Strike fighter

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A F-15E Strike Eagle dropping a GBU-28 bomb.

A strike fighter is a fighter aircraft which is also capable of attacking surface targets, including ships. It differs from a ground-attack aircraft in that the aircraft remains a capable fighter. Previously, an airstrike on a ground target would usually involve bombers, defended by fighters. Strike fighters can attack targets unaided, while remaining maneuverable and well-equipped enough to defend themselves.

Terminology

The term "strike fighter" is almost synonymous with the term "fighter-bomber", first seeing usage in the 1940s to describe a new generation of attack aircraft like the Hawker Typhoon. The term can be considered more politically correct, as bomber aircraft can be portrayed as dropping bombs indiscriminately over a target area. Precision attacks are commonly termed "surgical strikes", a term that implies extremely accurate modern weapons and intelligence.

A strike fighter is differentiated from a multirole fighter in that the multirole fighter can equally perform both aerial combat and ground attack, while the strike fighter has an emphasis on ground attack with a minor role of air combat.

Examples

RAF Panavia Tornado

• The Panavia Tornado was originally known as a fighter-bomber, and later became a strike fighter. The Tornado strike fighter is designated IDS, meaning ‘Interdiction/Strike’. IDS is the European equivalent of the US F/A designation. The term fighter-bomber remains in use when describing the Tornado, however, because it falls into an arbitrary class of older, slower, and less maneuverable strike fighters.

• The Xian JH-7 is a Chinese strike fighter, although more of a fighter-bomber, in service with the PLA Air Force and Naval Air Force.

• Recently, the term has become blurred. The F-117 Nighthawk is often referred to as a strike fighter, although it has no air-to-air capability and so is technically therefore a pure attack aircraft. The F-22 Raptor was designated a F/A-22 between 2003 and 2005, implying a Fighter/Attack role, though it has since been returned to a fighter designation.

• The latest generation of strike fighters are the Sukhoi Su-30 and F-15E Strike Eagle.

• The F-35 Lightning II program is designing a 5th generation multirole strike fighter with ground attack capability.

• India is in the initial stages of developing a 5th generation multirole strike aircraft under the program name Medium Combat Aircraft.

Popular culture

Strike Fighter is also the name of a Sega arcade game simulating an F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter, this game is a spiritual successor to the earlier After Burner series and its semi-sequel, G-LOC: Air Battle. In fact, Strike Fighter was ported as After Burner III on the Sega Mega-CD. A sequel, Sega Strike Fighter was released for the Sega Naomi arcade board, though this game plays more like the Ace Combat series.