Third generation (1960s) The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was the first operational attack aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. This aircraft carries AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on wingtip launchers. Studies showed that 45 percent of Vietnam-era AIM-7s and 37 percent of AIM-9s failed to either launch or lock on, and after evasive maneuvers, the probability of achieving a kill fell to eight percent and 15 percent for the two types, respectively. The weapons officer in the rear-seat could operate the planes advanced radar, communication and weapons systems while the pilot focused on flying. Unlike the terms fighter plane and fighter aircraft which are incredibly broad terms used to describe any fixed-wing aircraft designed for air-to-air combat missions, a generation fighter can only be used to refer to a jet-powered fighter (fighter jet). Such aircraft had previously been large transport types adapted for the role, but information technology had advanced to the point that a much smaller and more agile plane could now carry the necessary data systems. Some designers resorted to variable geometry or vectored thrust in an attempt to reconcile these opposites. So they began searching for another way to power their aircraft: jet propulsion. To do this, brand new turbofan engines were installed on third gen fighters, which were more fuel efficient than the turbojets used up until then, thus extending range. Replacement of analog avionics, required to enable FBW operations, became a fundamental requirement as legacy analog computer systems began to be replaced by digital flight-control systems in the latter half of the 1980s. Thrust vectoring was originally introduced in the Hawker Siddeley Harrier for vertical takeoff and landing, and pilots soon developed the technique of "viffing", or vectoring in forward flight, to enhance manoeuverability. Fourth Generation Fighter types incude the American F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, the Chengdu J-10 and the MiG-29 Fulcrum . Generation 1: Jet propulsion Generation 2: Swept wings; range-only radar; infrared missiles Generation 3: Supersonic speed; pulse radar; able to shoot at targets beyond visual range.. Combined with a thrust-to-weight ratio above unity, this enabled it to maintain near-zero airspeed at high angles of attack without stalling, and perform novel aerobatics such as Pugachev's Cobra. The F-4 saw extensive use in Israeli service, scoring 116 air-to-air kills against the Egyptian and Syrian air forces, starting in 1969 during the War of Attrition. Though most were originally designed expressly as fighters, many air forces used them in multirole capacities, particularly as fighter-bombers, interceptors and night fighters (by virtue of their advanced onboard radars). The Israeli Phantoms primary targetand most deadly foeduring these campaigns were Arab surface-to-air missile batteries. In response to the increasing American emphasis on radar-evading stealth designs, Russia turned to alternate sensors, with emphasis on IRST sensors, first introduced on the American F-101 Voodoo and F-102 Delta Dagger fighters in the 1960s, for detection and tracking of airborne targets. Guidance for such precision-guided munitions (PGM) was provided by externally mounted targeting pods, which were introduced in the mid-1960s. This aircraft was initially offered as a candidate for a U.S. lightweight fighter, but became extremely popular as an export finding its niche in the overseas market. These are the manly maturation of 2nd generation and addition of innovation. With variable-geometry wings, the supersonic F-111 introduced the Pratt & Whitney TF30, the first turbofan equipped with afterburner. An aircraft with negative static stability, though, in the absence of control input, will readily deviate from level and controlled flight. Currently, the Swiss F-5N Replacement Program replaces the present high-time Navy F-5Es with low-time F-5Ns allowing the USN/USMC to operate the F-5N aircraft to Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The third-generation jet fighter was the class of fighters developed between the early 1960s to the 1970s. This is a list of military aircraft that are primarily designed for air-to-air combat and thus does not include aircraft intended for other roles where they have some secondary air-to-air capability, such as with many ground attack aircraft. As these appeared piecemeal, designers returned to the fighter first and foremost, but with support, roles mapped out as anticipated developments. The U.S. explored fitting the technology to the F-16 and the F-15, but did not introduce it until the fifth generation arrived. The Phantom reportedly acquitted itself well versus Iraqi MiGs, and carried out several long-range raids on the Iraqi airfields. In one engagement on the first day of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, 28 Egyptian MiGs attacked Ofir Air Base. Fourth Generation - 1970 to 1990 Editorial Team F 16 Fighting Falcon The F-4 saw extensive use in Israeli service, scoring 116 air-to-air kills against the Egyptian and Syrian air forces, starting in 1969 during the War of Attrition. This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 14:46. As the war progressed, so did the sophistication of fighter aircraft. By most accounts, Korea was the point of no return for first generation fighters. