Jet fighter generations of Pardes

Various features in jet fighters are described in terms of "generations", whereby a typical jet fighter 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.

First generation (Post 1942)

Aircraft	Role	Primary Builder	Number built	First flight	Service life
Anacom Aerospace JF-16	Fighter-bomber	Tarsas	Unknown	1950	1954-1991
Anacom Aerospace JF-86	Interceptor	Tarsas	Unknown	1949	1952-1974
Ar-44 Lobo	Fighter	Temuair		1944	1944 - 1957
Falcus Designs Fe-440	Fighter	Tarsas	2,194	1941	1944-1951
Falcus Designs Fe-445	Fighter	Tarsas	5,926	1944	1944-1970s
Falcus Designs Fe-480	Fighter	Tarsas	1,042	1947	1949-1994
Prévoyance Typhon	Fighter	Notreceau	Unknown	1949	1951-1965
Prévoyance Chatoyer	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1951	1954-1963
Prévoyance Chatoyer IV	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1952	1953-1980s
MyL-11 'Fargo'	Fighter	Anikatia	Unknown	1946	1948-?
Yuk-9 'Feather'	Fighter	Anikatia	Unknown	1946	1947-?
Yuk-11 'Feather'	Fighter	Anikatia	Unknown	1947	1948-1960s
Yuk-18 'Flora'	Fighter	Anikatia	Unknown	1947	1949-1956
Yuk-19 'Flashlight'	Interceptor	Anikatia	Unknown	1952	1955-1967
Yuk-20 'Fresco'	Intercepter	Anikatia	Unknown	1948	1949-Present

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
Aerotecnia L-4 Cernícalo	VTOL fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1963	1970 - 1996
Anacom Aerospace JE-102	Interceptor	Tarsas	Unknown	1953	1956-1979
Anacom Aerospace JE-104	Interceptor	Tarsas	Unknown	1956	1959-1988
Athar A-1 Escorpión	Fighter-bomber	Temuair	Unknown	1963	1965 - ?
Athar L-1 Pardal	Fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1951	1953 - 1978
Falcus Designs Fe-495	Fighter	Tarsas	Unknown	1954	1958-2004
IAI Nesher	Fighter	Yisrael	Unknown	1971	1972-2012
MyL-19 'Fishpot'	Interceptor	Anikatia	Unknown	1956	1959-1970s
MyL-3	Interceptor	Anikatia	432	1952	1957–Present
Parada-Vara L-2	Seaplane fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1951	1953 - 1957
Parada-Vara L-3 Puma	Fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1963	1969 - Present
Prévoyance Super Chatoyer	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1955	1957–1977
Prévoyance Drapeau III	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1958	1962–1991
Prévoyance Épée III	Interceptor	Notreceau	Unknown	1956	1961–Present
Prévoyance Épée V	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1967	1961–Present
Yuk-29 'Forger'	VTOL Fighter	Anikatia	Unknown	1971	1976-1993

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
Anacom Aerospace JF-4 Ghost	Fighter-bomber	Tarsas	Unknown	1958	1960–Present
Ay-04 'Fossor-D'	Fighter	Anikatia	3,000+	1968	1972–Present
IAI Kfir	Fighter-bomber	Yisrael	Unknown	1973	1976-1996
Prévoyance Pique I	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1966	1973–Present
Prévoyance Super Drapeau	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1974	1978–2004
Tu-38 'Fiddler'	Interceptor	Anikatia	Unknown	1961	1964-1990

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
Aerotecnia L-6 Cigüeña	VTOL fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1978	1984 - Present
Anacom Aerospace JF-203	Fighter	Tarsas	Unknown	1988	1997–Present
A-2 Raposo	Fighter-bomber	Temuair	Unknown	1984	1986 - Present
Athar A-3 Zangão	Fighter-bomber	Temuair	Unknown	1994	1997 - Present
Athar L-5 Víbora	Fighter	Temuair	Unknown	1965	1974 - Present
Athar L-7 Jararaca	Fighter	Temuair	Unknown	2009	2014 - Present
Ay-05 'Fragor'	Fighter	Anikatia	6,268+	1977	1981–Present
Ay-07 'Feedlot'	Fighter	Anikatia	85	2003	2012–Present
MyL-21 'Fathom'	Fighter	DSRA Anikatia	1,256	1988	1996–Present
MyL-24 'Fathom-C'	Fighter	DSRA Anikatia	522	2001	2007–Present
Prévoyance Portée	Fighter	Notreceau	Unknown	1975	1982–Present
Prévoyance Flèante	Fighter	Notreceau	Unknown	1986	1996–Present
Prévoyance Portée DL	Fighter-bomber	Notreceau	Unknown	1979	1985–Present
Yuk-25	Fighter	DSRA Anikatia	131	1970	1976–Present
Yuk-31 'Fowler'	VTOL Fighter	DSRA Anikatia	264	1983	1987-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
Athar L-9 Espirito	Fighter	Temuair	48 (2019)	1999	2010 - Present
Prévoyance Héron Noir	Fighter	Notreceau	Unknown	2011	2017–Present