Today, in wars between different countries, fighter jets have the status of changing the map of war on the battlefield, which, along with spying on the air borders of the opponents at very high speed, often easily target their targets. During the recent Indo-Pak war in the South Asian region, many such videos were kept under observation in which the modern fighter jets flying not only forced the general audience to applaud the pilots but also highlighted the names of several aircraft manufacturing companies.

But the question arises whether the pilots sitting in the cockpit are the only ones behind these expert maneuvers of these flying aircraft or is there an equal role in modern design and technology?

From the perspective of an expert engineer or pilot, the answer would be this: "It is a combination of the latest technology and the skill of a pilot who, under the electric strategy, uses the thrust vectoring, aerodynamic and propulsion technology present in these modern fighter jets to produce excellent results."

In general, the maneuverability of any aircraft depends almost entirely on aerodynamic control surfaces such as ailerons, elevators, and rudders, which play a key role in changing the direction, pitch, and yaw of any aircraft with the help of airflow. However, these surfaces have their limitations, Especially at high angles of attack or low airspeeds where the airflow becomes turbulent or separated. But in modern fighter jets, another advanced technique plays all the roles, called thrust vectoring in engineering optimization, which aims to allow these aircraft to perform difficult maneuvers, land and take off vertically, and achieve excellent control of the aircraft at low speeds.

This process of thrust vectoring is as simple as it sounds, but it is also as difficult as it sounds. Here, instead of the outer part of the engine, this process takes place in the inner core of the engine, where the thrust vector force is redirected and transferred at different angles so that the fighter aircraft can be pitched, yawed and rolled easily and quickly. In some jet engines, this process is facilitated with the help of nozzles, in which different types of nozzles are used, such as two-dimensional nozzles, which aim to move the aircraft quickly up and down, and three-dimensional nozzles, which aim to move the aircraft in different directions -

But this modern process is not limited to engine thrust and nozzles. In current fighter aircraft, to simplify this complex process, it is connected to hydraulic, electrical and digital control systems. 

This system works exactly according to the commands given by the pilot, and the flyby With the help of wire technology, the thrust vector is better controlled at the exact point where the engine speed requires extraordinary attention, a major reason for which is the intense temperature of the gases emitted from the engine. According to a conservative estimate, this temperature is up to 1500 degrees Celsius during normal flight, which can prove harmful to both mechanical and electrical systems if uncontrolled.

So sir, till now we have known what is thrust vectoring and how does it work better than the main components in modern fighter jets?

Let's know what are its advantages and disadvantages. As we all know, all modern fighter jets have a few objectives, keeping in mind which fighter jets like SU-35, F-15, F-22 Raptor and JF-17 have a prominent place, one of the main reasons for this is the modern technology like thrust vectoring present in them, which not only gives them an edge over other fighter jets in various air dogfights, but also improves the take-off and landing performance of these aircraft by reducing the required length of the runway. In addition, due to thrust vectoring, stability also increases during low-speed flight.

However, while this thrust vector system has many important advantages, it also has some disadvantages. The most important disadvantage is that during the war, due to the use of fuel, there is a huge increase in consumption and a sudden increase in temperature, which can make it an easy target for infrared weapons. In addition, due to this system, the aircraft also faces problems such as an increase in weight and an increase in price.

Finally, it would not be wrong to say that despite all the complexities, thrust vectoring in modern fighter aircraft today is a modern aerodynamic technology and provides special assistance in moving quickly and trying out maneuvers during the war, provided that the pilot is also skilled in flying modern aircraft. 

Please let us know your valuable opinions about this, Thank you.

Written by Syed Murtaza Hassan