Page "Fighter aircraft" Paragraph 15

In the 1950s, radar was fitted to day fighters, since pilots could no longer see far enough ahead to prepare for any opposition.

Since then, radar capabilities have grown enormously and are now the primary method of target acquisition.

Wings were made thinner and swept back to reduce trans-sonic drag, which required new manufacturing methods to obtain sufficient strength.

Skins were no longer sheet metal rivetted to a structure, but milled from large slabs of alloy.

The sound barrier was broken, and after a few false starts due to required changes in controls, speeds quickly reached Mach 2 — past which aircraft can't maneuver to avoid attack.