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. [18], Following the mixed successes of the multirole generation, advanced technologies were being developed, such as fly-by-wire, composite materials, thrust-to-weight ratios greater than unity, hypermaneuverability, advanced digital avionics and sensors such as synthetic radar and infrared search-and-track, and stealth. Powered by twin Guizhou WP-13B engines with afterburners, the J-8 top out at Mach 1.8. The F-4s primary problem was that it had no built-in cannon. Not really. The Pentagon later converted some into QF-4 target practice drones. More. There is a printable worksheet available for download here so you can take the quiz with pen and paper. A squadron of Chinese J-7 fighter jets in 1999. and integrated engines. A number of new 4.5 generation types are being developed in the 2020s, post the emergence of the true 5th generation and contemporaneous with 6th generation aircraft development, these include the HAL Tejas MK 1A, CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder Block 3, and KAI KF-21 Boramae.[23][13][9]. (Recommended: How to Win a War with China). Whilst many air forces maintain fourth generation fighters in their arsenal, most are beginning to move away from them as they are increasingly becoming obsolete in modern military aviation. Just compare it to F-15 Eagle. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As advances in stealthy materials and design methods enabled smoother airframes, such technologies began to be retrospectively applied to existing fighter aircraft. The real-life Top Gun pilots soar through the skies in F-35 fighter jets. Late to the party, the J-8B was a third gen fighter while the competition had moved on. Air-to-surface missiles (ASM) equipped with electro-optical (E-O) contrast seekers such as the initial model of the widely used AGM-65 Maverick became standard weapons, and laser-guided bombs (LGBs) became widespread in effort to improve precision-attack capabilities. The Russian MiG-31 interceptor also has some datalink capability. There are presently several fifth generation fighters under development, such as the TAI TFX in Turkey and Sukhoi Su-75 in Russia. The Panavia Tornado remained multi-role and developed a defensive/offensive sensor, avionics and weapons suite especially capable of anti-radar and anti-missile ground attack, while the Lockheed F-117 introduced stealth as a design concept. Propulsion: (2) J85-GE-21C turbojet engines each producing 5,000 pounds (2,273 kg) of thrust. The changes in the fighter combat conception, new air-to-air guided missiles and the results . ", "Characterization of Radar Cross Section of Carbon Fiber Composite Materials", "Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Analysis 2002. Supercruise is the ability of a jet aircraft to cruise at supersonic speeds without using an afterburner. [25], With the fifth generation slowly coming into service, attention turned to a replacement sixth generation. The Phantom still sees service. The General Dynamics YF-16, eventually developed into the F-16 Fighting Falcon, was the world's first aircraft intentionally designed to be slightly aerodynamically unstable. The actual number of air-to-air kills remains disputed. The third generation was a continuation in researches of advanced avionics, aerodynamics performance and air guided missiles. Coupled with inventions and advances in other technologies like fly-by-wire, composite materials and digital avionics, fourth generation fighters were designed to be fighters first and foremost but adaptable enough that air forces could use them in the same multirole capacities their third generation forebearers had. ", "HAL Tejas, the strongest fighter plane of its generation, developed indigenously by India. F-8 Crusader (USA)1957 3rd generation fighter jet. In 1972, an F-4 piloted by Maj. Phil Handley shot down a MiG-19 with his planes gunthe only recorded aerial gun kill performed at supersonic speed. First shown in 1960, the J-8 appeared in various . [3] A NASA web publication divides jet development into five stages; pioneer (straight wing), swept wing, transonic, the 1960s and 1970s on, culminating in types such as the F-15, F-16 and AV-8A. KAI KF-21 Boramae is a purpose-built joint South Korean/Indonesian 4.5-generation fighter program. in the horizontal plane) and can be deflected 15 in the vertical plane. Classification of fighter aircraft c.19702000. Third gen fighters were also designed to host an equally wide range of weapons, from air-to-air missiles, to air-to-surface missiles and laser guided bombs (LGBs). From the start of the new millennium, advanced systems concepts such as smart helmets, sensor/data fusion and subsidiary attack drones were becoming realities. Baker 2018, Chapter 3: Generation Rising. The aircraft serves in an aggressor-training role with simulation capability of current threat aircraft in fighter combat mode. Jet fighter generations classify the major technology leaps in the historical development of the jet fighter. A European consortium GTDAR is developing an AESA Euroradar CAPTOR radar for future use on the Typhoon. