The dream of aerial supremacy has goaded countries into stretching the creative possibilities of engineering and innovation. Still, all attempts to formulate a potent fighter jet have not turned out to be a stunning success. The article dissects a bit of aviation history, illuminating some of the most notorious fighter jet failures that once made their way into the skies.
The Soviet Union’s Sukhoi Su-7 was designed as a dogfighter, but it failed in its potential role because of its low range and an unreliable and badly handling engine. Yet, the intrinsic defects of the Su-7 still kept the plane in service until the 1990s. “Its range was lacking due to inefficiencies inherent to the engine, and the engine was unreliable. It was designed for dogfighting but performed poorly in this role.”
The newest attempts by Russia, such as the Sukhoi Su-57, to counter NATO’s fifth-generation fighter fleet have also fallen flat on their face. Hit hard by manufacturing problems and second-rate stealth features, the Su-57 has failed to come up to the standards of its Western counterparts. “Russia’s manufacturing is far behind the West, which means its stealth panels do not align with the tolerances necessary for stealth aircraft, resulting in a radar cross-section that is six to 10 times larger than the F-22 and F-35.”
The Sukhoi Su-33 carrier-based fighter’s huge size and outdated avionics significantly reduce its effectiveness on board Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. “The biggest flaw of a carrier-based fighter is its size. The Su-33 is an enormous aircraft.”
The Soviet Union’s Yakovlev Yak-38, a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, faced significant challenges due to its difficult handling and vulnerability to engine damage from dust and debris. “If a mechanical failure happened in either of the lift fans, the Yak would spin out of control toward disaster.”
The MiG-23, designed to replace the MiG-21, failed due to handling problems, instability, and a very short service life to the engines. “Pilots had trouble with handling and instability, and the engine service life was much too short and often overheated.”
The United States has its share of fighter jet flops, too, like the MiG-9, the Soviet Union’s very first model in production of their fighter jets. The guns were placed so that the guns caused engine flameouts at higher altitudes. “When it flew in higher altitudes and fired rounds out of its cannons, the engines would flame out as the gasses coming off of the cannons were being sucked into the engine’s intake and depriving it of oxygen.”
Although these fighter jets did not turn out as expected, they were lessons learned in pursuit of dominance in the skies. Their failures have led to more advanced and capable aircraft, showing continuous improvement and learning from mistakes made in the past.