Editing Interceptor aircraft (section)

===Area defense===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2018}}

As capabilities continued to improve – especially through the widespread introduction of the [[jet engine]] and the adoption of high speed, low level flight profiles, the time available between detection and interception dropped. Most advanced point defence interceptors combined with long-range radars were struggling to keep the reaction time down enough to be effective. Fixed times, like the time needed for the pilot to climb into the cockpit, became an increasing portion of the overall mission time, there were few ways to reduce this. During the [[Cold War]] in times of heightened tensions, [[Quick Reaction Alert|quick reaction alert]] (QRA) aircraft were kept piloted, fully fueled and armed, with the engines running at idle on the runway ready to take off. The aircraft being kept topped up with fuel via hoses from underground fuel tanks. If a possible intruder was identified, the aircraft would be ready to take off as soon as the external fuel lines were detached. However, keeping QRA aircraft at this state of readiness was physically and mentally draining to the pilots and was expensive in terms of fuel.

As an alternative, longer-range designs with extended loiter times were considered. These ''area defense interceptors'' or ''area defense fighters'' were in general larger designs intended to stay on lengthy patrol and protect a much larger area from attack, depending on greater detection capabilities, both in the aircraft themselves and operating with AWACS, rather than high speed to reach targets. The exemplar of this concept was the [[Tupolev Tu-28]]. The later [[Panavia Tornado ADV]] was able to achieve long range in a smaller airframe through the use of more efficient engines. Rather than focusing on acceleration and climb rate, the design emphasis is on range and missile carrying capacity, which together translate into combat endurance, [[look-down/shoot-down]] radars good enough to detect and track fast moving [[interdictor]]s against [[ground clutter]], and the capability to provide guidance to [[air-to-air missile]]s (AAM) against these targets. High speed and acceleration was put into long-range and medium-range AAMs, and agility into short range dog fighting AAMs, rather than into the aircraft themselves. They were first to introduce all-weather [[avionics]], assuring successful operations during night, rain, snow, or fog.

Countries that were strategically dependent on surface fleet, most notably US and UK, maintained also ''fleet defense fighters'', such as the [[F-14 Tomcat]].