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraftan icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. These measure IR radiation from targets. McDonnell Douglas F-15E/EX Strike Eagle/Eagle II, "CRS RL33543: Tactical Aircraft Modernization", "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)", "Russia to Upgrade Su-30SM Fighter Jets in 2018", "A Liability Called Rafale | Point of View", "Is Japan Facing a Shortage of Fighter Aircraft? [4], In the 1990s, a different division came into use in Russia, where a "fifth generation" fighter was proposed as a counter to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The American Century series such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, as well as the Russian MiG-21, English Electric Lightning and French Dassault Mirage III were typical of this era. However, they can be separated into one of five different categories, known as generations based on their age, tactical configuration and the technology found onboard. New J79 engines even dealt with the problem of the F-4s visible black smoke. Instead, it relied entirely on newly-introduced air-to-air missilesthe radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow, the heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder and the older AIM-4 Falcon. Some late derivatives of the early types, such as the F-15SA Strike Eagle for Saudi Arabia, have included upgrading to FBW. Almost all avionics on these aircraft are digital, with the aircraft being programmed through millions of lines of code. Indeed, the notion of a generation fighter isnt even that old: it was coined in the 1990s and is generally associated with the US aviation industry by the international community as a whole. However, the Phantoms proliferated around the world. ", "Air Force Looks at the Benefits of Using CPCs on F-16 Black Boxes. Despite a design dating back to the early 1960s, the J-8 is a capable third gen fighter. The F-15, which entered service in 1975, is emblematic of fourth-generation fighter aircraft that remain the mainstay of modern air forces today. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraft an icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. 3rd Generation Jet Fighters Quiz Information. It was now possible to combine the C3, fighter and ground support roles in a single, agile aircraft. For the most part, this was done independently by aircraft manufacturers on an ad hoc (and rather limited) basis. The early Phantoms could carry 18,000 pounds of munitionsthree times what the huge B-17 bombers of World War II typically carried. The Phantom still sees service. Interceptor types emerging after the war used after-burning engines to give Mach 2 performance, while radar and infrared homing missiles greatly improved their accuracy and firepower. With more reliable and longer-range radars becoming more and more widespread, manufacturers have had to design fifth gen fighters to have as minimal radar cross-sections (how much it reflects radar signals) as possible. Yet whilst the war in Vietnam made the F-4 a household name on both sides of the Iron Curtain, it also revealed the fundamental flaws in third generation aircraft technology just as the Korean War had done for first generation fighters a decade earlier. You May Also Like: 5 Best Submarines of All Time, 5 Best Aircraft Carriers of All Time, 5 Best Battleships of All Time and Worst Submarine of All Time. Its a heavy, twin-engine, two-seat fighterand an agile dogfighter. The F-5N is a single seat, twin-engine, tactical fighter and attack aircraft providing simulated air-to-air combat training manufactured by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Types such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, General Dynamics F-111, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, Sukhoi Su-17, Shenyang J-8, and Hawker Siddeley Harrier had varying degrees of success. The North Vietnamese MiGs, equipped with both cannons and missiles (on the MiG-21), would outmaneuver the heavier F-4, which for all its speed, was not especially agile. On the other hand, the rules-of-engagement over Vietnam prohibited U.S. pilots from shooting at unidentified targets beyond visual range, further crippling the advantages of the missiles. It is one of the best fighter jets in the world. Despite a design dating back