THE CHALLENGE OF THE PERFORMANCE SPECTRUM FOR MILITARY AIRCRAFT -- THE MEANING OF SPEED

The relations of the speed of airplanes to their range, endurance, maneuverability capabilities are reviewed with regard to their military value. For each task some optimum speed regime does exist which is sometimes higher or lower than traditional requirements. It is usually worthwhile to design the aircraft for best performance in its functional speed regime, rather than for top speeds which see little use. A preference of extreme solutions is indicated: if fast action is needed hypersonic aircraft should be considered; for close distance combat, highly maneuverable subsonic aircraft appear most effective.