Stealth Wars: The Battle For Air Superiority
Stealth Wars: The Battle For Air Superiority
Russia's stealth-fighter program recently had its wings clipped. China and the United States have "fifth-generation" warplanes in active service, but both are experiencing some turbulence. So who rules the skies in 2018?
1
India, which was partnering with Russia to develop the fighter, walked away from the project early this year. On July 2, Russia’s deputy defense minister announced the SU-57 program, which cost an estimated $8 to $10 billion, was being scaled down.
2
A Russian SU-57 swoops above an air-show crowd. The plane was touted as Russia's fifth-generation fighter -- a military term describing a jet’s stealth, electronics, and the ability to serve different roles above the battlefield.
3
Ten of the planes have been built, but after India quit the project, the goal of having 150 SU-57s in active service by 2020 looks nearly impossible, meaning the world now has just three fifth-generation fighter planes ready to dogfight.
4
This year, 28 Chengdu J-20 fighters were delivered to China’s Air Force. The J-20 can tuck missiles inside its airframe, is shaped to baffle radar detection, and is coated in paint that absorbs radar waves.