Amazing Fighter Pilot G Force Tolerances are Incredible!
Fighter pilot experience high Gs as a daily part of flying. This is governed by the aircraft in all aircraft from the F-16 onwards by its flight computers. The F-15 I’m not sure about, and may be up to the pilot how many he can pull on the aircraft.
F-16 Vipers are 9G aircraft, so when conditions are correct such as aircraft weight and stores config the fighter pilot can pull 9g. It’s important to understand configurations limit the aircraft’s turning performance.
Weapons Change G Limit.
Loading weapons and adding fuel tanks externally adds weight and extra stress to the airframe. If an aircraft is loaded with just missiles and no wing fuel tanks its generally going to be 9G capable. Add some wing tanks and the limitation may be down at 5G or 6G max.
Loading weapons on jets as I did for 23 years, it was the weapons people that would program the SMS (Stores Management System) with codes for any conceivable load configuration. The SMS would chat to the Air Data Computer and decide aircraft limitations in pitch and roll as well as G limits.
Weapons on the aircraft once expended, which the aircraft knows will adjust performance as the configuration changes. If bombs are dropped and tanks remain it may go from 4.5 to 6G and if there is an emergency like SAMS being launched at the aircraft, the fighter pilot can drop the tanks and again the computer will immediately adjust the aircraft performance parameters.
The Fighter Pilot Controls Performance!
Not all aircraft are 9G capable, the F-18 Hornet which is 7.5 G limited is not at a disadvantage for its fighter pilot . For the most part the F-18 will be more likely to be involved in strike missions and less likely to be a pure fighter role. The F-18 is very very capable at dogfighting platform however but its style of fighting is high AoA (Angle of Attack) and likes a slow speed fight. In dogfighting a Hornet or a Mirage 2000 they will try and get you slow and kill you with ease! The amount of G a fighter pilot can pull is not the only factor in winning a dogfight.
Basic Fighter Maneuvers Explained.
Understanding basic BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) is something that can explain the differences between aircraft types such as the ones I have mentioned so far. Some aircraft can do it extremely well but is more specialized in either a RADIUS fight over a RATE fight. These are two distinctive fighting qualities and you must know the difference to be an effective fighter pilot.
Fighter Pilot in a Radius Fight.
A RADIUS fight is known as a ONE Circle fight. The geometry of a one circle radius fight is when fighters turn towards each other nose to nose fight. This fight relies on lower speeds generally and the ability to point your nose to deploy weapons. The Mirage 2000 and F-18 Hornet are two excellent RADIUS fighters. If you trace their flight they will circle each other creating a single circle. Get slow in a F-35 or F-22 and the hornet still has a good chance of killing you!
Fighter Pilot in a Rate Fight.
A RATE fight is also known as a Two Circle Fight. This fights geometry means aircraft turn away from each other and one will be chasing the other flying in the same direction. The initial break from the merge traces two circles in the sky.
The F-16 is renown to be fast getting around the circle at over 24 degrees per second where most others are 18-20 or less for example. The 4 degrees plus per second ensures it takes a little time but the Viper will catch you in the circle and kill you! It can sustain the 9g as long as the pilot can. It’s incredibly powerful engine ensures it.
Know Your Performance!
It’s also super important to know what speed your aircraft fights at because G is important but flying the aircraft at the correct speed will give you either the best Radius turn or the best Rate Turn.
Its a speed that gives you performance and not the G’s you pull necessarily. If you are at around sea level in the F-16 and flying at 0.55 Mach you will get the maximum instantaneous turn rate at 24.9 degrees per second. At 0.7 Mach you can sustain about 21.5 Degrees per second which is still amazing. Notice I didn’t mention G’s pulled! The speed is actually what gives you the performance, so full power and back stick to maintain 0.7 Mach and you will be at optimum performance!
To find out a particular aircraft’s best speed you will find EM diagrams or Energy Management diagrams for many aircraft online. The very peak of the diagram is Instantaneous and the lower peak is sustained turn speed.
Instantaneous Vs Sustained Turn Rate!
Here you will find the best Instantaneous Turn speed and Gs at the peak of the diagram. This is the maximum you can turn but as the name suggests its instantaneous and cannot be sustained. It will given you the best turn rate for a few seconds but speed will reduce and this is when you need to ease the stick and maintain the aircraft’s maximum sustained turn rate. This is the next peak in the diagram. You must know these speeds for your aircraft and your opponents to survive.
Altitude Changes Performance.
Altitude on configuration of the aircraft determine every instance and performance can change considerably. Flying the Viper below 10,000ft and at 20,000ft or higher makes the aircraft totally different to fly. It comes down to who controls the fight geometry determining often who will win most often.
DCS World Your Combat World.
These types of fights can be experienced in flight simulators like DCS World where the flight models are as close as real world available data allows. It’s very easy to see how the F-16 vs F-18 combat works in these fights on person vs person online servers and single player against AI aircraft.
I highly recommend DCS World if you want to experience combat for yourself.
Author.
Brendon McAliece, (Aka Gunnie) is a a military veteran with 23 years working on Jet Fighters, their weapons systems and ejection seat/module systems as well as munitions and R&D. Involved with flight simulation since the 1980s he has flown all the major flight simulators over the years.
He is an Australian expat who has lived in Malaysia, UK, Saudi Arabia and more recently Thailand. He is a multi lingual blogger who loves to share his life experiences here on www.LetsFlyVFR.com and www.DreamingGuitar.com, his lifestyle and Travel experiences Blog.
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