T-50 - fighter of the fifth generation. Characteristics of the Russian fighter T-50

Soon the Air Force of the Russian Federation will receive the newest fighter of the 5th generation T-50. The aircraft is expensive, about one hundred million US dollars in terms of the current exchange rate, and an ordinary taxpayer may well have the question of the expediency of spending such a large sum of money.

Why do we need PAK FA, and other questions

Do we need such a cheap "toy" for our military, is there an urgent need in it and what will be its role in securing a peaceful sky over our country? With what opponents the plane is to meet in the supposed and probable air battles? Can he get out of them as a winner and what is the probability of such an outcome? What are the tasks to be solved by this "front-line air complex", and even promising? What are its capabilities and characteristics? And who was the first to begin the next round of the air-race? The last question and can be the key to an answer to all the others.

Race in the air

The arms race has always occurred in the history of mankind. The advantages of the army, which owns the most advanced models of technology, if not 100%, at least, significantly influenced the outcome of wars. From the mid-forties, rapid development of jet aviation began. One after another, generations of fighter aircraft were replaced, each of which differed from the previous one with all the best technical characteristics: speed, climbing capacity, ceiling, maneuverability, caliber and number of barrels of onboard firearms, the presence and number of missiles of various types, means of detection and navigation. For the time being there were five generations. The latter include the American F-22 and F-35, the Chinese J-20 and the Russian T-50. The fifth-generation fighter at once in appearance can be distinguished from aircraft, which were recently considered the last word of aircraft technology.

External differences

So, what are the external signs of the newest interceptor aircraft? The first and main difference between them consists of several angular outlines, unusual after the beautiful smooth silhouettes of the MiGs, the "Sabers", "Phantoms" and "Dry", to which all are accustomed over the past decades. Of course, aesthetics have nothing to do with it. The outer contours, consisting of planes intersecting at a certain angle, are caused by the ability of the surfaces to reflect the radar emissions so that as much as possible they do not return to the receiving antenna of the radar, but go off to the side. The same requirement dictated the absence or minimization of armaments on external suspensions, which, due to the complex geometric form, "glow" particularly brightly. People who understand a little in aviation will also note a third sign, by which a fifth-generation fighter can be distinguished. PAK FA T-50, like its foreign contemporaries, has a turning vector of traction. If we translate this technical term into a generally understandable language, this means that the nozzles are able to rotate relative to the longitudinal center line in two or three planes. In all other respects , the fifth-generation aircraft have roughly the same design as the previous models.

Materials

The appearance of the technique does not allow you to judge many other parameters that are inaccessible to the eye. The new fighter of the fifth generation T-50 is made not only of titanium and aluminum alloys, to a large extent (almost half), its design is made using composite plastic materials. Technological achievements of chemical products opened the way for the use of polymers for the manufacture of parts that had previously been made only of metal. This immediately solved a number of problems: the weight became lower, the danger of operational corrosion also decreased, but the main effect was a low visibility for air defense. Polymer chains serve as a kind of dampener, suppressing high-frequency radiation. Recent advances in this field have found application in the materials for the manufacture of T-50. Fighter of the fifth generation should be super maneuverable, low-noticeable and have supersonic high-speed characteristics. Consequently, it needs to be lightweight, durable and reflect as little as possible of high-frequency radiation.

Raptor is the first pancake

Americans were pioneers in the implementation of the principles of the fifth generation of fighter aircraft. They also tasted the first bitter fruit of experience.

Low radar visibility, which became an urgent necessity in the conditions of modern war, created a huge number of problems for aircraft designers. Representations about aerodynamics had to be revised, which markedly worsened the flying qualities. And suffered and strength. "Raptor" can withstand less pressure than the "Phantom", the former "workhorse" of the US Air Force still during the Vietnam War (4.95g / 0.8 max at F-22 against 5.50g / 0.8 max at F-4E ). Its speed is also lower than that of aircraft developed in the late 50's, and received combat experience in the 60's.

