"Who still makes frontline combat aircraft?" Topic

I'm talking about design, build and get into service as a single nation product. Lots of countries strap a few gun pods and rockets onto turboprops to make a COIN aircraft and a few less make an advanced jet trainer that again gets guns and rockets strapped to it for a light attack platform, but I'm talking about frontline, high tech fighter/attack/strike aircraft.
My list for post war includes Sweden, UK, France, USSR/Russia, India, China and the USA. Not sure if Israel qualifies with the Kfir and the Lavi never made it into production. India's Ajeet didn't set the world on fire either, but at least it was an indigenous design. Have I missed anyone out? I know lots of countries have produced existing designs developed elsewhere.
Of those the UK hasn't produced a sole indigenous design since the Sea Harrier FRS1, Harrier 2, Jaguar, Tornado and Typhoon have all. Even collaborative projects. India doesn't make it's own aircraft anymore doing local builds of bought in designs. Be interesting to see if Sweden will be able to finance a replacement for the Gripen. Ditto for France and the Rafale. That leaves Russia, China and the USA.

The big three are pretty much it if you want "Go it alone" designs, but even then they are rare.

However, possible other single-nation producers are Japan and South Korea. KF-X and the Japanese design are (as far as I am aware) wholly one-nation designs?

Hmm UK have not really independently produced anything in a long time.. jaguar, tornado and typhoon being European aircraft produced with at least one partner country.

I'm not sure the next generation will be planes.. It's getting more likely we will be droning on…. robots or remotes.

India have a proper own build at the moment in the HAL Tejas, although it's certainly been a rocky road.

Japan's a no, Chatticus – the Mitsubishi F2 has a lot of F-16 heritage, and is partly US built, while the ATD-X is purely a testbed, and I don't think it's even flown yet.

The Korean Golden Eagle is more or less indigenous, but primarily a trainer; calling it a front line fighter is a stretch. KF-X is a long way from being anything at all, so I wouldn't count it, yet…. Both Japan and South Korea are showing intent to become fighter producing countries, but neither of them's there yet.

As Maddaz says, Jaguar, Tornado and Typhoon were all multi-national projects, as was Harrier from GR5/FRS2 onwards. Hawk was the last solely British-built fast jet and the last front-line combat jets were Buccaneer in 1962 and Harrier GR1 in 1966.

The TSR-2 debacle largely killed off the domestic appetite and capability for single-country combat aircraft projects. That said, we so seem to be forging ahead with independent, large combat UAV designs such as Taranis.

Builders:

France
Rest of Europe
US
Russia
PRC

Sort-of builders:

Sweden (US engine)
Japan
RoK
Taiwan
Pakistan
India
Turkey (possible future sort-of builder)

-Kle.

There is also the joint Italian-Brazilian AMX ground-attack jet.

Thanks for the heads up on India. Hadn't realised they were having another go. Are they making their own engines? Japan produced the Mitsubishi F1, but it used Jaguar engines, but they qualify as much as Sweden does with the Gripen. Not sure how you would rate Taiwan as that was a de facto multinational design, although never officially acknowledged. Rest of Europe is effectively Germany, Italy, UK and sometimes Spain. Of course even the US has gone multinational to a certain extent with the F-35.
France has flirted with multinational designs – the Jaguar being the only frontline aircraft so far. They keep wanting to be in charge so nobody will play with them anymore, but I doubt they are going to be able to fund a next generation aircraft/drone on their own.

There is also the joint Italian-Brazilian AMX ground-attack jet.

True, but it is a multinational design and really a bit more capable advanced jet trainer/light attack platform. It puts Brazil in division 2.
Division 1
PRC
USA
Russia
India (if they are making their own engines)
France (in the relegation zone I think)

Division 2
Brazil
Germany
Italy
Japan
Pakistan
RoK
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
UK

Just had a look at the Tejas. I see it uses the F404 engine, which puts it in the same league as the Gripen as an almost home build.

