J-20 5th Gen Fighter Thread VIII
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Absolutely majority of modern fighters are mach 2 limited. Doing more costs money, takes structural compromises and research (especially for stealth aircraft, as you need your absorbing coatings and edge treatment to somehow survive long exposure to high temperatures, and this is very contradictory). All the trouble for something that in 99.99% situations is absolutely useless.
Every next typical speed limit (M=2.13, 2.35, 2.55) is determined by materials and not by engines, and you can see that the older plane design is, the higher the mach limit. Simply because it was but a redundant appendix of 3rd generation, slowly going down to useful levels.
The only exception in the world is Mig-31, because it's very specifically built and meant to dash around at high mach, achieving intercept points over endless northern Russia in time.
It also destroys RAM on stealth aircraft.
The "Mach 2" is not necessarily constrained by the engines. The SU57 and F22 also have the "Mach 2" limit.
I was under the impression that the F-22 could, *technically speaking*, reach Mach 2.25 at altitude with afterburners, whereas the Su-57 could reach Mach 2.45 - albeit obviously doing so would negatively impact stealth coatings and increase IR signature.
F-22 can reach (and has reached in trials) a lot more than Mach2 with the afterburner on, but it is tactically pointless, especially given its high altitude super-cruise speed. It is also taxing the airframe and the engines, while being damaging to the RAM coating.
You will never see them zooming at this speed in service.
You will never see them zooming at this speed in service.
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YF-22 did, not F-22. It had adjustable intakes (for the original specified Vmax of M=2.6), but, just as important, it didn't have actual RAM coatings. Composites(if we want to decrease weight) don't like crossing over M=2 either.
F-22 is already temperature limited, even for it's rather short super cruise capability, and you want it to go faster still.
Tactically pointless - it most definitely isn't. It just was prohibitively expensive on a stealth fighter on ca.1990 technology, especially after 1991.
Treat all stories about speeds over mach 2 for modern fighters that don't list it specifically as more or less hunters tales.
Wow! She is a very beautiful beast flying out of the border of my imagination. Thanks for sharing.A nice image for mid-week.
