Fighter Aircraft
Fighter Aircraft.Fighters are aircraft intended to win air superiority by destroying enemy aircraft. The term is generally applied to those aircraft designed to have sufficient performance to destroy enemy aircraft. However, as a result of the threat posed by strategic bombers during and after World War II—and particularly after the development of atomic weaponry—a specialized class of fighter, called the interceptor, was developed specifically to counter the bomber threat. Most fighters are small single seat aircraft powered by one or two engines. Interceptors, however, typically have more than one crewman, and tend to be larger and heavier, with longer range. Another category of fighter is the fighter‐bomber, which is capable of participating in the air superiority war, but then, when air superiority is no longer an issue, is capable of being applied as a ground attack airplane. Over time, from
