But surely the electronics and instruments are out of date? Unlike the terms fighter plane and fighter aircraft which are incredibly broad terms used to describe any fixed-wing aircraft designed for air-to-air combat missions, a generation fighter can only be used to refer to a jet-powered fighter (fighter jet). fifth gen fighters include the F-35 Lightning, Sukhoi Su-57, Shenyang FC-31, F-22 Raptor and Chengdu J-20. Third Generation. Furthermore, the Phantoms J79 engines produced thick black smoke, which combined with the aircrafts larger size, made it easier to spot and target from a distance. As these appeared piecemeal, designers returned to the fighter first and foremost, but with support, roles mapped out as anticipated developments. [citation needed]) They had little or no avionics, with their primary armament being manually-controlled guns. The next generation of fighters were designed from the start to be multi-role. Air-to-air missile technology dramatically improved with later versions of the Sparrow and Sidewinder. Modern F-4s can also fire the full range of modern ordnance such as the advanced AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile with a range of 65 miles, precision-guided munitions such as the AGM-65 Maverick, and late model Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. Iran received 225 F-4s from the United States prior to the Iranian Revolution. Yet whilst the war in Vietnam made the F-4 a household name on both sides of the Iron Curtain, it also revealed the fundamental flaws in third generation aircraft technology just as the Korean War had done for first generation fighters a decade earlier. The next generation of fighters were designed from the start to be multi-role. The ambitious project sought to create a versatile common fighter for many roles and services. The Korean War was the first conflict where jets were used on a mass scale by both sides, with first generation fighters now being a symbol of the conflict. The Air Force didnt realize those early missiles were terrible. In the quest for increasing speed, aircraft and engine manufacturers soon discovered the limitations of piston engine technology; after all, a propeller can only spin so fast before it becomes ineffective. Late to the party, the J-8B was a third gen fighter while the competition had moved on. [1] The further advance of microcomputers in the 1980s and 1990s permitted rapid upgrades to the avionics over the lifetimes of these fighters, incorporating system upgrades such as active electronically scanned array (AESA), digital avionics buses, and infra-red search and track. These are the manly maturation of 2nd generation and addition of innovation. The idea of using aviation for warfare predates even the Wright Brothers first flight. The F-4s primary problem was that it had no built-in cannon. All data presented is for entertainment purposes and should not be used operationally. New J79 engines even dealt with the problem of the F-4s visible black smoke. The Fourth Generation Fighter is the modern standard in combat warplanes. The Air Force didnt realize those early missiles were terrible. *Third-Generation: Supersonic flight, pulse radar, and missiles that can engage opponents from beyond visual range *Fourth-Generation: High levels of agility, some degree of sensor fusion, pulse-doppler radar, reduced radar signature, fly-by-wire, look down/shoot down missiles, and more. This is intended to reflect a class of fighters that are evolutionary upgrades of the fourth generation incorporating integrated avionics suites, advanced weapons efforts to make the (mostly) conventionally designed aircraft nonetheless less easily detectable and trackable as a response to advancing missile and radar technology (see stealth technology). The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraft an icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. The last American F-4s would see action during Operation Desert Storm, before being retired in 1996. [1] With range and payload capabilities that rivalled that of World War II bombers such as B-24 Liberator, the Phantom would became a highly successful multi-role aircraft. This is why many fifth gen fighters have much straighter lines than fighters from previous generations: its about reflecting those signals in any direction thats not directly back at the radar. This technique, called RSS, was incorporated to further enhance the aircraft's performance. All modern European and American aircraft are capable of sharing targeting data with allied fighters and AWACS planes (see JTIDS). Low-observable radar technology emerged as an important development. Parallel advances in materials, engine technology and electronics made such a machine possible. The only other frontline fighter to serve in all three services before or since is the F-35. The American Century series such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, as well as the