An Analysis of Some Aspects of Co-evolutionary Development of Jet Fighter Generations in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

The importance of studying developmental dynamics of global aircraft pool is unquestionable: this knowledge allows a substantive analysis of the history of development of aircraft engineering. At the same time, introducing for consideration some a priori notions such as e. g. “aircraft generations” allows to more fully demonstrate an interrelated development (co-evolution) of aircrafts and social institutions. This article considers as an example of co-evolution the opposition between jet fighter parks of the Warsaw Pact countries and NATO in 1954–1989. The dynamics of the development of jet fighter parks are examined and the causes of some of its characteristics are explained. Thus, it is shown that the Cold War as an opposition of two political and military alliances has been spurring the quantitative and qualitative development of fighter aircrafts. The end of the Cold War was one of the factors that slowed down the development of fighters. The results of this works clearly demonstrate that the development of aircrafts is inseparable from global social processes.