Table 5.1 First prototype planes flight dates.
Graph 5.1 Different era planes' dimension comparison.
From this graph you can see a general tend of augmentation of dimensions relatively to wingspan. Wingspan defines the lift capability of the plane. "Camel" had a weak engine and it needed a lot of lift capability to fly. The later planes had more powerful engines and because of this they had almost same wingspan as "Camel" but increased length and height. The F-104 has rather small wingspan even for its size and engine power, but it is its a special design rather than a typical one.
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Graph 5.2 Different era planes' max. speed comparison.
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Graph 5.3 Different era planes' range comparison.
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Even the first graph (5.2), which is quite dramatic, cannot
fully present the progress in maximum speed of the fighters: the planes have
gone much further than "just supersonic". Now, I doubt if a F-16 could shoot
down a "Camel", as the latter is an IR and radar-invisible object, and its
speed is too low for shooting down with a cannon.
A less dramatic, but certainly significant change has happened with the flight
range. "Camel" could fly only about 500 kilometers, and that was enough. Later
on, the P-51D had to face long-range escort missions and flew 3 times as much
as "Camel". "Mustang" covered the European theater, and the F-104 did not
have much longer range, as it was made for intercept operations, meaning the
same range. But in modern days, the F-16 has relatively low range, as the
conception of war has changed from a total conflict to regional one, limiting
the planes` necessary range to approximately 1000 km.
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Graph 5.4 Different era planes' ceiling. Note:
F-16's ceiling is classified as "more than 15000 meters", though it's
2-3 km. higher.
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Graph 5.4 Different era planes' max. weight.
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The days when a plane's chances for survival depended on its
ceiling (max. reachable altitude at certain aircraft configuration) have gone
away, and now the ceiling is limited on about 18 km. This limitation comes
from the fact that lower the plane is much more vulnerable, and higher it
has no oxygen for the engines.
The max. weight has been, and it seems that it will always be the ultimate
criteria in the advantage the plane gives. More weight means more fuel, more
cannons and bombs, and more powerful engine. From other point of view, it
is also a limiting factor, as a plane may become too heavy. The ultimate factor
in this situation if the thrust-weight ratio.
The Future
The new projects like the Boeing- Lockheed Martin F-22 combine new technologies and special design. They form a new generation of planes, that have such wonderful features as low visibility, new engines with controlled thrust vector and ultramodern avionics. Even though, I really hope that F-22 will not have any use. I hope the humanity is stepping into a new age, and there will be no place for war in it.
Picture 5.1 Boeing-Lockheed Martin F-22.