Jet fighter generations (Ajax)

Various features in jet fighters are described in terms of "generations", whereby a typical jet fighters of a given generation tends to have a certain class of engines, avionics, etc., and a typical jet fighter of the succeeding generation tends to have a different (and superior) set of engines, avionics, etc.

Classification

Fight aircraft in Ajax are classified into successive generations based on their technology and design elements. This system was initially developed by military historians in the 1970s and widely adopted by the world.

• 1st Generation - High subsonic, conventional armament
• 2nd Generation - Transonic air-to-air missiles, radar, Early supersonic radar, air-to-air missiles
• 3rd Generation - Supersonic (limited purpose), Mach 2 air-air missiles only, Multi-purpose fighter-bombers
• 4th Generation - Also 4+ and 4++. Supersonic (multirole), Supersonic multirole (4), high efficiency. High manoeuvrability (4), Enhanced capabilities, advanced avionics, limited stealth (4+, 4++)
• 5th Generation - Advanced integrated avionics, low observable stealth

First generation (Post 1942)

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
Falcus Designs Me-490	Jet Fighter	Orun Redisus	Unknown	1947	1948 - 1955

Second generation

These jet fighters started to regularly use onboard radar and passive-homing infrared-guided (IR) missiles. Early IR missile sensors had poor sensitivity and a very narrow field of view (typically no more than 30°)

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
AAB-F30 Tismi	Interceptor aircraft	Messidor Union	196	1968	1970 - 2002
Falcus Designs Me-500	Jet Aircraft	Orun Redisus	250	1954	1955 - 1970

Third generation

The archetype of this generation is the [Insert Aircraft], the [Insert Nation] jet fighter model with the highest production number to date.

• improved air-to-air missiles
• improved radar systems (look-down/shoot-down)
• other avionics
• air-to-air missiles became the primary weapons for air superiority fighters, which employed more sophisticated radars and medium-range RF AAMs to achieve greater "stand-off" ranges,
• guided ground-attack missiles
• first truly effective avionics for enhanced ground attack
• terrain-avoidance systems.
• Air-to-surface missiles (ASM) equipped with electro-optical (E-O) contrast seekers
• laser-guided bombs (LGBs) became widespread

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
Falcus Designs Me-510	Jet Fighter\Interceptor Aircraft	Orun Redisus	Unknown	1953	1960 – Present

Fourth, 4+ and 4++ generation

Fourth-generation designs are heavily influenced by lessons learned from the previous generation of combat aircraft.

• much higher maneuverability due to low static stability, made possible by fly-by-wire flight control system
• advances in digital computers and system integration techniques
• system upgrades such as AESA, digital avionics buses and IRST

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
AAB-F47 Tiara	Multirole fighter aircraft	Messidor Union	201	1990	1993 - Present
AAB Ava 70	Multirole fighter aircraft	Messidor Union	105	2001	2006 - Present
Falcus Designs Me-550	Multirole combat aircraft	Orun Redisus	295	1996	1998 - Present
Some Santh Name for F-16	Multirole Fighter Aircraft	Sante Reze	Unknown	1974	1976 - Present
UFC Tempest	Multirole combat aircraft	United Fighter Corporation	Unknown	1992	2003 - Present

Fifth generation

• General design concern about radar cross-section (RCS), in particular:
  • chines instead of standard leading edge extensions or canards
  • internal weapon bays instead of outboard weapon pylons
  • a high percentage of composite materials (also to reduce weight)
• commercial off-the-shelf main processors to directly control all sensors to form a consolidated view of the battlespace that is then shared via low observable data links.
• newest generation of high performance jet engines

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
UFC F-29 Hurricane	Stealth Multirole combat aircraft	United Fighter Corporation	300+	2003	2002 - Present