighter, the American F-35 and the Chinese J-20.

"T-50": performance characteristics

First, of course, it is necessary to consider the fifth-generation fighter of domestic production, which was the T-50. The length of this aircraft is almost twenty meters, and the wingspan is 14 meters. The chassis base is six meters while the track is five meters. As for the mass, it is impressive: an empty plane weighs 18 and a half tons, and if it is 100% refueled, it will weigh thirty tons. At the same time, its maximum take-off weight reaches 37 tons. The wing load is 330 kilograms per square meter, if we consider the aircraft 100% fueled.

As for the engine, it is a bypass turbojet, but so far it is not final. The point is that the aircraft of the second stage will have a different engine, more appropriate for a new generation fighter. If we talk about the flight characteristics of this aircraft, then it is immediately worth noting its top speed, which is 2600 kilometers per hour, which is three times more than the speed of a standard passenger aircraft. As for the flight range, it differs, depending on the speed. If we are talking about subsonic speed, then the aircraft can fly 4300 kilometers with a full refueling. If it flies at supersonic speed, then its range is 2000 kilometers. As a result, it turns out that the maximum flight duration of this fighter is almost six hours. It is also worth noting that its practical ceiling is 20 kilometers, and the length of the run before takeoff is 350 meters. This is a perfect example of what technical characteristics modern military aircraft should have. The performance characteristics of this model do not end there - it is separately necessary to consider the crew that will be in it, as well as weapons.

"T-50": crew

How many people do you need to pilot 5th generation aircraft? The crew of this model is incredibly small: it consists exclusively of one pilot. However, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the pilot will have to undergo serious training before being able to fly such a fighter. With fifth-generation aircraft taking automation to the next level, many might think that the demands on the pilot will be reduced. But they only increase, because now he will need to be able to interact with all modern systems. But it is much more interesting to find out what weapons the 5th generation combat aircraft, which the Russian Federation is going to produce, will have on board.

"T-50": weapons

Comparing 5th generation aircraft in terms of performance is one thing, but it is a completely different matter to compare them in terms of armament. Given that these are combat aircraft, armament plays a very important role, so it should be given special attention. Firstly, this aircraft will be equipped with a 30mm built-in cannon, which will not be the main armament. Why? Because, secondly, the main emphasis is on various kinds of missiles. The maximum combat load of the aircraft is ten tons. However, this is the maximum load, but if we talk about the standard version, then the ammunition will weigh about six tons. One and a half tons will be intended for air combat (this includes RVV-SD and RVV-MD), and four and a half tons - for defeating ground and surface targets (KAB-500 and RVV-MD). The kit will include both short-range and medium-range and long-range missiles. Moreover, one will be much more advanced than those currently used on fourth-generation aircraft. They have an increased range, high sensitivity, they are protected from interference, and they can also detect and capture a target right in the process of flight. This model will have two possible configurations of ammunition suspension points: either there will be eight internal and eight external points, or 10 internal and two external points. This is what Russian fifth-generation combat aircraft will look like. But the article is not only about Russian, but also about other aircraft, so it's time to move on to other models.

F-35: performance characteristics

First of all, it is worth noting that the F-35 Lightning II aircraft is being developed in three models at once, each of which has its own peculiarity. The Model A is built for the US Air Force and is the simplest version. The Model B is designed for the US Marine Corps and differs in many ways, but the key differences are the short takeoff and vertical landing. Well, the C model, which is the most advanced among the three, is being created for the US Navy and has increased maneuverability for successful takeoff from aircraft carriers, which is carried out using a catapult.

So, the length of this aircraft is about fifteen meters, and the wingspan is ten meters (except for the C model, which has a larger wingspan, as much as 13 meters). As for the weight, then, depending on the model, it ranges from 13 to 15.5 tons, while, if we are talking about the maximum take-off weight, then it can be from 29 to 30 and a half tons. The mass of fuel that can be filled into the fuel tank is from 8 to 9 tons. The engine on the plane is American, but its principle is exactly the same as that of the Russian model - it is a bypass turbojet engine with an afterburner.