Russian MiG-21, English Electric Lightning and French Dassault Mirage III were typical of this era. The F-5 was developed by Northrop Grumman for export through the Military Assistance Program (MAP) in February 1965. Though most were originally designed expressly as fighters, many air forces used them in multirole capacities, particularly as fighter-bombers, interceptors and night fighters (by virtue of their advanced onboard radars). The earliest jet fighters appeared during and after the last years of World War II. 3 - 1960-1970 - Third Generation fighter aircraft exhibit more advanced avionics, engines, and weapons. At the same time, the increasing cost of military aircraft in general and the demonstration of the success of aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II gave rise to the popularity of multi-role fighter aircraft in line . Ground fire shot down 474 Phantoms in all services, as the heavy-lifting Phantom fighters did double duty as ground-attack aircraft. Modern F-4s can also fire the full range of modern ordnance such as the advanced AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile with a range of 65 miles, precision-guided munitions such as the AGM-65 Maverick, and late model Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. The concept of a third generation fighter is perhaps best exemplified by the F-4 Phantom, an aircraft synonymous with the Vietnam War. Recognizing the increased obsolescence of fourth generation fighters, but also the lack of funding for new fighters nearing and following the end of the Cold War, aircraft manufacturers began developing what are sometimes called 4.5 generation fighters. Over the course of the 1960s, increasing combat experience with guided missiles demonstrated that combat would devolve into close-in dogfights. The concept of a third generation fighter is perhaps best exemplified by the F-4 Phantom, an aircraft synonymous with the Vietnam War. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. It was now possible to combine the C3, fighter and ground support roles in a single, agile aircraft. Two sub-variants of the Phantom also distinguished themselvesthe RF-4 photo reconnaissance plane, optimized for speed, and the Wild Weasel, specialized in attacking enemy surface-to-air missiles defenses. Types such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, General Dynamics F-111, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, Sukhoi Su-17, Shenyang J-8, and Hawker Siddeley Harrier had varying degrees of success. Ground fire shot down 474 Phantoms in all services, as the heavy-lifting Phantom fighters did double duty as ground-attack aircraft. More than 5,000 of these heavy supersonic fighters were built, and hundreds continue to serve and even see combat in several air forces today. [14][20], Later variants of these and other aircraft progressively enhanced their characteristic technologies and increasingly incorporated aspects of each other's, as well as adopting some emerging fifth-generation technologies such as:[21]. Other existing thrust-vectoring aircraft, like the F-22, have nozzles that vector in one direction. Active Doppler radars cut through the ground clutter. The faceting reflected radar beams highly directionally, leading to brief "twinkles", which detector systems of the day typically registered as noise, but even with digital FBW stability and control enhancement, the aerodynamic performance penalties were severe and the F-117 found use principally in the night ground-attack role. For instance, modernized F-4s have improved Heads Up Displays (HUDs) so that pilots dont have to look down from the canopy to check on their instruments. The Pentagon later converted some into QF-4 target practice drones. A European consortium GTDAR is developing an AESA Euroradar CAPTOR radar for future use on the Typhoon. As combat aircraft are essentially weapons platforms, these capabilities mean that the F-4s can handle most of the same offensive tasks a fourth-generation F-15 or Su-27 fighter can do. Aircraft like the F-4 Phantom could carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including the first laser-guided smart-bombs. To improve accuracy of these, second generation fighters were fitted with rudimentary avionics, including a supersonic radar. