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Jet Lift Or Wing Lift?
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That Is the Question
One of the biggest battles now looming on the military aircraft horizon is that between V/STOL and STOL, i.e. between jet lift and wing lift, in the struggle for better airfield performance.
At present a considerable gap exists between these two concepts. On the one hand, all V/STOL combat aircraft currently in production (Harrier, AV-BA Matador, Sea Harrier, and Yak-36 Forger) are subsonic – or at best mildly transonic – in level flight. On the other hand, STOL aircraft such as the Saab Viggen and Panavia Tornado are capable of speeds in the region of Mach 2.
However, in the near future, this in-flight performance gap is going to be closed. The fiscal restraints that have kept V/STOL technology in check for the last 20 years are about to be loosed. The traditional association between STOL performance and somewhat underpowered ground attack aircraft is about to be ended. Both concepts will mature in the form of high-performance fighters that can operate from short fields and small ships.
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