2024-05-13 10:30:03
While many European leaders are talking regarding the transition to a war economy following more than two years of open conflict between Ukraine and Russia, many observers are emphasizing the importance of controlling the skies. Several nations have engaged in a technological race to build the 5 fightere most efficient and advanced generation.
The nature of warfare is constantly changing, driven by technological developments. Over the last thirty years, the use of drones has gradually replaced the deployment of fighter planes in conflict zones, which are less risky to use and more resource-efficient. However, the armies have not given up on fighters, and the war in Ukraine demonstrates the real usefulness of air supremacy to maintain a tactical and strategic advantage. In this context, several aircraft manufacturers have redoubled their ingenuity to create new aircraftaircraftalways more efficient and adapted to an ever more connected era.
Lockheed Martin: the technological standard-bearer
The American company Lockheed Martin has proven to be particularly prolific since the end of the 1990s. It opens the hunt for 5e generation with the F-22 Raptor. This aircraft with impressive characteristics made its first flight in 1997, entering service in 2005. Equipped with two turbo reactorsturbo reactors with F119 followingburner, the F-22 can achieve a vitessevitesse maximum of 2.25, or 2,400 km/h. Its range allows it to reach targets located approximately 1,100 kilometers away. Carrying an M61A2 cannon, it is equipped with three weapons bays capable of accommodating missilesmissiles AIM-120 or AIM-9, as well as JDAM GBU-31 guided bombs. Renowned for its maneuverability, the F-22 is also particularly stealthy, notably thanks to components made of polymerpolymer. The problem with this high-performance aircraft is its cost. THE Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) of the United States estimated the program at $67 billion, with a unit cost of $350 million per aircraft.
In 1993, the American government launched the program Joint Strike Fighteraimed at equipping the US AirAir Force, the US Navy and the US Marine Corps of a single fighter. Then the idea of the F-35 appeared. The latter made its first flight in 2008 but the first examples did not join the American fighter until 2015. The F-35 is powered by a single F135 followingburning turbojet, with a maximum speed of 1,700 km/h, or Mach 1.6. Armed with a GAU-22 cannon, it has two bunkers and six payload pylons. Like the F-22, it can be equipped with JDAM bombs and AIM-120 AMRAAM. On April 11, the American authorities announced testing a new hypersonic missile, the Mako, which would expand the fighter’s arsenal. If the F-22 saw its production stopped due to excessive costs, the F-35 is a real success: around twenty countries have already started to deploy units or will have their first 5 aircraft delivered.e generation over the coming years.
The Su-57 and the Su-75, valid rivals?
They are part of the new generation of equipment touted as invincible by Vladimir Putin’s government since 2018. Both manufactured by Sukhoi, they have the characteristics of 5e generation, starting with the stealthstealth and the ability to operate in contested terrain within the constraints imposed by electronic warfare. The Su-57 first flew in 2010, but it was not until 2020 that it joined the Russian fighter. Particularly imposing with its 14 meter wingspan, it has two AL-41F1 engines, post-combustion turbojets, temporarily fitted to the units delivered by Sukhoi. The Su-57 might reach a top speed of 2,600 km/h (Mach 2.45). The Su-57 also carries a considerable amount of equipment, with a GSh-30-1 cannon, two main and two auxiliary bays and six external pylons. However, a problem arises: we do not know the real operational capabilities of the Su-57. Supposedly deployed above the Ukrainian sky, many observers question the characteristics of the device, some even doubting its stealth aspect.
Same story for the Su-75 “Checkmate”, a cheap alternative in which India was initially to participate. The government of Narendra Modi withdrew from the program following a few years, citing too high a cost for outdated architecture and engineering. The Checkmate was due to appear sometime in 2027, but for the moment, little information has been released by Russia on the subject. It is a safe bet that the industrial toll of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s low arms sales are impacting Moscow’s technological desires…
The J-20, a 5th generation fighter with an air of déjà vu
China, now positioning itself as the second world power, might not miss the boat regarding the new generation of fighters. From the J-XX program, designed in the 1990s, the J-20 made its inaugural flight in 2011 before being officially unveiled in 2016. It was put into service the following year. Designed by the Chegdu company, it is equipped with two AL-31F M2 followingburning turbojet engines. Three bays are planned to carry PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, with four additional pylons attached to the cabin. Integrating a radar AESAAESA with active antenna and several instruments intended for electronic warfare, the J-20 is positioned on paper as a serious competitor to the American F-35. The Chinese plane has very similar characteristics to the Lockheed plane, and China’s propensity to carry out industrial espionage operations has not failed to raise questions. American General Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the Pacific Air Forces from 2020 to 2024, indicated in 2023 that the J-20 might not in reality compete with the F-22, fifteen years its senior. The hunter 5e generation of Chengdu would be dust to the eyeseyes ? There is no evidence that the J-20 is fully operational and effective in the event of a large-scale conflict.
Dassault and Airbus on deck for the sixth generation
As more and more nations opt for 5 fighterse generation, three European countries have chosen to develop their own device, in a joint effort. France and Germany decided in 2017 to work on the Future Combat Air System (Scaf). Joined by Spain, the two countries have entrusted this heavy task to Dassault and Airbus. The Scaf is moving directly towards the 6e generation of fighters by offering an interface focused on interaction with swarms of drones once in operation, while being capable of carrying out electronic warfare operations. The characteristics of the Scaf are unknown and the information is distilled in dribs and drabs. But this fighter should not carry out its test flight before 2027, for entry into service by 2045. The objective is to replace the French Rafales and the German Eurofighters.
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