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed upon and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all; however, they typically include . The edge aside from having a more reliable powerplant first generation fighters had over their piston counterparts was their speed. Weighing in at 30,000 pounds unloaded, its enormous J79 twin engines gave (and still gives) the aircraft excellent thrust, propelling the heavy airframe over twice the speed of sound at a maximum speed of 1,473 miles per hour. But its somewhat of an anomaly. The F-5F is a dual-seat version, twin-engine, tactical fighter commonly used for training and adversary combat tactics. By mid-WWII, both Allied and Axis engineers had built working jet engines and the aircraft theyd power. We would like to separate major technology leaps in the historical develop. This aircraft was initially offered as a candidate for a U.S. lightweight fighter, but became extremely popular as an export finding its niche in the overseas market. The Phantoms fundamental flaws were corrected by 1970while more recently, Phantoms have had their avionics and ordnance upgraded to modern standards. Hoh, Roger H. and David G. Mitchell. The fourth-generation fighter is a class of jet fighters in service from around 1980 to the present, and represents design concepts of the 1970s. US Approves Selling Taiwan Munitions Worth $619 Million, 3M Subsidiary Claims Many Military Plaintiffs in Earplug Case Did Not Suffer Hearing Loss, Air Mobility Command Removes Tail Numbers and Unit Info from Planes, Alarming Watchdogs, US Increases Military Support for Somalia Against Al-Shabab, Pentagon Tells Congress There's No Evidence US Weapons Sent to Ukraine Are Being Misused, Taiwan Army Demonstrates New Rifle Training, Boeing Prepares for Future Artemis Moon Missions, Ukraine Troops Fire Rockets in Kharkiv Region, New Tech, Drones Set to Transform Role of 'Top Gun' Pilots, Ukrainian Forces Use US Howitzers on Battlefield, Why DARPA Banned the First-Ever First Person Shooter Video Game, After Crash Suspended F-35 Deliveries, Program Clears Hurdle, Air Force Grounds Hundreds of Utility Aircraft as it Investigates Faulty Tail Part, Mississippi Lawmakers Want to Keep Aging T-1A Training Jet in Service, Deliveries of F-35s and Engines on Hold in Latest Fallout from Texas Crash, Rolls-Royce Just Tested a Hydrogen-Powered Jet Engine, New Search-and-Rescue Helicopter Deploys Despite Uncertain Future, Widow of F-16 Pilot Alleges Possible Counterfeit Ejection Seat Parts in Lawsuit Against Defense Contractors, The Army Isn't Getting Rid of Its M4s and SAWs Any Time Soon, General Says, 'Largest Purchase of Exercise Equipment Ever': How One Company Supplied Gear for the ACFT, Army Grunts May Get More Guns, But Less Ammo Next Year, More Marines Will Test Lighter Polymer-Cased Ammunition as Experiments Expand to Fleet. The Eurofighter Typhoon introduced the PIRATE-IRST, which was also retrofitted to earlier production models. The only other frontline fighter to serve in all three services before or since is the F-35. Such a fighterand its pilotwould need to be able to loiter for long periods, hold its own in combat, maintain battlefield awareness and seamlessly switch roles as the situation developed. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraftan icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. Nevertheless, the low dogfight loss-exchange ratios experienced by American fighters in the skies over Vietnam led the U.S. Navy to establish its famous "TOPGUN" fighter weapons school, which provided a graduate-level curriculum to train fleet fighter pilots in advanced Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) and Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) tactics and techniques. in the horizontal plane) and can be deflected 15 in the vertical plane. The Russian MiG-31 interceptor also has some datalink capability. Worse, American pilots werent trained for close range dogfights, as the Air Force assumed air-to-air engagements would occur at long range with missiles. The F-5N is a single seat, twin-engine, tactical fighter and attack aircraft providing simulated air-to-air combat training manufactured by Northrop Grumman Corporation. The third generation witnessed continued maturation of second-generation innovations, but it is most marked by renewed emphases on manoeuvrability and traditional ground-attack capabilities. The 4.5-generation fighters are therefore generally less expensive, less complex, and have a shorter development time than true fifth-generation aircraft, while maintaining capabilities significantly in advance of those of the original fourth generation. The U.S. fielded its first modified F-15Cs equipped with AN/APG-63(V)2 AESA radars,[18] which have no moving parts and are capable of projecting a much tighter beam and quicker scans. The three-dimensional TVC nozzles of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI are mounted 32 outward to longitudinal engine axis (i.e. Eventually, the Air Force upgraded all of its F-4Es with wing-slats that significantly improved maneuverability at a slight cost in speed. Propulsion: (2) J85-GE-21C turbojet engines each producing 5,000 pounds (2,273 kg) of thrust. Iran received 225 F-4s from the United States prior to the Iranian Revolution. [28], John W.R. Taylor and John F. Guilmartin; ". SAMs accounted for most of the 36 Israeli Phantoms lost in action. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Furthermore, the F-4 came in both ground- and carrier-based models and served in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines. In Vietnam, the ratio was closer to two to one (including other aircraft types besides the Phantom). Powered by twin Guizhou WP-13B engines with afterburners, the J-8 top out at Mach 1.8. When the F-4 came out it in 1958 it was a revolutionary designone that went on to set several aviation records. The design places particular emphasis on maneuverability rather than high speed, notably by the incorporation of maneuvering flaps. However, the Phantoms proliferated around the world. - Thecompares.net", "With the J20 stealth fighter in fully operation service, China leaps ahead in Asian arms race", "China racing for 6th-gen fighter edge over US", "China Is Working On Its Own Sixth-Generation Fighter Program: Official", "The First Sixth-Generation Aircraft Ever, the B-21 Raider Is "a Bomber Like No Other", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jet_fighter_generations&oldid=1142322843, Early supersonic, radar, air-to-air missiles, Supersonic (limited purpose), Mach 2 air-to-air missiles only, Supersonic multirole, high efficiency, high maneuverability, Enhanced capabilities, advanced avionics, limited stealth, Advanced integrated avionics, low observable stealth, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 19:39. Aside from being powered by a jet powerplant, rather than a piston one, these first generation fighters were little different to their contemporaries, featuring minor sweep or unswept wings, manually controlled guns and little in the way of modern avionics. Israeli upgrades contributed to the Turkish air forces Terminator 2020, which has additional wing strakes for improved maneuverability. Third generation (1960s) [ edit] The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was the first operational attack aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. While the basic principles of shaping aircraft to avoid radar detection were known since the 1960s, the advent of radar-absorbent materials allowed aircraft of drastically reduced radar cross-section to become practicable. As third gen fighters would no longer just be flying quick sorties, and instead needed much longer in the air to complete their missions, manufacturers put an even greater emphasis on increasing range and speed. The last American F-4s would see action during Operation Desert Storm, before being retired in 1996. [11] The MiG-35 with its RD-33OVT engines with the vectored thrust nozzles allows it to be the first twin-engined aircraft with vectoring nozzles that can move in two directions (that is, 3D TVC). Easyby integrating the same modern hardware used in the fourth generation. More than 5,000 of these heavy supersonic fighters were built, and hundreds continue to serve and even see combat in several air forces today. However, they can be separated into one of five different categories, known as generations based on their age, tactical configuration and the technology found onboard. In the Korean War, the U.S. Air Force had shot down between six and 10 enemy fighters for every one of its aircraft lost in air-to-air combat. Furthermore, the F-4 came in both ground- and carrier-based models and served in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines. Its a heavy, twin-engine, two-seat fighterand an agile dogfighter. First shown in 1960, the J-8 appeared in various . Studies showed that 45 percent of Vietnam-era AIM-7s and 37 percent of AIM-9s failed to either launch or lock on, and after evasive maneuvers, the probability of achieving a kill fell to eight percent and 15 percent for the two types, respectively. Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, which induces an aircraft to return to its original attitude following a disturbance. Third generation jet fighters (early 1960s to 1970) This generation witnessed improvements in manoeuvrability, and significant enhancements to the avionic suites and weapon systems. Air-to-surface missiles (ASM) equipped with electro-optical (E-O) contrast seekers such as the initial model of the widely used AGM-65 Maverick became standard weapons, and laser-guided bombs (LGBs) became widespread in effort to improve precision-attack capabilities. Interceptor types emerging after the war used after-burning engines to give Mach 2 performance, while radar and infrared homing missiles greatly improved their accuracy and firepower. The primary sensor for all modern fighters is radar. ", "HAL Tejas, the strongest fighter plane of its generation, developed indigenously by India. A squadron of Chinese J-7 fighter jets in 1999. The Phantoms flown by the Turkish and Greek air forces both have modern pulse-doppler radars, which give the F-4 look down-shoot down capabilities. These aging aircraft will be replaced by low-houred F-5N/F acquired from the Swiss . You May Also Like: 5 Best Submarines of All Time, 5 Best Aircraft Carriers of All Time, 5 Best Battleships of All Time and Worst Submarine of All Time. The early Phantoms