If you Designed your own Fighter plane, what Characteristic would you want most? (1 Viewer)

What Superior Chracteristic would you want in your Fighter Aircraft?

  • Armament

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Speed

    Votes: 14 29.2%
  • Manuverability

    Votes: 10 20.8%
  • Toughness

    Votes: 5 10.4%
  • Range

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Reliability

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Ceiling

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Lift

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Target Accuracy

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Stall

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Light Weight

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Horsepower

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Clean Lines

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Handling

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stealth

    Votes: 4 8.3%
  • Advanced Technology

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Low Cost

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Size

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Visibilty

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dive-Rate

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Climb-rate

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Turn-Rate

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Roll-Rate

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Instruments

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Easy to fly

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Take-Off, Landing

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Beauty

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Materials

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Well Loved

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other:

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    48

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Bullockracing said:
Unless my target accuracy knocks you out of the sky on the first encounter...

As an air defence mechanism, your point is a good one. So much so that is a valid way of defending airpspace
(and what are fighter planes in the first place but a basic unit of aerial defense). AAA is based on the premise of being stronger and more accurate than it's target. It land based and no particularly moble. Effective without a doubt, smart commanders have always tried to manuver around it to save casualties.

However, when it comes to a bomber formation defending itself against fighters, the theory of "the bomber will always get through" was found bankrupt. Even when 12-13 .50 machine guns were on the aircraft, the faster fighters could pick where and when they wanted to attack as well as which formations to attack. Firepower and a steadier platform did not overcompensate for the ability to pick you spot and exploit weaknesses (stragglers, coffin corner, ect.).

Moving forward to the Jet age, air to air missles and radars, it gets more complicated. In this realm, it is system against system. A pilot in a modern jet is as much a system operator as he is an aviator. Much tougher question to get your head around.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
As long as your systems do not fail...
True, to paraphrase Scotty, "The more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the pipes".

When the fire control radars go down, or data links or whatever, you go back to the mark two eyeball and then...
 
I do believe the poll is a little too open. The feature most wanted for a fighter plane is the ability to dominate the airspace. Doing that requires the ability to find your foe, maneuver into firing position, and knock him out of the sky, in that order. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Perhaps SbW can come up with a poll that is a little more pointed?
 
Okay, my aircraft's characteristics would be in the area of Manouvarability, with a decent speed, its ability to maintain full speed without losing its entire fuel supply, it would be a stealth Strike Fighter with the ability to identify individual targets from extremely high altitude, my plane would be equipted with the latest and most innovative weaponary, and have a f**king Slick airframe.
 
102first_hussars said:
..... would be a stealth Strike Fighter with the ability to identify individual targets from extremely high altitude......

You all see how easily I'm confused? I'll weigh back in with a better thought out answer than my original.....
 
Okay, I say speed, with it's companions horsepower and climb rate. I would justify this with the AVG experience using less maneuverable planes against more maneuverable planes. Getting to pick and choose my battles would be paramount, see the 190D-series planes that outran P-51s when they didn't start in an advantageous position...
 

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