Heh heh, home build fast jet fighters sounds fun :-)

If I won the lottery BIG, you'd better believe I'd end up buying a Gripen (supercruise at M1.2!). Wonder if I could get a discount on one that had all the weapons stations and wiring for them never installed at the factory?

Future?

Russia
USA
China
possibly India: they are buying Rafale, will get technology transfer and learn how to. no doubt.

Dassault is supposed to work on a new one, but frankly I can't see any future European market. every one has lost spine and got broke. So no more Fr in future.

small cheap jets maybe;
Brazil
South Korea.

Building modern combat jets is only half the battle. You also need a massive amount of infrastructure for training, producing spare parts, continued R&D to look into issues, developing upgrades, software updates, and more. Not many countries can do that and of those who can few do it well.

This is a good question, and it provokes an interesting discussion for the insights into individual nations' aerospace infrastructure, but if you want insights into who is arming for influence in their region, a list of who is developing indigenous short-range ballistic missiles might be very thought-provoking.

The Korean Golden Eagle is more or less indigenous, but primarily a trainer; calling it a front line fighter is a stretch.

The light fighter versions (F/A-50) have actually got considerable combat capability:

-ELTA EL/M-2032 fire control radar (ealier versions had APG67 as designed for F-20 Tigershark). AESA radars are also on offer.

- fly by wire

- M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon

- AAM capability including AIM-120 AMRAAM

- guided weapons capability including AGM-65 Maverick and JDAM.

Bare in mind it's designed to replace F-5E/F Tiger IIs as well as perform LIFT duties.

Also it's not a true Korean product – Lockheed Martin had consdierable involvemment.

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As for manufacturers of supersonic multirole jets:

Full Design Spectrum
USA
Russia
China (J-10 (Israeli assistance), JH-7, J-20, J-21/31).
France
Sweden (even though a lot of components are US)
India (kind of – LCA Tejas is a disaster – decades late and full production version not available until 2020, assuming HAL and government incompetence don't delay it even further).

Collaboration
Germany
UK
Spain
Italy
Taiwan (they did manufacture F-CK-1)
Japan (F-2)
South Korea (FA-50)
India – Pak Fa T-50 (FGFA) derivative though recent allegations have been that Indians aren't inputting much into design of aircraft.

Licence Production

China (Flanker derivatives J-11, J-15, J-16)

India (Su-30MKI, maybe Rafale)

Turkey (F-16)

South Korea (F-16)

Pakistan (JF-17) – presented as joint Indo-Pakistani jet but in reality designed in China and made in Pakistan.

Belgium, Netherlands, Egypt, Australia Canada, Spain used to do licence manufacture in past (F-104, F-16, F-5, Mirage III, F-86 as well as J-6) but these capabilities seem to have gone over the years.

Japan, Turkey and South Korea do want to develop their own indigenous jets.

HOWEVER

1. All 3 have opted for F-35. Whether they can sustain F-35 deliveries whilst developing their own jet is questionable.

2. At least Turkey and South Korea will need considerable foreign input. Turkey is looking for a partner already and SAAB has been mooted.

3. Turkey is not doing so well economically.

4. Japan's aircraft procurement in recent years has had a dismal run in recent years. Planned acquisition runs of dozens of aircraft have often only resulted in a dozen being procured (e.g. AH-64, F-15 upgrade) and often with massive delays (e.g. C-2 transport and P-1 patrol aircraft).

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My prediction for 2025:

Full Design Spectrum

USA – F-35 and that's it! F-15/-16/-18 will all be out of production by 2020 under current plans.

Russia – Flanker derivatives (Su-30/-32/-35) and Pak Fa T-50

China – J-20, J-21/31. I suspect JF-17 will be out of production unless export orders pick up. Also J-10 and JH-7 to production to cease.

Sweden – JAS-39E

India – continuing to hobble along with Tejas. Maybe some money being pumped into AMCA which is currently stalled.