could carry 18,000 pounds of munitionsthree times what the huge B-17 bombers of World War II typically carried. Guns proved unsuitable at such high speeds, while the need for multirole capability in battlefield support was rediscovered. Plaintiffs claim the earplugs were defective, causing them hearing loss and tinnitus. Similarly, new aerodynamic inventions such as swing wings and/or variable thrust were used on many third gen fighters, helping increase both speed and range as well. Almost all avionics on these aircraft are digital, with the aircraft being programmed through millions of lines of code. The next generation of fighters were designed from the start to be multi-role. 9/10 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (Mach 2) Theyve bombed Kurdish PKK fighters in Turkey and Iraq in 2015 and 2016. For example, Lockheed Martin has applied the term "fifth generation" to its F-22 and F-35 aircraft, but this has been challenged by its competitors Eurofighter GmbH and Boeing IDS. Instead, it relied entirely on newly-introduced air-to-air missilesthe radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow, the heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder and the older AIM-4 Falcon. The Third Generation Fighter aircraft arrived with a limited supersonic capability and a missile-centric war load before eventually evolving to become more multi-role solutions in their over-battlfield purpose. Its a heavy, twin-engine, two-seat fighterand an agile dogfighter. But aerial warfare didnt truly become widespread until WWI, leading to the first so-called fighter aircraft, like the Fokker Eindecker and Sopwith Camel, which were specifically designed for aerial combat. These are the fastest third-generation jet fighters. The Heinkel He 162 and Gloster Meteor also saw wartime service, while types such as the de Havilland Vampire and Lockheed F-80 were still working up to operational service when the war ended. It would serve well as an all-weather bomber, but lacked the performance to defeat other fighters. Just two Phantoms managed to scramble in defense, but they shot down seven of the attackers. Different authorities have identified different technology jumps as the key ones, dividing fighter development into different numbers of generations. The sharing of targeting and sensor data allows pilots to put radiating, highly visible sensors further from enemy forces, while using those data to vector silent fighters toward the enemy. Armament: AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on wingtip launchers. However, the F-4s problems began to recede. The 2020s have had 20 kilometers of wiring replaced for a net loss of 1,600 pounds in weight. The Turkish versions also feature a diverse array of modern sensors and electronics. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraftan icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. As advances in stealthy materials and design methods enabled smoother airframes, such technologies began to be retrospectively applied to existing fighter aircraft. No matter what the public thought of and praised third generation fighters like the F-4, they were no longer fit for purpose. Enhancements to improve the aerodynamic performance of third-generation fighters included flight control surfaces such as canards, powered slats, and blown flaps. Other popular first-generation jet fighters include the Heinkel He 162 and Gloster Meteor, and Lockheed F-80, which were in service during the war. China's last J-7 fighter jets may leave active service this year, according to Chinese state media. With the exception of the F-14D (officially retired as of September 2006), no 4th-generation Western fighters carry built-in IRST sensors for air-to-air detection, though the similar FLIR is often used to acquire ground targets. [18], Following the mixed successes of the multirole generation, advanced technologies were being developed, such as fly-by-wire, composite materials, thrust-to-weight ratios greater than unity, hypermaneuverability, advanced digital avionics and sensors such as synthetic radar and infrared search-and-track, and stealth. 9 Different Types of Fighter Jets (US Military), Who Pilots Air Force One & How To Become a Presidential Pilot. Third-generation fighters were often designed primarily as interceptors, being built around speed and air-to-air missiles. The Phantoms fundamental flaws were corrected by 1970while more recently, Phantoms have had their avionics and ordnance upgraded to modern standards. For the next-generation F-22 and F-35, the U.S. will use low probability of intercept capacity. When the F-15 and the lighter F-16 saw their first major air action over Lebanon in 1982, they shot down more than 80 Syrian third-generation MiGs at no loss. ; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may . Thrust vectoring was originally introduced in the Hawker Siddeley Harrier for vertical takeoff and landing, and