The maximum flight speed of this fighter is about two thousand kilometers per hour, and the cruising speed is 850 kilometers per hour. As for the flight range, it differs for different models due to differences in design. Model B has the least range - only one and a half thousand kilometers, while model C is capable of flying two and a half thousand kilometers. The flight duration of this aircraft is half that of the Russian model, only two and a half hours. And the practical ceiling is also a little lower, it is only eighteen kilometers. However, this is not all that can be said about the F-35 Lightning II aircraft - there is more information about the crew and weapons ahead of you.

F-35: crew

The Russian T-50 aircraft is controlled by one person, and the same can be said about the American counterpart. As you may have noticed, fifth-generation fighters are not designed to be flown by two or more people, and this is largely due to the fact that the automation system has been significantly improved, so there is simply no need to have two crew members on board at once. Modern technology is striving to make fighters unmanned, but so far the crew of fifth-generation aircraft is one person.

F-35: weapons

Aircraft of the fifth generation of the world have different weapons, but they differ mainly in where they were produced. For example, now you can already understand that on such fighters the standard is one cannon and a large number of different combat missile weapons. In the case of this model, a built-in four-barreled aircraft gun is installed on board, complete with a supply of shells. Models B and C have 220 cannon rounds on board in a special container, while the third model has reduced the number of rounds to 180.

As for the combat load, it is nine tons for each of the subspecies of this aircraft, and the suspension points are the same for all of them. Four points are internal while six are external. What exactly is hanging there? The ammunition of this fighter consists of four types of air-to-air missiles and two types of air-to-surface missiles (that is, air-to-ground and air-to-water). This is what American aircraft of the 5th generation have weapons. And within the framework of this article, it remains to tell about one more aircraft, this time of Chinese production.

J-20: performance characteristics

The last aircraft, which will be discussed in this article, is being developed by the Chinese government and can become a serious competitor to the models described above. For a long period of time, it was the American and Russian armed forces that were considered the most impressive in the world, but recently China is reaching a qualitatively new level in absolutely all areas, including the production of military equipment. So what about the performance characteristics of this model? The Chinese fighter has the longest length, which is more than twenty meters, but is inferior in terms of wingspan to the Russian competitor. In the Chinese model, it is only thirteen and a half meters. The weight of this aircraft is about twenty tons when it is empty, but if it is fully fueled and equipped with all weapons, then the maximum mass reaches 32 tons. As for the maximum weight allowed for takeoff, it is 36 tons, which is not much less than that of the Russian competitor. The mass of fuel that is placed on board the aircraft is more than eleven tons. This is approximately the same indicator as that of the T-50, but at the same time a couple of hundred kilograms higher. What's more, the Chinese fighter jet can carry two external fuel tanks, each adding four tons of fuel mass. As for the engine, it's still quite vague - there are two prototypes that could be the main ones for this model, but so far the most likely is the Xian WS-15 model, which is already in production, unlike the prototypes. Well, in matters of maximum speed, the Chinese plane outperformed the American, but, again, could not catch up with the Russian. This aircraft can reach speeds up to 2100 kilometers per hour.

J-20: crew

As for the crew, there are no surprises here: the aircraft is designed for one pilot, who will be responsible for all systems on board the aircraft. This is a standard that is likely to be supported in all fifth generation aircraft that will be produced in the future.

J-20: weapons

When it comes to this Chinese fighter, it is worth remembering that this is a foreign technique that entered the final stage of development only five years ago. That is why a little less is known about her than about the other two. More is known about the Russian aircraft, since all sources are at hand, while the American one has simply been developed for more than fifteen years. Its first test flight took place a year before the only operational fifth-generation F-22 aircraft was fully completed. Accordingly, very little is known about the armament of the Chinese fighter. So far, sources report that the aircraft will be able to use both short-range and long-range missiles, but nothing is known about the mass of ammunition, suspension points, or specific models of missiles. Moreover, it is not yet completely clear whether the fighter will be equipped with any gun. Even if he will be equipped with it, then there is also no reliable information about this yet.

To sum up the comparison, it can be noted that each of these aircraft has a huge potential. How will it open up in actual use? This is a question that will be answered fairly soon as all of these models are in the actual flight test phase. Most likely, the first will be an American fighter, since they have been working on it for much longer than on Russian and Chinese aircraft.

 

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