to the early 1960s, the J-8 is a capable third gen fighter. [2] Other schemes comprising five generations up to around the same period have since been described, although the demarcation lines between generations differ. Early fourth-generation fighters like the F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat retained electromechanical flight hydraulics. But aerial warfare didnt truly become widespread until WWI, leading to the first so-called fighter aircraft, like the Fokker Eindecker and Sopwith Camel, which were specifically designed for aerial combat. The 4.5-generation fighters are therefore generally less expensive, less complex, and have a shorter development time than true fifth-generation aircraft, while maintaining capabilities significantly in advance of those of the original fourth generation. WWII-style manual guns werent particularly effective at the speeds most first gen fighters flew at, necessitating the need for much faster air-to-air missiles. The United States defines 4.5-generation fighter aircraft as fourth-generation jet fighters that have been upgraded with AESA radar, high-capacity data-link, enhanced avionics, and "the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments". The General Dynamics F-16 introduced electronic flight control and wing-body blending, while the Saab 37 Viggen broke new ground in aerodynamic configuration with its canard foreplanes. Using this method, German MiG-29 using helmet-displayed IRST systems were able to acquire a missile lock with greater efficiency than USAF F-16 in wargame exercises. Two sub-variants of the Phantom also distinguished themselvesthe RF-4 photo reconnaissance plane, optimized for speed, and the Wild Weasel, specialized in attacking enemy surface-to-air missiles defenses. The RBE2-AESA can also be retrofitted on the Mirage 2000. In the past, high-flying radars had trouble detecting low-flying aircraft because the radar waves bouncing off the ground created a cluttering effect. These aging aircraft will be replaced by low-houred F-5N/F acquired from the Swiss Air Force surplus by United States Navy (USN). [12] The technology has been fitted to the Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut and later derivatives. It would serve well as an all-weather bomber, but lacked the performance to defeat other fighters. South Korea still has 71 F-4Es (only modestly upgraded) in its 17th Fighter Wing. The Phantom reportedly acquitted itself well versus Iraqi MiGs, and carried out several long-range raids on the Iraqi airfields. The earliest jet fighters appeared during and after the last years of World War II. Modern F-4s can also fire the full range of modern ordnance such as the advanced AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile with a range of 65 miles, precision-guided munitions such as the AGM-65 Maverick, and late model Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. Before, some Phantom units made do with external gun pods that vibrated excessively. More than 5,000 of these heavy supersonic fighters were built, and hundreds continue to serve and even see combat in several air forces today. [28], John W.R. Taylor and John F. Guilmartin; ". While the DAPA calls the KF-21 a 4.5-generation fighter jet because it lacks, for instance, an internal weapons bay that increases stealthiness, analysts say it may be able to fly higher and . Whilst most third gen fighters have been retired from active military service, a select few remain in service, such as the Mirage III with the Pakistani Air Force. The advent of more economical turbofan engines brought extended range and sortie times, while increased thrust could only partly deliver better performance and manoeuvrability across the speed range. However, the F-4s problems began to recede. The only other frontline fighter to serve in all three services before or since is the F-35. Third-generation jet fighter (1965-1975) The archetype of this generation is the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the US jet fighter model with the highest production number to date. 3M claims the earplugs were safe. Vietnam had been a war that didnt just need multirole fighter-bombers, but aircraft that were as maneuverable as they fast. ", "Air-Attack.com Su-30MK AL-31FP engines two-dimensional thrust vectoring", "Eurofighter capability, p. 53. Worse, American pilots werent trained for close range dogfights, as the Air Force assumed air-to-air engagements would occur at long range with missiles. 