pilots soon developed the technique of "viffing", or vectoring in forward flight, to enhance manoeuverability. The weapons officer in the rear-seat could operate the planes advanced radar, communication and weapons systems while the pilot focused on flying. These aircraft were typically aimed at the air-superiority interceptor role. The F-4 saw extensive use in Israeli service, scoring 116 air-to-air kills against the Egyptian and Syrian air forces, starting in 1969 during the War of Attrition. The second generation jet fighters existed between the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. The United States defines 4.5-generation fighter aircraft as fourth-generation jet fighters that have been upgraded with AESA radar, high-capacity data-link, enhanced avionics, and "the ability to deploy current and reasonably foreseeable advanced armaments". Look through examples of third-generation jet fighter translation in sentences, listen to pronunciation and learn grammar. Key advances contributing to enhanced maneuverability in the fourth generation include high engine thrust, powerful control surfaces, and relaxed static stability (RSS), this last enabled via "fly-by-wire" computer-controlled stability augmentation. Ralph Wetterhahn Air & Space Magazine, January 01, 2009, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia. Studies such as the US Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and F/A-XX programs, UK-led BAE Systems Tempest, and Chinese development work are ongoing. F-8 Crusader (USA)1957 3rd generation fighter jet. The weapons officer in the rear-seat could operate the planes advanced radar, communication and weapons systems while the pilot focused on flying. Easyby integrating the same modern hardware used in the fourth generation. The F-5N/Fs are third-generation F-5 fighter aircraft designed for replacement of the F-5A/B/E production models. The F-16 is a single-seat, single-seater fighter, a third- or third-generation semi-american fighter, and one of the most successful fighters in the world. In the past, high-flying radars had trouble detecting low-flying aircraft because the radar waves bouncing off the ground created a cluttering effect. Direct government involvement was spared for those manufacturers located in countries like Germany and Japan, whose leaders had embarked on projects of aggressive military expansionism and needed brand new, state-of-the-art fighter aircraft to do this. Sophisticated automation and human interfaces could greatly reduce crew workload. This is a list of military aircraft that are primarily designed for air-to-air combat and thus does not include aircraft intended for other roles where they have some secondary air-to-air capability, such as with many ground attack aircraft. These aging aircraft will be replaced by low-houred F-5N/F acquired from the Swiss Air Force surplus by United States Navy (USN). J-7s, copies of the Soviet MiG-21, were . But when the F-4 confronted the lighter-weight MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters of the North Vietnamese air force in 1965, the Phantom suffered. This will make the 3rd generation fighters vulnerable and unarmed, which reignites the flexibility of the 4th generation fighters. The term is used for those aircraft designs bridging the gap between the developments of the 1960s and 1970s and those appearing today under the Fifth Generation Fighter classification. More . These are a few of the preferred methods employed in some fifth-generation fighters to reduce RCS.[25][26]. A few even have varying degrees of AI installed to assist the pilot during flight, especially in a dogfight! Coupled with the introduction of more powerful engines and afterburners (on a mass scale), second gen fighters were able to fly supersonically during level flight instantly making them much more deadly in a dogfight. Coupled with inventions and advances in other technologies like fly-by-wire, composite materials and digital avionics, fourth generation fighters were designed to be fighters first and foremost but adaptable enough that air forces could use them in the same multirole capacities their third generation forebearers had. This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 14:46. Guidance for such precision-guided munitions (PGM) was provided by externally mounted targeting pods, which were introduced in the mid-1960s. (Recommended: 5 Greatest Fighter Planes of All-Time). Other famous third generation fighters include the Dassault Mirage F1, Hawker Siddeley Harrier, and MiG-23. Despite a design dating back to the early 1960s, the J-8 is a capable third gen fighter. Military aviation is no different. It also led to the development of new automatic-fire weapons, primarily chain-guns that use an electric motor to drive the mechanism of a cannon; this allowed a single multi-barrel weapon (such as the 20mm Vulcan) to be carried and provided greater rates of fire and accuracy.