Fighter aircraft

Fighter aircraft, originally known as pursuit aircraft, are military planes built mainly for fighting other aircraft in the sky. Their job in war is to gain control of the airspace, which allows bombers and ground-attack planes to strike enemy targets safely while stopping the enemy from doing the same. Whether a side wins air superiority depends on pilot skill, smart tactics for using fighters, and how many fighters they have—plus how well those fighters perform.

Many modern fighters can also attack ground targets, and some, like fighter-bombers, are built from the start for both roles. Other designs are more specialized but still focus on air superiority, such as interceptors and, historically, heavy fighters and night fighters.

**History**

Since World War I, controlling the air has been seen as key to winning conventional wars. Early fighters were small and lightly armed, mostly biplanes with wooden frames and fabric covers, reaching about 100 mph. The German Albatross, however, used a plywood shell, making it stronger and faster. As air control grew more important, all major powers built fighters. Between the wars, wood gave way to metal tubing and then to aluminum stressed-skin structures.

By World War II, most fighters were all-metal monoplanes with machine guns or cannons, some nearing 400 mph. Most had one engine, but twin-engine fighters were tried; they couldn't match single-engine types and were shifted to roles like night fighting with radar. By war's end, turbojet engines began replacing piston engines, boosting speed. Jets were lighter, so twin engines were no longer a drawback, and ejection seats and G-suits became necessary. Wings grew thinner and swept back to reduce drag, requiring new manufacturing—skins were milled from solid alloy slabs instead of riveted sheet metal. The sound barrier was broken, and speeds quickly reached Mach 2, beyond which maneuverability suffers.

In the 1950s, radar-guided missiles let fighters engage enemies from any direction, in bad weather, and at longer ranges. Air-to-air missiles largely replaced guns in the early 1960s, but the Vietnam War showed guns were still needed, so most fighters since then carry cannons (20–30 mm) alongside missiles. Most modern combat planes can carry at least two air-to-air missiles. In the 1970s, turbofans replaced turbojets, improving fuel economy enough to replace piston-engine support aircraft with jets, enabling multi-role fighters. Honeycomb structures and early composite parts began to appear.

As computers improved, defensive systems became more effective. To counter this, the United States, Russia, India, and China pursued stealth technology—burying engines, eliminating sharp corners, and deflecting radar waves. Materials that absorb radar energy were used in special coatings, now widespread. Composite structures, including major components, helped offset rising aircraft weight; most modern fighters are larger and heavier than World War II medium bombers.

Because air superiority is so important, armed forces have long competed to build better fighters and field more of them, spending a large share of defense budgets on fighter fleets. The global combat aircraft market was worth $45.75 billion in 2017, projected at $47.2 billion by 2026—35% for modernization and 65% for purchases, led by the Lockheed Martin F-35 with 3,000 deliveries over 20 years.

**Classification**

A fighter is mainly for air-to-air combat. A given type may be designed for specific conditions, and sometimes for extra roles like ground attack.