Publication

This study initially performs a historical analysis of air-to-air combat from 1965 to the present. It then uses its collected data to assess 1) how advances in sensors, weapons, and communication technologies have changed air combat, and 2) what these changes mean for future aircraft designs and operational concepts. In the latter case, the author concludes that some attributes traditionally associated with fighter aircraft (extreme speed and maneuverability) are being outstripped by attributes normally associated with bombers (sensors, weapons payloads and range). As a result, future ‘fighters’ and ‘bombers’ may converge into similar, if not overlapping systems.