Tag Archive for: Fighter

India Urgently Needs Fighter Squadrons

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Emphasising induction of modern aircraft to sustain and enhance the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat potential, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has said that force urgently needs 5-6 squadrons of 4.5 generation aircraft. Air power remains the most potent means of prosecuting war. It provides long range, precision, and flexibility. Modern fighters are omni-role, thus can do multiple missions in a single sortie. The ranges have been extended with aerial refuelling. The AEW&C gives cover deep in enemy territory.

India is one of the most threatened nations in the world. It has two nuclear weapon-possessing neighbours. With both there are serious boundary disputes, wars and border skirmishes. For long it is very clear that for ground or sea war to be won there is a need for dominance in the air. The fighter aircraft remains the most potent platform for both offensive and defensive operations. While many are predicting the future to be unmanned, practically all the fifth and sixth generation fighters that will see the world through this century are evolving as manned fighters.

The IAF today is at an all-time low of 30 fighter squadrons. The government has already announced that the four remaining MiG-21 Bison squadrons will be retired by 2025. In this period, only around two squadrons of LCA, at best, will induct. This would mean further depletion of the squadron strength. At the same time Pakistan Air Force (PAF) currently has over 450 fighter aircraft in 22 fighter squadrons. China has nearly 59 fighter brigades in the theatre commands with each having 24-28 aircraft. Additional 20 plus Brigades are with the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) HQ at Beijing. China also has additional air power with the PLA Navy (PLAN) with nearly 500 aircraft and an expanding number of aircraft carriers. Clearly India’s neighbours are expanding air power. Significant part of the PLAAF may be committed on China’s Pacific front, but air power’s speed and flexibility allows forces to be brought to bear in other sectors in a short period.

J-20 Fighter. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Growing PLAAF: Know the Adversary

With the support of indigenous industry which is producing all genres of aerial platforms, PLAAF is fast acquiring…

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What Features and Design Will a 6th-Generation Fighter Have

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  • Only the US, Russia, and China have designed and built fifth-generation fighters.
  • Now they and several other countries are working on 6th-generation fighters.
  • They aren’t expected to arrive until the 2030s, and they’re being designed with future wars in mind.

What exactly is a 6th generation fighter? Fifth-generation fighters are so advanced — and so expensive — that just three nations have designed and built models: the United States, Russia, and China.

The technology — stealth, supercruise, supermaneuverability, interconnectivity — is still cutting edge. Yet, the great powers are already looking ahead, as great powers tend to do, competing with each other, and contemplating the 6th generation of fighter technology.

Sixth-generation fighters exist only in concept. Several countries are working on 6th-generation fighters — some of which have never even created a fifth-generation fighter — including the US, Russia, China, Japan, the UK, and France.

No one is close yet to debuting a 6th-generation fighter; the going expectation is that the next generation won’t debut until the 2030s.

6th generation fighter: designing aircraft for future conflicts

Future Combat Air System fighter jet

A full-scale model of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) presented by Dassault Aviation at the 53rd International Paris Air Show on June 17, 2019.

ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images


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Forget the F-35: What Exactly Is a 6th Generation Fighter?

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What exactly is a 6th Generation Fighter? Fifth-generation fighters are so advanced – and so expensive – that just three nations have designed and built models:  the United States, Russia, and China. The technology – stealth, supercruise, supermaneuverability, interconnectivity – is still cutting edge. Yet, the great powers are already looking ahead, as great powers tend to do, competing with each other, and contemplating the 6th generation of fighter technology.

Sixth-generation fighters exist only in concept. Several countries are working on 6th generation fighters – some of which have never even created a fifth-generation fighter – including the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, the UK, and France. No one is close yet to debuting a 6th generation fighter; the going expectation is that the next generation won’t debut until the 2030s. 

6th Generation Fighter: Designing Aircraft for Future Conflicts

Although the 6th generation of aircraft is still nascent, a set of distinct features have congealed to form the basis of what a 6th generation fighter is. Namely, all of the fifth-generation-worthy abilities for survivability in contested environments, air superiority, ground attack, etc. will need to be improved commensurate with the times.

The emphasis on close-combat dogfighting, which dominated twentieth-century aerial warfare, is becoming a peripheral concern of aircraft manufacturers. Instead, ground attacks, cyber warfare, and even space warfare are increasingly relevant. Beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile combat is also still important. 

The next generation of jet fighters will likely incorporate the ability to operate in a manned or unmanned configuration. And like the F-35 in the fifth generation of air fighters, sixth-generation fighters will need to integrate with a variety of other jets, drones, soldiers, and sensors – in a saturated network meant to provide warfighters with a comprehensive picture of the battlespace. 

To achieve the performance characteristics expected of a sixth-generation fighter, various design elements will be incorporated. The foundation of sixth-generation technology will be the “brains” of the aircraft: advanced digital…

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India buying fighter jets: The country preparing for conventional war, but world has moved to cyber warfare – National Herald

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India buying fighter jets: The country preparing for conventional war, but world has moved to cyber warfare  National Herald
“cyber warfare news” – read more