Silicon Chip – May 2019

siliconchip.com.au Australia’s electronics magazine May 2019 13

Douglas F-4 Phantom II.

• The fourth generation took flight
  from the early 70s to the mid-90s,
  including multi-role aircraft with
  advanced avionics and weapons,
  such as the McDonnell Douglas F/A-
  18 Hornet.


• “Four-and-a-half” generation jets
  were built from the early 90s to mid-
  2000s, and were mostly modified
  fourth-generation aircraft with en-

hanced features such as improved

radar and infrared signature man-

agement, helmet mounted sights,

GPS guided weapons and highly

integrated systems. This includes

the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Su-

per Hornet.

• Fifth generation aircraft have very
  low radar and infrared signatures
  (stealth capability), internal weap-
  ons bays, vastly improved situation-

al awareness and a network-centric

combat environment. This includes

the Lockheed Martin F-35 Light-

ning II, which is just starting to en-

ter service.

Fifth-generation fighters are part of

“network-centric warfare”, which is

a military doctrine, originating in the

USA in 1996. This seeks to translate

information from superior sensors and

communications into a military advan-

Fig.1: by any definition, the Avalon Airshow is BIG! This site map shows how spread out the airshow was, and how many

aircraft were on display, from tiny to enormous.

Fig.2: the Australian-developed Boeing Loyal Wingman autonomous fighter jet on display.