Modest flight performance is also due to the need for in-body placement of weapons. MiGs, Phantoms and Tomcats carried missiles under their wings, and almost all of their interior space was occupied by the power plant, fuel tanks, crew cabins, avionics and other important junctions. Clearly, the extra volume worsens aerodynamics. And this entails very serious consequences. If the "Raptor" is still found, and on it the enemy will release a rocket, then all that remains to the pilot, is to eject beforehand. Get away from the impact of a little chance.

It is worth an American aircraft about 350 million. One hour of his flight, considering the operating costs and labor costs of the pilot "pulls" at $ 44,000. It is expensive. Raptor F-22 has already been discontinued.

Chinese "black eagle"

In China, jet fighters began to build with a delay of one generation. At the dawn of the national aviation industry, there were no own designs, Soviet aircraft were copied. Therefore, their "Stells" J-20 Chinese modestly attributed to the fourth generation, although according to the world standards, it rather corresponds to the fifth. Little is known about Cheng, but judging by its appearance, in many respects it remains the bearer of the ideas of Soviet designers.

The unsuccessful MiG-1.44 project inspired Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation engineers to create a similar composite scheme. From Russian planes "Black Eagle", as they also called the J-20, also received engines. For the fifth-generation fighter of the T-50, the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau provided two-circuit power plants with a vector of thrust alternating in two planes. The details are unknown, but the thrust of the two engines is up to 18 tons, which is certainly more than the J-20.

Another American

In the late eighties in the United States began an ambitious program for the rearmament of the Marine Corps. To replace the Hornet F-18, a new aircraft was required, possessing some of the signs of the next generation of aircraft. The task was complicated by the two requirements set by the Pentagon: the possibility of naval ship-based and as low as possible. The aircraft developed by the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning Company (Molniya) won the competition. According to its flight and operational characteristics, as well as its combat qualities, it is inferior even to Russian interceptors of the Su-35 class. The T-50, the fifth-generation fighter, far exceeds it in almost all respects.

How to identify the leader?

Currently, three planes can theoretically claim for prizes when choosing the best modern interceptor. In this case, it seems a difficult task to compare the fifth-generation fighters themselves. T-50, F-22, J-20 and even F-35 are secret samples, the details of their designs constitute state secrets, and they can be judged only by those fragmentary information that still leaked to the press during their exhibition shows. Still, certain conclusions can be drawn.

Comparison of "Dry" with "Raptor"

Due to the lack of detailed technical information, it makes sense to use the simplest method of estimation, geometric. PAK-FA is larger than the Raptor, therefore, more rockets or guided bombs can fit into its weapon compartments. So it is, according to published data, he carries 10 SD in the fuselage and 6 more under the wings (in F-22, respectively, 12 and 4). At the same time, Western experts point to the deterioration of secrecy in the use of external suspension systems, but Russian engineers vaguely hint that they own the technology "Plasma-stealth" that level this defect. To judge about whose fighter of the 5th generation is better, it is possible and on the radius of combat use. The T-50 can overcome 5,5 thousand km, while the F-22 is only 3,2 thousand km. Advantages of the "Raptor" are manifested in a special system of thermal trace dispersion, as well as in a radar operating with the optimum radiation power. Both of these features make it difficult for infrared detection. It also has a high supersonic cruising speed (1.8 maha, like the T-50), which allows him to quickly arrive at the place of air combat. And what's next?

Supposed fight

Maneuverability of the Russian fighter of the fifth generation T-50 is much better than that of the American interceptor F-22. This, for all other comparable parameters, determines success in a modern air battle, judging by the military experience of recent decades. In this case, both aircraft were created to solve a variety of tasks, including for strikes against ground targets. Unlike the American "colleague", the Russian T-50, a fifth-generation fighter, may also be a supersonic attack aircraft, while the "Raptor" before the shot needs to slow down.

Without detracting from the merits of the American interceptor, it can be assumed that in the case of air combat, other things being equal, success will accompany the Russian aircraft more often than the American one. Specialists even call the approximate ratio of possible losses: one to four. In practice, it is better not to check this figure.