Cool Top 10

Since the end of one of the bloodiest international conflicts, the Second World War, the world has witnessed a maddening arms race that has engulfed just about every nation on the planet. The Korean War of 1950s witnessed the rise of machines that were designed to bring mayhem on the enemy. Then came the Cold War between the U.S and the Soviet Union, that brought about the space age and an enormous leap into advanced weaponry. But the Cold War also brought along with it an insatiable appetite of both these countries to become the master of the skies.

Aviation as the world knew about 50 years ago, has seen a radical change, especially in the field of military aviation. Even after the break up of the Soviet Union, the newly formed Russian Federation continued to make advancements in military technologies and so did the U.S. Today, in the 21st century, air forces around the world have been equipped with state of the art fighter aircrafts that have greatly benefited from technological breakthroughs in avionics, detections and weapon systems. Hence, we decided to come up with our very own ten of the best fighters and bombers post second world war, that have seen combat and proven themselves time and time again.

• F-15E Strike Eagle: Introduced in the year 1988, the F-15E Strike Eagle is an all weather ground attack strike fighter, that was designed and developed to replace the aging F-111 Aardvark in the U.S Air Force. The Strike Eagle was conceived for long range missions, where the aircraft could conduct various combat roles with a high degree of accuracy, equally complimented with greater speeds. The F-15E Strike Eagle proved to be of immense value during Operation Desert Storm and the Operation Allied Force, in which NATO air forces pounded high value Serbian military and civilian targets.

• F-18 Super Hornet: The U.S Navy carrier task forces are known to operate some of the biggest fleet of carrier based fighter aircraft in the world. One of the most lethal and agile warplanes in the U.S Navy arsenal is the F-18 Super Hornet, that has been designed and developed to phase out its predecessor, F-18 Hornet and F-14 Tomcat. The Super Hornet is a carrier based multi role aircraft, capable of intercepting air targets, as well as providing close air support to the ground troops. It can carry a vast armada of air to air and air to ground weapons and is also capable of mid air refueling.

• Eurofighter Typhoon: Termed as one of the most advanced multi role fighter ever to be built in Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon is a join project between three European aircraft manufacturers. This incredible super sonic fighter features a canard-delta wing and has also been embedded with a state of the art speech recognition system. With the help of the Supercruise system, the Typhoon is capable of achieving super sonic speeds without lighting its afterburners and the fighter features enhanced air to ground ordinance delivery capabilities.

• B-2 Spirit: The backbone of the U.S defence doctrine and an inseparable element against armed hostile deterrence, the B-2 Spirit or more commonly known as the ‘Stealth Bomber’ is a stealth capable bomber under the command of the U.S Air Force. The B-2 is capable of delivering both conventional as well as nuclear weapons deep inside enemy territory, by penetrating hostile radar nets with zero traces. This incredible and near electronically invisible bomber was called into service during the Kosovo War in 1999, to take out designated Serbian military targets and has since then witnessed its fair share of action in Iraq and Afghanistan. The B-2 carriers a crew of two and can be deployed across the globe from any U.S air base.

• F-117 Nighthawk: Another stealth marvel in the U.S air force, the F-117 Nighthawk is most prominently known for its incredible assault on Iraqi military targets during the initial days of Operation Desert Storm. The F-117 is a stealth ground attack aircraft that was revealed to the world in the year 1988. In the year 2008, the Nighthawk was promptly retired since the advent of the much more advanced F-22 Raptor. Even though the F-117 is a stealth based aircraft, still, during the Kosovo War, one of the F-117s operating in the region was confirmed shot down by Serbian forces, using a Russian surface to air anti aircraft missile system, the SA-3 Goa.

• Su-27 Flanker: Considered as one of the best multi role and naval fighter aircraft in the world, Su-27, designated ‘Flanker’ by NATO, Su-27 has been a consistent balance keeper in the Russian armed forces. Designed and developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the Flanker was created to give stark competition to the American F-16 multi role fighter. The Flanker boasts of long range and is equally complimented with numerous weapon system platforms and advanced avionics.

• Su 30 MKI: Developed under a joint venture between Russia and India, Su-30 MKI (NATO designation- Flanker-H) is one of the foremost air superiority fighters in the world. The MKI is an advance variation of Sukhoi Su-30 and was designed exclusively for the Indian Air Force. The MKI is capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear payloads and is also composed of Israeli and French sub-systems. The Su-30 MKI saw intensive simulated action during a joint USAF- IAF combat exercise, where even without the application of thrust vectoring technology, the MKI left its mark as a potent and decisive fighter.

• F-35 JSF: Also known as the Joint Striker Fighter, the F-35 is a fifth generation stealth multi role fighter and is the culmination of technological advances made in military aviation by the U.S, U.K and other European nations. The F-35 when inducted in to service will be available in three variants including, conventional take off, SVTOL (Short Vertical Take Off & Landing) and an aircraft carrier landing variant. This incredible fighter aircrafts boasts of superior stealth capabilities, advanced weapon systems and state of the art avionics. One of the most significant feature of the F-35 JSF is its revolutionary ‘Helmet Mounted Display System’, that enables the pilots to lock on to targets, without having to manoeuvre the aircraft to the target’s location. This feature includes radio frequency and infra red situational awareness to keep the pilot updated of both friendly and hostile elements.

• F-14 Tomcat: The legendary F-14 Tomcat, that inspired the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Top Gun’ is a super sonic, air superiority fighter and was a primary fighter for the U.S navy. The Tomcat was most often used to maintain a CAP over the carriers. The Tomcat during its service from 1976 to 2006 carried out numerous responsibilities including fleet defense interception and tactical reconnaissance, as well as precision strike missions. The F-14 Tomcat was officially retired from service in the year 2006, as it was replaced by F-18 Super Hornet. In the year 1994, the Tomcat was given a crucial upgrade, where in the fighter was fitted with the LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night)  targeting pod system, that provided the F-14 with forward looking infra red capabilities, as well as a laser designator, so as to deliver smart bombs on varied targets.

• F-22 Raptor: As against more known styles, us on the other hand have saved the best for the last. Presenting the F-22 Raptor, the crown jewel of the U.S Air Force, that was inducted into service in the year 2007. The F-22 Raptor is a stealth based fifth generation fighter aircraft and besides conducting its primary objective of achieving air superiority, it has also been designed to conduct other crucial operations including electronic warfare and signals intelligence. The Raptor is also equipped with Super cruise technology and the cockpit of the aircraft is completely digitized with enhanced life support systems. To maintain its active stealth profile, the aircraft carries all weapons internally. The Raptor can even deliver conventional JDAMs and Small diameter bombs as well as carry nuclear payloads, with the inclusion of long and short range air to air ordinance.