Japan – F-3 – given recent Japanese history produced in dribs and drabs with no economies of scale.

Rafale does not look like surviving in production up to then and French have not been investing in designing a new jet.

Collaboration

India – Pak Fa if they can sort out out program management issues with Russians.

Turkey – 5th generation jet in cooperation with someone else.

South Korea – 5th generation jet in cooperation with someone else.

Eurofighter is not expected to be in production post 2020 unless export orders pick up.

Licence production

India (possibly still Su-30MKI but also maybe Rafale and PAK FA T-50).

Brazil – maybe JAS-39E (36 order but requirement is 100+).

Western world – F-35 component manufacture.

Pakistan – quite possibly still chugging along with JF-17 – they have a lot of Mirage III/V and J-7 (MiG-21 knockoffs) to replace.

The F-35 effect

The most damaging impact of the F-35 is to remove virtually all competition in the West.

Obviously US is reduced to 1 fighter manufacturer (Lockheed Martin) especially as Boeing will be out of game by 2020 by all forecasts.

Eurofighter/Rafale have proven to be unable to compete with F-35 in export markets. Due to lower demands the parent countries aren't procuring as many either or adopting proposed upgrade packages.

Hence no economies of scale and no real competitiveness.

And 2 out of 4 Eurofighter countries also have their finger in the F-35 pie (Italy and UK).

The Swedish JAS-39E Gripen survives as it's managing to get orders to keep it chugging along. Even upgraded it's considerably cheaper to acquire and operate than a lot of other fighter aircraft.

Just on the F-35 effect it's ironic the Russians and Chinese are doing more to maintain competition in their fighter production than the Americans or the Europeans.

The Chinese have Shenyang (Flanker derivatives and J-31) and Chengdu (J-10, J-20) and Xian (JH-7).

Russia has Sukhoi and MiG. Whilst people might question validity of acquiring MiG-29SMT and MiG-35 instead of more Sukhois, it makes sense from an industrial base perspective.

r mark davies
were all multi-national projects, as was Harrier from GR5/FRS2 onwards. so who produced the harrier gr1/ av-8a Britain or usa, thought they both had a share

Thomashobbes
Licence Production

Belgium, Netherlands, Egypt, Australia Canada, Spain used to do licence manufacture in past (F-104, F-16, F-5, Mirage III, F-86 as well as J-6) but these capabilities seem to have gone over the years.

these were only kits, parts supplied from original manufacturer or was it more involved than this (did the licensees create their aircraft from parts they created themselves 100%)?

Wardog,

No, the Kestrel prototype and production Harrier GR Mk 1, T Mk 2, GR Mk 3, T Mk 4 and Sea Harrier were entirely British designed and built (by Hawker-Siddeley), though the USMC was a very early customer, importing the export-model GR Mk 50, which was re-designated as AV-8A.

The 'Harrier II' (GR Mk 5+, T Mk 6+, FRS Mk 2 & AV-8B) was a collaborative effort between Boeing & BAe, with AV-8B being built in the USA instead of being imported from Britain (apart from the last batch, which were imported after retirement from the RAF and RN and converted to USMC spec).

these were only kits, parts supplied from original manufacturer or was it more involved than this (did the licensees create their aircraft from parts they created themselves 100%)?

Some were kits and some had relatively high numbers of indigenous components.

For example Australia:

Sabre – home built version with redesigned fuselage to take Avon turbojet instead of original J47 and 2 x 30mm cannon instead of 6 x 0.50 Cal MG.

Mirage III – Licence production of both airframe and engine.

F/A-18A/B – licence production but with US component used due to lack of industrial capability to produce all. Cosst skyrocketed. Same happened with S70 Blackhawk (something like 36,000 manhours to assemble in Australia instead of 8,000 if assembled in USA and flown to Australia).

As a taxpayer, I'd rather the aircraft built elsewhere if it's cheaper. And indeed both F/A-18F/E/A-18G and F-35A for RAAF are being built in USA.