10/10 Shenyang J-8B Finback (Mach 1.8) China's first home-produced supersonic fighter? [16] Notable types which took part in the Korean War of 1950-53 include the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and the North American F-86 Sabre. Technological advances in aerodynamics, propulsion and aerospace building materials . For the purposes of this article, we will be using the most widely used and accepted consensus regarding which aircraft are in which generation and the notion of five generations over four. [11] The MiG-35 with its RD-33OVT engines with the vectored thrust nozzles allows it to be the first twin-engined aircraft with vectoring nozzles that can move in two directions (that is, 3D TVC). Enhancements to improve the aerodynamic performance of third-generation fighters included flight control surfaces such as canards, powered slats, and blown flaps. Powered by twin Guizhou WP-13B engines with afterburners, the J-8 top out at Mach 1.8. Their wide-scale use revealed the immense shortfalls of first gen fighters; theyd advanced so much but still had a long way to go. These aircraft are assigned to Government facilities, namely, NAS Key West, Florida, MCAS Yuma, Arizona, and NAS Fallon, Nevada. Ralph Wetterhahn Air & Space Magazine, January 01, 2009, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia. This arrived in the form of the American 'Century Series' fighters encompassing speed-minded developments such as the F-100 'Super Sabre', F-102 'Delta Dagger', and F-105 'Thunderchief' in the West and the MiG-19 'Farmer' and MiG-21 'Fishbed' in the East. Infrared-homing AAMs saw their fields of view expand to 45, which strengthened their tactical usability. The Israelis pioneered the art of Phantom upgrades in the 1980s with the Phantom 2000 Kurnass, or Sledgehammer. Though retired from Israeli service in 2004, Israeli firms went on to upgrade Greeces 41 Peace Icarus Phantoms, equipping them with ANPG-65 pulse-Doppler radars and the ability to fire AMRAAM missiles. It also led to the development of new automatic-fire weapons, primarily chain-guns that use an electric motor to drive the mechanism of a cannon; this allowed a single multi-barrel weapon (such as the 20mm Vulcan) to be carried and provided greater rates of fire and accuracy. ; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may . SAMs accounted for most of the 36 Israeli Phantoms lost in action. The exact criteria for the various generation steps are not universally agreed on and are subject to some controversy. One of the innovations on fourth-generation jet fighters is FBW, while generation 4.5 introduced AESA radar. Easyby integrating the same modern hardware used in the fourth generation. When hes not writing his latest aviation article, he can be found planespotting, reading up on on aviation news or in the cockpit of his favorite aircraft! As combat aircraft are essentially weapons platforms, these capabilities mean that the F-4s can handle most of the same offensive tasks a fourth-generation F-15 or Su-27 fighter can do. When the F-4 came out it in 1958 it was a revolutionary designone that went on to set several aviation records. Five generations are now commonly recognized, with the fifth representing the latest generation in service (as of 2012). So far, almost every aspect of 21st century life has been defined by increased digitization. Just compare it to F-15 Eagle. Single-Seat Supersonic Interceptor Aircraft, Single-Seat, Single-Engine Supersonic Interceptor Aircraft, Long-Range Strategic Medium Bomber / Tactical Strike Aircraft, VTOL Strike / Reconnaissance / Trainer Aircraft, Single-Seat High-Speed Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft, Multirole / Carrierbased Fighter / Strike Fighter Aircraft, Twin-Engine Interceptor / Reconnaissance Aircraft, Single-Seat Jet-Powered Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft, Supersonic Jet-Powered Fighter / Interceptor Aircraft, Single-Seat Fighter-Bomber / Air Superiority / Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, Single-Seat Fighter-Bomber / Reconnaissance / Wild Weasel. [12][clarification needed] Some accounts have subdivided the 4th generation into 4 and 4.5, or 4+ and 4++. Such capabilities may include advanced sensor integration, AESA radar, supercruise capability, supermaneuverability, broad multi-role capability, and reduced radar cross-section.[20]. ", "Did China downgrade its J-20 stealth fighter from 5th generation to 4th? Easyby integrating the same modern hardware used in the fourth generation. In practice, air-to-air missiles of the time, despite being responsible for the vast majority of air-to-air victories, were relatively unreliable, and combat would quickly become subsonic and close-range. In addition to this, many are painted with radar-absorbing paint, so that those radar signals that do get reflected back at the radar (remember: stealth doesnt mean invisible it just means less visible) are considerably weaker, and thus spoof the radar. Similarly, new aerodynamic inventions such as swing wings and/or variable thrust were used on many third gen fighters, helping increase both speed and range as well. For example, the F-15C Eagle, first produced in 1978, has received upgrades in 2007 such as AESA radar and joint helmet-mounted cueing system, and is scheduled to receive a 2040C upgrade to keep it in service until 2040. At the same time, the increasing cost of military aircraft in general and the