Editing Light fighter (section)

{{short description|Class of fighter aircraft}}
{{about|a general class of aircraft|the specific US aircraft|Lightweight Fighter program}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Airmen work alongside Peruvian military during joint exercise.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Mikoyan MiG-29]], [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon]] and [[Dassault Mirage 2000]] are popular series of light fighters. Being [[Cold War]] designs, they are still influential to contemporary air forces.]]
A '''light fighter''' or '''lightweight fighter''' is a [[fighter aircraft]] towards the low end of the practical range of weight, cost, and complexity over which fighters are fielded.<ref>William Stuart, ''Northrop F-5 Case Study in Aircraft Design'', 1978. Page 7: "''This became the Northrop philosophy in the development of the T-38 and F-5 lightweight fighter and trainer aircraft."''</ref><ref>T. West Hubbard, ''The Fighter Mafia: Vietnam, the Fighter Jet, and the Future of the Air Force'', 2014. Kindle location 1116: "The early flight tests proved extremely successful as both [the F-16 and F-18] light fighters easily outmaneuvered the F-4, exactly as the MiGs had done in Vietnam."</ref> The light or lightweight fighter retains carefully selected competitive features, in order to provide cost-effective design and performance.<ref>Stuart, 1978, p. 7.</ref><ref>James Stevenson, ''The Pentagon Paradox'', Naval Institute Press, 1993. Page 62: "''Fighter aircraft like the P-51, F8F Bearcat, and F-16 are examples of fighters that are lighter than their contemporaries, are less expensive, and have greater performance. Because fighter aircraft of lower weight can have increased performance, can cost less, and can create a larger force, these three benefits are embodied in the term lightweight fighter.''"</ref>

A well-designed lightweight fighter is able to match or better a heavier type plane-for-plane in many missions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/how-to-win-in-a-dogfight-stories-from-a-pilot-who-flew-1682723379 |title=How To Win In A Dogfight: Stories From A Pilot Who Flew F-16s And MiGs |last=Rogoway |first=Tyler |date=3 February 2015 |access-date=27 June 2016}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2020|reason=source only compares F16 (better than F15 in close fight) in that mission and only compares them also to Mig 29; doesn't mention "well designed" or "many mission"}}<ref name="freelibrary">{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/F-16+TEAMS+DOMINATE+USAF+AIR-TO-AIR+COMPETITION-a015848749 |title=F-16 Teams Dominate USAF Air-to-Air Competition |date=25 October 1994 |publisher=PR Newswire |access-date=27 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813083827/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/F-16+TEAMS+DOMINATE+USAF+AIR-TO-AIR+COMPETITION-a015848749 |archive-date=13 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Sprey, pp. 143–145 and pp. 47–49.</ref><ref>Hammond, pp. 97–100.</ref> and for lower cost.<ref>Sprey, pp. 63–65.</ref> The lightweight class can therefore be strategically valuable.<ref>Hammond, pp. 98–100 and pp. 107–109.</ref>[[File:J-3005.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A [[Northrop F-5|Northrop F-5E]] of the Swiss Air Force]]

In attempts to scale this efficiency to still lower cost, some manufacturers have in recent years adopted the term “light fighter” to also refer to light primarily air-to-ground [[attack aircraft]], some of which are modified trainer designs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/12/205_37021.html |title=Domestic Light Attack Jets Due in 2013 |publisher=Koreatimes.co.kr |date=30 December 2008 |access-date=9 February 2015}}</ref> These lower cost lightweight attack aircraft have become known as [[light combat aircraft]] (LCAs), and are sometimes considered to include some multirole light fighters.

From 1926 the light fighter concept has been a regular thread in the development of fighter aircraft, with some notable designs entering large-scale use.