Supercruise is sustained supersonic flight of a supersonic aircraft with a useful cargo, passenger, or weapons load without using afterburner. Many supersonic military aircraft are not capable of supercruise and can only maintain Mach 1+ flight in short bursts, typically with afterburners. Aircraft such as the SR-71 Blackbird are designed to cruise at supersonic speed with afterburners enabled.
Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft specifically designed around stealth technology. Other examples of stealth aircraft include the B-2 Spirit, the F-22 Raptor, the F-35 Lightning II, the Chengdu J-20, and the Sukhoi Su-57.
The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter to counter emerging worldwide threats, including Soviet Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters under development in the 1980s. Lockheed and Northrop were selected in 1986 to develop the YF-22 and the YF-23 technology demonstrator aircraft. These aircraft were evaluated in 1991 and the Lockheed YF-22 was selected and later developed into the F-22 Raptor.
The Mikoyan Project 1.44/1.42 was a technology demonstrator developed by the Mikoyan design bureau. It was the Soviet Union's answer to the U.S.'s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), incorporating many fifth-generation jet fighter aspects such as advanced avionics, stealth technology, supermaneuverability, and supercruise. The design's development was a protracted one, characterised by repeated and lengthy postponements due to a chronic lack of funds; the MiG 1.44 made its maiden flight in February 2000, nine years behind schedule, and was cancelled later that year.
A supersonic aircraft is an aircraft capable of supersonic flight, which is an aircraft able to fly faster than the speed of sound. Supersonic aircraft were developed in the second half of the twentieth century. Supersonic aircraft have been used for research and military purposes, but only two supersonic aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-144 and the Concorde, ever entered service for civil use as airliners. Fighter jets are the most common example of supersonic aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-57 is a single-seat, twin-engine stealth multirole fighter developed by Sukhoi for the Russian Aerospace Forces. The aircraft is the product of the PAK FA fighter programme that would form the basis for a family of stealth combat aircraft. Sukhoi's internal designation for the aircraft is T-50. The Su-57 is the first fighter in Russian military service to feature stealth technology.
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is an Indian programme to develop a fifth-generation fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The design of the aircraft is carried out by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), an aircraft design and development agency constituted under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is expected to be produced by a public-private joint venture between the DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and an Indian private company. The programme has an aim to start production by 2028.
The PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is a Russian aerospace and defense corporation. With a majority stake belonging to the Russian Government, it consolidates Russian private and state-owned aircraft manufacturing companies and assets engaged in the manufacture, design and sale of military, civilian, transport, and unmanned aircraft. Its headquarters are in Krasnoselsky District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow.
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) or Shenyang Aerospace Corporation is a Chinese civilian and military aircraft manufacturer located in Shenyang, Liaoning, a subsidiary of the state-owned aircraft manufacturer AVIC. Founded in 1951 as the classified 112 Factory, it is the earliest aircraft manufacturer in the People's Republic of China. Many aircraft manufacturers in China such as Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group or Guizhou Aircraft Industry Co. were founded with help from Shenyang. The company mainly focuses on designing and manufacturing civilian and military aircraft, as well as their related components including jet engines. It is also involved in the development of UAVs and drones.
The Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin is a Japanese experimental aircraft for testing advanced stealth fighter aircraft technologies. It is being developed by the Japanese Ministry of Defense Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for research purposes. The main contractor of the project is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Many consider this aircraft to be Japan's first domestically made stealth fighter. ATD-X is an abbreviation for "Advanced Technology Demonstrator – X". The aircraft is widely known in Japan as Shinshin although the name itself is an early code name within the Japan Self-Defense Forces and is not officially in use. The aircraft's first flight was on 22 April 2016.
The Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) was a fifth-generation fighter concept, based on the Russian Sukhoi Su-57, that was being developed jointly by Sukhoi and HAL for the Indian Air Force. While the programme was earlier called FGFA, the combined project then referred as Perspective Multi-Role Fighter (PMF). The completed FGFA was to include a total of 147 improvements over the Su-57, including advanced sensors, networking and combat avionics. The Indian version would be a two-seater with pilot and co-pilot or weapon systems operator (WSO).
The soviet post-PFI projects refer to several Soviet and Russian Air Force projects initiated to replace the PFI-era aircraft.
A fifth-generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft classification which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2021 these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all, however they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.
A sixth-generation fighter is a conceptualized class of jet fighter aircraft design more advanced than the fifth-generation jet fighters that are currently in service and development. Several countries have announced the development of a sixth-generation aircraft program, including Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Russia and China.
The Mikoyan LMFS Liogkiy Mnogofunktsionalniy Frontovoi Samolyet (LMFS)—or Light Multi-Function Frontal Aircraft, also known as the MiG-XX, was a proposed light Russian single-seat all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft, loosely based on the cancelled Mikoyan Project 1.44. It was supposed to replace the Mikoyan MiG-29 and MiG-35 and support the Sukhoi Su-57 in combat. The project was developed into the Sukhoi LTS medium-weight single-engine stealth fifth-generation fighter.
The Chengdu J-20, also known as Mighty Dragon, is a single-seat, twinjet, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation fighter aircraft developed by China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is designed as an air superiority fighter with precision strike capability; it descends from the J-XX program of the 1990s.
The TAI TF-X is a proposed fifth-generation stealth twin-engine all-weather air superiority fighter being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in collaboration with BAE Systems. The aircraft is planned to replace F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Turkish Air Force and to be exported to foreign air forces. TAI CEO Temel Kotil claimed that the TF-X would make its first flight by 2025. However president of Undersecretariat for Defence Industries Ismail Demir stated that they expect the first flight by 2026. It will enter in service in 2030s.
Jet fighter generations classify the major technology leaps in the historical development of the jet fighter. Different authorities have identified different technology jumps as the key ones, dividing fighter development into different numbers of generations. Five generations are now widely recognised, with development of a sixth under way.
The Shenyang FC-31Gyrfalcon, also known as the J-31 or J-35 is a twin-engine, mid-size fifth-generation jet fighter developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. The official nickname published by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) is Gyrfalcon, though it has also been referred to as the "F-60" or "J-21 Snowy Owl" in some media reports, or "Falcon Hawk" by some military enthusiasts. J-XX nomenclatures in the Chinese military are reserved for programs launched and financed by the People's Liberation Army, while FC-31 plane was developed independently as a private project by the aircraft manufacturer.
The Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, also referred to as Hunter-B, is a Russian stealth heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG as a sixth-generation aircraft project. The drone is based on the earlier Mikoyan Skat, designed by MiG, and encompassing some technologies of the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet.
