Interceptor aircraft

The MiG-25 'Foxbat' is a Russian interceptor that was the mainstay of the Soviet air defence. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia.

An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bombers, usually relying on great speed. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them A number of such aircraft were built in the period starting just prior to World War II and ending in the late 1960s, when they became less important due to the shifting of the strategic bombing role to ICBMs. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Strategic bombing is a Military strategy used in a Total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather

1 Design
- 1.1 Point defense
- 1.2 Area defense
2 See also

Design

There are two types of interceptors, emphasizing different aspects of performance. Point defense interceptors were the first type, designed to take off and climb as quickly as possible to the attacking aircraft's altitude. This was a necessity in the era of limited radar range, which meant defenders had very short warning times before having to engage the enemy. Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships Area defense interceptors are larger designs intended to protect a much larger area from attack. These were important only during the Cold War, when the US and USSR needed to provide a defense over their respective large land areas. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the

Both types of aircraft sacrifice performance in the air superiority fighter role (ie fighting enemy fighter aircraft) by tuning their performance for either fast climbs or high speeds, respectively. An air superiority fighter is a type of Fighter aircraft intended to enter and seize control of enemy airspace The result is that interceptors often look very impressive on paper, typically outrunning, outclimbing and outgunning less specialized fighter designs. Yet they tend to fare poorly in combat against those same "less capable" designs due to limited maneuverability.

In the 1970s, the utility of interceptors waned as the role became blurred into the roles of the heavy air superiority fighters dominant in military thinking at the time. In addition, it is arguable that the change of the great threat of the era - nuclear weapons that were carried on bombers being moved to various missile systems - left the interceptor-style aircraft without its primary target. Today interceptor missions are generally relegated to "mainline" fighters; for instance, the US Air Force bases its defense on its F-15 and F-16 fighters. The exceptions are the USSR, who maintained a number of dedicated interceptors in order to provide coverage over its huge and little inhabited coastline, and, perhaps oddly, the UK, who introduced a fleet of modified Panavia Tornados in the 1980s and continued to use them while awaiting the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2005. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Eurofighter Typhoon has now replaced the role of an interceptor and the Tornado is now used for air superiority and attack.

Point defense

Point defense interceptors, usually of European origin, are designed to defend specific targets. Point-defence (or point-defense; see spelling differences) is the defence of a single object or a limited area e They are designed to take off and climb to altitude as quickly as possible, destroy the incoming bombers, and then land. A particularly extreme example of a point defense interceptor is the rocket-powered Bachem Ba 349. Bachem Ba 349 Natter ( Colubrid) was a World War II era German experimental Point-defense Rocket -powered

At the start of the Second World War, most fighters designed in Europe were "short-legged", with limited internal fuel capacity. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including These were not designed specifically as interceptors, but the long-range bomber escort role had not been envisaged. This proved to be a critical problem for German single-engined fighters (essentially, only one design at that time, the Bf 109), during the Battle of Britain, which could escort bombers across the channel, but only had sufficient fuel for a few minutes of combat if they were also to return to their airfields in France. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and At this stage, the similar limitation of British single-engined fighters was less of a problem for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

When RAF Bomber Command began its own bombing campaign over Germany, most of its missions were flown at night, unescorted, or escorted by larger, longer-ranged and twin-engined night fighters. RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968 A night fighter (also all-weather fighter) is a Fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility As the war progressed, however, Bomber Command flew increasing numbers of daylight missions. The Spitfire, designed several years before the war, was adapted to other roles - older machines were re-assigned to fighter-bomber squadrons, based nearer the front, while newer marks developed into more highly-focused interceptors. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout These later, Griffon-engined Spitfires were primarily retained in Britain to defend against V-1s and bombing raids by single, high-speed or high-altitude, German bombers. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Fieseler Fi 103, better known as V-1 (German Vergeltungswaffe 1 was an early Cruise missile used during World War Two Newer designs, like the Hawker Tempest, and American fighters bought under Lend-Lease, would fill the conventional and long-range fighter gap. Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Lend-Lease (Public Law 77-11 was the name of the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union,

The Germans, quickly losing their ability to project their airpower over enemy territory, no longer had much requirement for a long-range escort fighter. They were obliged to keep using the Bf 109 throughout the war (unlike the Spitfire, its newer marks did not keep it at the forward edge of performance), although it and newer designs were developed as fighter bombers, the Luftwaffe's most critical requirement was for interceptors as the Commonwealth and American air forces pounded German targets day and night. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. As the bombing effort grew, notably in early 1944, the Luftwaffe attempted to introduce a number of high-performance designs like the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and even odder designs like the Bachem Ba 349 Natter in the very-short-range interceptor role. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Bachem Ba 349 Natter ( Colubrid) was a World War II era German experimental Point-defense Rocket -powered In general these designs proved difficult to operate, and had little effect on the bombing effort.

