Second-generation jet fighter

The second generation jet fighters existed between the mid-1950s to the early 1960s.

English Electric Lightning

Development

The development of second-generation fighters was shaped by technological breakthroughs, lessons learned from the aerial battles of the Korean War, and a focus on conducting operations in a nuclear warfare environment. Technological advances in aerodynamics, propulsion and aerospace building materials (primarily aluminum alloys) permitted designers to experiment with aeronautical innovations, such as swept wings, delta wings, and area-ruled fuselages. Widespread use of after-burning turbojet engines made these the first production aircraft to break the sound barrier, and the ability to sustain supersonic speeds in level flight became a common capability amongst fighters of this generation.

Dassault Mirage III

Electronics

Fighter designs also took advantage of new electronics technologies that made effective radars small enough to be carried aboard smaller aircraft. Onboard radars permitted detection of enemy aircraft beyond visual range, thereby improving the handoff of targets by longer-ranged ground-based warning and tracking radars. Similarly, advances in guided missile development allowed air-to-air missiles to begin supplementing the gun as the primary offensive weapon for the first time in fighter history. During this period, passive-homing infrared-guided (IR) missiles became commonplace, but early IR missile sensors had poor sensitivity and a very narrow field of view (typically no more than 30°), which limited their effective use to only close-range, tail-chase engagements. Radar-guided (RF) missiles were introduced as well, but early examples proved unreliable. These semi-active radar homing (SARH) missiles could track and intercept an enemy aircraft "painted" by the launching aircraft's onboard radar. Medium- and long-range RF air-to-air missiles promised to open up a new dimension of "beyond-visual-range" (BVR) combat, and much effort was placed in further development of this technology.

MiG-21F interceptor

Weapons

The prospect of a potential third world war featuring large mechanized armies and nuclear weapon strikes led to a degree of specialization along two design approaches: interceptors (like the English Electric Lightning and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F) and fighter-bombers (such as the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and the Sukhoi Su-7). Dogfighting, per se, was deemphasized in both cases. The interceptor was an outgrowth of the vision that guided missiles would completely replace guns and combat would take place at beyond visual ranges. As a result, interceptors were designed with a large missile payload and a powerful radar, sacrificing agility in favour of high speed, altitude ceiling and rate of climb. With a primary air defence role, emphasis was placed on the ability to intercept strategic bombers flying at high altitudes. Specialized point-defence interceptors often had limited range and little, if any, ground-attack capabilities. Fighter-bombers could swing between air superiority and ground-attack roles, and were often designed for a high-speed, low-altitude dash to deliver their ordnance. Television- and IR-guided air-to-surface missiles were introduced to augment traditional gravity bombs, and some were also equipped to deliver a nuclear bomb.

Active and Formerly Active

Country	Manufacturer	Aircraft	Introduced	Variants	Status
China	Chengdu	J-7	1967	J-7I/II/III, F-7	Operational
	Shenyang	J-6	1961	F-6	Operational
France	Dassault	Super Mystère	1957		Retired 1966
		Étendard IV	1962		Retired 1991
		Mirage III	1961	Mirage 5	Operational
India	HAL	HF-24 Marut	1961		Retired 1985
		Ajeet	1977		Retired 1991
Israel	IAI	Nesher	1972	Dagger	Retired 2012
Italy	Fiat Aviazione	G.91	1958	Fiat G.91Y	Retired 1995
Soviet Union	Mikoyan-Gurevich	MiG-19	1955	S-105	Operational
		MiG-21	1959	S-106	Operational
	Sukhoi	Su-7	1959		Operational
		Su-9	1959	Su-11	Retired 1983
	Yakovlev	Yak-38	1976		Retired 1991
Sweden	Saab	32 Lansen	1956		Retired 1997
		35 Draken	1960		Retired 2005
United Kingdom	de Havilland	Sea Vixen	1959		Retired 1972
	English Electric	Lightning	1959		Retired 1988
	Folland Aircraft	Gnat F.1		Retired 1979	]
	Gloster	Javelin	1956		Retired 1968
	Hawker	Hunter	1951		Operational
	Supermarine	Scimitar	1957		Retired 1969
		Swift	1952		Retired 1960
United States	Chance Vought	F-8 Crusader	1957		Retired 2000
	Convair	F-102 Delta Dagger	1956	F-106 Delta Dart	Retired 1997
	Douglas	Douglas F4D Skyray	1956	F5D Skylancer	Retired 1964
	Grumman	F-11 Tiger	1956	F11F-1F Super Tiger	Retired 1969
	Lockheed	F-104 Starfighter	1958	XF-104, F-104S, CF-104 Starfighter, CL-1200 Lancer/X-27	Retired 1997
	McDonnell	F-101 Voodoo	1957	CF-101 Voodoo	Retired 1984
	North American	North American F-100 Super Sabre	1954	F-107	1988
		FJ-4 Fury	1954		Retired 1960s
	Republic	Republic F-105 Thunderchief	1958		Retired 1984

Canceled Aircraft

• Argentina
  • FMA I.Ae. 37 Ala Delta
• Canada
  • Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow (maiden flight on 25 March 1958)
• Egypt
  • Helwan HA-300 (maiden flight on 7 March 1964)