demonstration of the success of aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II gave rise to the popularity of multi-role fighter aircraft in line . The Phantom is approaching the capabilities of fourth-generation fighters. Despite numerous shortcomings that would be not be fully addressed until newer fighters, the Phantom claimed 280 aerial kills, more than any other U.S. fighter over Vietnam. As third gen fighters would no longer just be flying quick sorties, and instead needed much longer in the air to complete their missions, manufacturers put an even greater emphasis on increasing range and speed. But its somewhat of an anomaly. [21][22] The Super Hornet was also fitted with IRST [23] although not integrated but rather as a pod that needs to attached on one of the hardpoints. With no war to fight, few new fighters were put into production during the 1920s and manufacturers ceased research into developing new ones. They were expected to carry a wide range of weapons and other ordnance, such as air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs, while also being able to engage in air-to-air interception beyond visual range. Other existing thrust-vectoring aircraft, like the F-22, have nozzles that vector in one direction. Key advances contributing to enhanced maneuverability in the fourth generation include high engine thrust, powerful control surfaces, and relaxed static stability (RSS), this last enabled via "fly-by-wire" computer-controlled stability augmentation. Their supporting avionics included pulse-doppler radar, off-sight targeting and terrain-warning systems. These aircraft placed an emphasis on a multi-role capability. It is China's third-generation supersonic fighter and made its debut . Also From TNI: Donald Trump: Best President Ever? The swan song of the Israeli Phantom force came during Israels 1982 intervention in the War in Lebanon, when Phantomsescorted by new F-15s and F-16swiped out all 30 of Syrias SAM batteries in the Bekaa Valley in one day without losing a single plane in Operation Mole Cricket 19. Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, which induces an aircraft to return to its original attitude following a disturbance. Many 4.5 generation fighters incorporate some low-observable features. Growth in air combat capability focused on the introduction of improved air-to-air missiles, radar systems, and other avionics. While the trade-offs involved in combat aircraft design are again shifting towards beyond visual range (BVR) engagement, the management of the advancing environment of numerous information flows in the modern battlespace, and low-observability, arguably at the expense of maneuvering ability in close combat, the application of thrust vectoring provides a way to maintain it, especially at low speed. For instance, modernized F-4s have improved Heads Up Displays (HUDs) so that pilots dont have to look down from the canopy to check on their instruments. Many of these fighters incorporate elements of stealth technology and modern avionics, albeit not to the extent of fifth generation fighters. The weapons officer in the rear-seat could operate the planes advanced radar, communication and weapons systems while the pilot focused on flying. China's last J-7 fighter jets may leave active service this year, according to Chinese state media. These aircraft were typically aimed at the air-superiority interceptor role. Active Doppler radars cut through the ground clutter. The Fourth Generation Fighter is the modern standard in combat warplanes. Air-to-air missile technology dramatically improved with later versions of the Sparrow and Sidewinder. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraftan icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. The concept of a third generation fighter is perhaps best exemplified by the F-4 Phantom, an aircraft synonymous with the Vietnam War. The development of second-generation fighters were shaped by technological breakthroughs, lessons learned from the aerial battles of the Korean War, and a focus on conducting operations in a nuclear warfare environment. Over the course of the 1960s, increasing combat experience with guided missiles demonstrated that combat would devolve into close-in dogfights. Different authorities have identified different technology jumps as the key ones, dividing fighter development into different numbers of generations. Two sub-variants of the Phantom also distinguished themselvesthe RF-4 photo reconnaissance plane, optimized for speed, and the Wild Weasel, specialized in attacking enemy surface-to-air missiles defenses. Due to the dramatic enhancement of capabilities in these upgraded fighters and in new designs of the 1990s that reflected these new capabilities, they have come to be known as 4.5generation. To increase situational awareness and coordination, most fifth gen fighters have networked data fusion, allowing fifth gen fighters to talk to other allied fifth gen fighters nearby.