Air Force Fighters

By: Braden Rush

Hello. In this article, I am going to be writing about a few of the Air Force Jets, mainly US, that I find interesting. These jets are the F- 22, F-35, A-10, F-18, Su 57, and J 20. I will also be talking about some features of these vehicles, which ones I think are superior, and just random things like which one I would want to fly. 

I will be talking about the A-10 first, just because it’s the oldest and one of the cooler jets in my opinion. The A-10 was first introduced in March of 1977. It has two General Electric TF34-GE 100 turbofan engines, a titanium cockpit, and a larger wing than other jets like the F-18. The most unique thing about the A-10 is having a GAU-8 Avenger 30mm hydraulic driven seven barrel-type cannon. This gun will shoot 3900 bullets of American Freedom the size of beer cans in a single minute! It can also carry bombs, air-to-ground missiles, and guided bombs. I think it would be awesome to fly the A-10, but at the same time, they are going to start retiring it this next year. 

The next jet is the F-18, which was first introduced on January 7th, 1983. The F-18 is pretty much a multi-role jet, however, it is primarily used as a fighter escort and fleet air defense. Overall the F-18 is average in every aspect which is what it was made to be; versatile. The F-18 can be used as a fighter, close air support, escort, etc. 

Next is the F-22 stealth fighter jet. I would like to fly this aircraft because right now it’s considered the best air superiority fighter. It has the average armament, an M61A2 20mm Gatling gun. It can carry up to 6 Air to Air missiles called AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two more called AIM-9 Sidewinders. While the F-22 is primarily an air superiority fighter, it can be used as a ground attacker too. The main thing that makes the F-22 different from prior jets other than the F-35, J-20, and Su-57 is its stealth technology. Stealth may not seem super impressive but it can be incredibly good. For instance, in Iran, there was an Mq-1 predator drone and the Iran AF sent two F-4 Phantoms to shoot it down. Little did they know there were two F-22s. The F-22s went under the F-4 phantoms without them ever noticing, checked their payload, and then revealed themselves. 

Finally, the F-35 is thought to be probably the most advanced jet fighter in the world. It is pretty much an F-22 but, like I said, more advanced, and can be used as a multi-role fighter much more effectively. The F-35 can only take four air-to-air missiles, but it is easier to fly and is more modern with small but important features like a targeting helmet. The helmet the F-35 pilots wear also allows them to literally look through their aircraft. The F-35 also has stealth and the F-35 stealth coatings are much easier to maintain than the F-22s. 

Ok, now onto the J-20. I won’t be able to tell you a lot about this aircraft. It’s China’s only 5th-generation jet and it’s pretty much an F-22 or F-35 with stealth. Maybe not be as effective stealth but otherwise, it is just a worse F-22. It might be less maneuverable due to its larger size, while the F-22 can sustain quicker speeds for longer periods without using the afterburner. However, the J-20 can travel longer distances than the F-22, but can’t fly as high. That is all I could find about the J-20.

The Su-57, Russia’s most advanced fighter jet, is probably the most unique fighter jet I will talk about. The Su-57 doesn’t focus on stealth technology, but it can carry newer and farther-range missiles. It also has greater maneuverability than the F-22 and has 6 radars instead of just 1 single radar. The Su-57 can also operate without a radar signature using infrared sensors and can fly around twice as much distance as the F-35 and F-22 can.

In my opinion, I think the F-35 is the best just because it’s the most modern jet in the world right now. I think the main thing that makes it better is its multi-role capabilities and the helmet so you get better visibility and targeting.