The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has for long been claimed to be the best air superiority fighter ever built, even before it was actually completed American officials said that with its stealth technology it would outperform any fighter that stood in its way without even being seen. But has this changed since its release in 1997?
F-22 is a very capable fighter, but since its release in 1997 there has come new competitors to the world, very many generation 4.5 jets has been built by both the Russians, the US, France and Germany. Therefore even though the Raptor is an extremely good fighter, every fighter has flaws that others can take advantage of, one fighter which is capable of using the F-22’s weakness is the German Eurofighter Typhoon.
F-22 is a very capable fighter, but since its release in 1997 there has come new competitors to the world, very many generation 4.5 jets has been built by both the Russians, the US, France and Germany. Therefore even though the Raptor is an extremely good fighter, every fighter has flaws that others can take advantage of, one fighter which is capable of using the F-22’s weakness is the German Eurofighter Typhoon.
The EF Typhoon is a 4.5 generation multirole fighter which was introduced in 2003 by its creators BAE Systems, Airbus group and Alenia Aermacchi where it showed off a delta wing setup with canards and a brand new twin engine. The reason for it not to be a generation 5 fighter is the fact that it does not have stealth properties. But what it does have which it was very new with when it came is its P.I.R.A.T.E – IRST (InfraRedSearchandTrack) system. This picks up heat changes around it and can by this spot subsonic aircrafts as far away as up to 100km+(The Germans say). This means that the Typhoon can still shoot its advanced IR-tracking missiles at a target, even though its enemy has stealth features.
The Chengdu J-20 fifth-generation fighter jet
China is also developing a second fifth-generation stealth aircraft called the J-20. The J-20 is only in its prototype phase, and is further from a full rollout than the more-developed F-35. But the plane could still be a game changer within Asia, and the aircraft has been at least partially modeled off of stolen F-22 and F-35 plans. The J-20 could hypothetically reach targets within Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Whereas the J-20 is largely seen as a copy of US aircraft, the J-31 will be smaller, sleeker, and more original in its design, assuming it flies in its intended form. Vladimir Barkovsky, chief of the Russian MiG aircraft design bureau, has called the J-31 a "well-done indigenous design."
A likely candidate for the purchase of a Chinese fifth-generation fighter would be Pakistan. The two nations had previously jointly developed an advanced fighter and Pakistan receives 54% of its arms from China.
China's sale of a fifth-generation fighter to Pakistan might feed into regional tensions with India - Pakistan's bigger geopolitical opponent is currently co-developing a fifth-generation fighter with Russia
China is also developing a second fifth-generation stealth aircraft called the J-20. The J-20 is only in its prototype phase, and is further from a full rollout than the more-developed F-35. But the plane could still be a game changer within Asia, and the aircraft has been at least partially modeled off of stolen F-22 and F-35 plans. The J-20 could hypothetically reach targets within Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Whereas the J-20 is largely seen as a copy of US aircraft, the J-31 will be smaller, sleeker, and more original in its design, assuming it flies in its intended form. Vladimir Barkovsky, chief of the Russian MiG aircraft design bureau, has called the J-31 a "well-done indigenous design."
A likely candidate for the purchase of a Chinese fifth-generation fighter would be Pakistan. The two nations had previously jointly developed an advanced fighter and Pakistan receives 54% of its arms from China.
China's sale of a fifth-generation fighter to Pakistan might feed into regional tensions with India - Pakistan's bigger geopolitical opponent is currently co-developing a fifth-generation fighter with Russia
