Why every one is thinking mki generation cannot be increased?
What makes a plane a fifth generation?
The ultimate aim of fifth generation plane is damage as much but survive.
1.Stealth-Its ultimate purpose is to hide so that enemy missiles wont hit the plane at a reasonable distances.
Good Jammers also make the same sense . For Example a missile cant hit growler easily as the link will be destroyed from missile and enemy plane by powerful jammers so that lock will be released.
Infact Growler is non stealthy fifth generation fighter.
Think in different way, I repeat the main aim of stealth is to survive that can be achieved by very powerful jammers
So mki can achieve such feat by super jammers. Even the enemy tracks it, it cant do any thing by launching missiles.More over little bit of RCS can be reduced by using RAM and composites.
2.Reduced IR signature-Its ultimate aim is to avoid heat seeking missiles.
Though jammers are used , IR signature cant be avoided so that there is a high probability for a missile to be hit . So Engines are designed such that they give less heat as output by employing various techniques. And Russians had good grip at flares to avoid missile hit.
Mki can be given such features by small design change and engine modification/new engine.
3.Super Cruise-Its ultimate aim is to intercept at high speeds using less amount of fuel unlike by using afterburners where you need to compromise on range/fuel if you want to move at high speeds.
Advantage 1: By super cruising, additional IR signature is reduced, unlike using after burners so that it can avoid IR missiles in a dog fight.
Advantage 2: Super Cruising engines give the plane Agility . The engines give better acceleration and climb rates.
Mki can be fitted with high thrust engine like the one on PAKFA Prototype-II so that it can super cruise.
4.Super Maneuverability-The ultimate purpose of Super Maneuverability is to give the plane more command on enemy so that it can position it self to make a lock on enemy and to evade enemy missiles by extreme aerobatics.
Thrust vectoring makes the plane to maneuver plane in specified direction at near zero speeds and it increases high angle of attack.
Mki is already a super maneuverable plane that makes it an air dominance fighter . Canards , huge rudders , air frame and thrust vectoring engines make the plane to attain near zero speed and accelerate at high rate giving high angle of attack than any western plane.
5.Multiroleness-The ultimate purpose of multi role fighters is to ensure that a single plane can attack the enemy while handling air borne threats parallely .
The following are the things that a multirole fighter should possess :
1.Next generation missiles that can track target automatically and works for long range that has IR cum radio sensors.
2.Sensors that make plane to strike accurately like optical pods, using LGB's etc.
3.Maneuverability that makes plane to handle air superiority missions.
Multiroleness is one of the reason why US stopped induction of F22 is it is not a true multirole . It is mainly for air superiority . By the way US cant have 1000 F22's to counter China . Rather they can have a multi role fighter which can destroy targets accurately , so resulted in JSF program where F35 is a multirole fighter, though money is a factor.
Mki is a true multirole fighter with good radar, special maritime role capability,can carry heavy cruise missiles,LGB's,TVGB's and can act as mini awacs!!!
6.Situational Awareness-The ultimate purpose of situational awareness is to know the enemy positions and threats that are waiting so that a decision can be taken how to counter the threats easily .
Infact a pilot cannot do any thing expect to be ready to eject or flare if he knows that an IR missile is approaching travelling at Mach 4.5 and is ready to hit in 3 seconds. Powerful radars , satellite communications and data links help a plane to know the threats. Mki is gonna upgraded with a better, may be aesa radar that makes the plane more like awacs .
Also the next generation cockpit and avionics can make a difference in generation of mki .