A Shenyang J-8 interceptor in flight. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

An F-8 Crusader of USS Oriskany intercepts a Tu-95 'Bear-B'. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Construction The name Oriskany was originally assigned to, but that hull was renamed when the keel was laid in 1942 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

In the Cold War, bombers were expected to attack flying higher and faster (near supersonic). Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the This led to fighter designs emphasizing acceleration and operational ceiling, such as the mixed power (jet/rocket) Saunders Roe SR.53, or Convair XF-92, or Soviet trials with catapult launched MiG-19s, although none of them found practical use. The Saunders-Roe SR53 was a prototype Interceptor aircraft of mixed jet and Rocket propulsion developed for the Royal Air Force WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Improvements in jet engines made the rocket assistance redundant, and a new series of designs evolved that were purely jet powered, including the MiG-21, English Electric Lightning and F-104 Starfighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This class of aircraft has since disappeared completely; ever increasing engine power has made even small aircraft suitable for practically any role, and aircraft that would have fallen into this class are generally multi-role and find most of their use in the attack role.

Examples of point defense interceptors:

Area defense

The Lockheed YF-12 was a prototype interceptor that formed the basis for the SR-71 Blackbird. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Saab 35 Draken ( Swedish: "kite" or "dragon" is a Fighter aircraft manufactured by Saab between 1955 and 1974 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Area defense interceptors usually of North American or Soviet origin, are designed to defend a large area of territory from attack. The design emphasis is on range, missile carrying capacity and radar quality rather than on acceleration and climb rate. They usually carry long-range or medium-range air-to-air missiles, and often had no bomb carrying capability. An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft

In the Soviet Union during the Cold War, an entire military service, not just an arm of the pre-existing air force, was designated for their use. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The planes of the PVO-Strany differed from those of the Red Air Force in that they were designed for airfield use only; they couldn't take off from grass, only concrete runways, they couldn't be towed for hundreds of kilometres from airfield to airfield by tractor across open fields; they couldn't be disassembled and shipped back to a maintenance center in a boxcar; and they were by no means small as necessary and rudely simple, but huge and refined with large, powerful radars. Voyska PVO ( Russian: Войска ПВО or PVO Strany until 1981 was the Air defense branch of the Soviet military The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye Similarly, they were not given the same training in combat maneuvers, but were directed to their targets by radio. Until the 1980s, they were fitted with medium-range or long-range missiles only, unsuitable for dogfight or destroying maneuvring targets. The basic interceptor was Sukhoi Su-9, then Sukhoi Su-15 and MiG-25. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The newest and most advanced interceptor aircraft is MiG-31. For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional. Soviet Tupolev Tu-28 was the heaviest fighter aircraft ever to see service. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

The USAF maintained a dedicated Air Defense Command (ADC) for some time, consisting primarily of dedicated interceptors. Many post-war designs were of limited performance, including designs like the F-86D and F-89 Scorpion. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In the late 1940s ADC started a project to build a much more advanced interceptor under the 1954 interceptor effort, which eventually delivered the F-106 Delta Dart after a lengthy development process. The 1954 interceptor, formally WS-201A, was a US Air Force project to develop a dedicated Interceptor aircraft that would enter service in 1954 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Replacements were studied during the 1960s, but came to nothing as the USSR moved their strategic force to ICBMs. The F-106 ended up serving as the primary USAF interceptor into the 1980s, when the performance of general purpose aircraft like the F-15 Eagle rendered the need for a custom design moot.

Several other countries also introduced wide-area interceptor designs. Avro Canada produced the Avro CF-100, generally similar to the F-89, which went on to serve for a lengthy period of time in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada was a Canadian aircraft manufacturing company that was in business from 1945-62 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Avro's replacement, the Avro Arrow, was controversially cancelled in the late 1950s. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Royal Air Force operated the Gloster Meteor and then Gloster Javelin in the night/all-weather role, but efforts to replace the Javelin with a supersonic design under Operational Requirement F.155 likewise never came to fruition. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Operational Requirement F155 was a specification issued by the British Ministry of Supply for an interceptor aircraft to defend the United Kingdom from high flying The Tornado ADV was eventually introduced into this role in the 1980s, and continue to serve in this role to this day. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Examples of area defense interceptors:

Contents

Design

Point defense

Area defense

See also