Editing Interceptor aircraft (section)

==Development==
===Soviet Union and Russia===
{{further information|Soviet Air Defence Forces}}
[[File:Russian Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31P.jpg|thumb|[[Mikoyan MiG-31]]]]

During the [[Cold War]], an entire military service, not just an arm of the pre-existing air force, was designated for deployment of interceptors. The aircraft of the [[Soviet Air Defence Forces]] (PVO-S) differed from those of the [[Soviet Air Forces]] (VVS) in that they were by no means small or crudely simple, but huge and refined with large, sophisticated radars; they could not take off from grass, only concrete runways; they could not be disassembled and shipped back to a maintenance center in a [[boxcar]]. Similarly, their pilots were given less training in combat maneuvers, and more in radio-directed pursuit.

The Soviets' main interceptor was initially the [[Sukhoi Su-9|Su-9]], which was followed by the [[Sukhoi Su-15|Su-15]] and the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25|MiG-25]] "Foxbat". The auxiliary [[Tupolev Tu-128|Tu-128]], an area range interceptor, was notably the heaviest fighter aircraft ever to see service in the world. The latest and most advanced interceptor aircraft in the Soviet (now Russian) inventory is the [[Mikoyan MiG-31|MiG-31]] "Foxhound". Improving on some of the flaws on the proceeding MiG-25, the MiG-31 has better low altitude and low speed performance, in addition to carrying an internal cannon.

Russia, despite merging the PVO into the VVS, continues to maintain its dedicated MiG-31 interceptor fleet.

===United States===

In 1937, USAAC lieutenants [[Gordon P. Saville]] and [[Benjamin S. Kelsey]] devised a pair of proposals for interceptor aircraft, the first such designation in the US. One proposal was for a single-engine fighter, the other for a twin-engine. Both were required to reach an altitude of {{convert|20000|ft|-2}} in six minutes as a defense against bomber attack. Kelsey said later that he used the ''interceptor'' designation to sidestep a hard USAAC policy restricting fighters to {{convert|500|lb|kg}} of armament. He wished for at least {{convert|1000|lb|-1}} of armament so that American fighters could dominate their battles against all opponents, fighters included. The two aircraft resulting from these proposals were the single-engine [[Bell P-39 Airacobra]] and the twin-engine [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]]. Both aircraft were successful during World War II in standard fighter roles, not specifically assigned to point defense against bombers.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Lockheed P-38 Lightning|last=Bodie|first=Warren M.|year=1991 |publisher=Widewing Publications|isbn=978-0-9629359-5-4|pages=14–17 }}</ref>

[[File:F-15C Florida (17149377921).jpg|thumb|A USAF F-15C]]

From 1946 to 1980 the United States maintained a dedicated [[Aerospace Defense Command]], consisting primarily of dedicated interceptors. Many post-war designs were of limited performance, including designs like the [[F-86D Sabre|F-86D]] and [[F-89 Scorpion]]. In the late 1940s ADC started a project to build a much more advanced interceptor under the [[1954 interceptor]] effort, which eventually delivered the [[F-106 Delta Dart]] after a lengthy development process. Further replacements were studied, notably the [[NR-349]] proposal during the 1960s, but came to nothing as the USSR strengthened their strategic force with ICBMs. Hence, the F-106 ended up serving as the primary USAF interceptor into the 1980s.

As the F-106 was retired, intercept missions were assigned to the contemporary [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15]] and [[F-16]] fighters, among their other roles. The F-16, however, was originally designed for air superiority while evolving into a versatile multirole fighter. The F-15, with its Mach 2.5 maximum speed enabling it to intercept the fastest enemy aircraft (namely the MiG-25 Foxbat), is also not a pure interceptor as it has exceptional agility for dogfighting based upon the lessons learned from Vietnam; the F-15E Strike Eagle variant adds [[air interdiction]] while retaining the interception and air-to-air combat of other F-15s. Presently, the [[Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22]] is the USA's latest combat aircraft that serves in part as an interceptor due to its Mach 2+ speed as well as [[supercruise]] capabilities, however it was designed primarily as a stealth air superiority fighter.

In the 1950s, the [[United States Navy]] led an unsuccessful [[F6D Missileer]] project. Later it launched the development of a large [[F-111B]] fleet air defense fighter, but this project was cancelled too. Finally, the role was assigned to the [[F-14 Tomcat]], carrying [[AIM-54 Phoenix]] missiles. Like the USAF's F-15, the USN's F-14 was also designed primarily as an air superiority (fighter-to-fighter combat) and F-14s served the interceptor role until it received upgrades in the 1990s for ground attack. Both the fighter and the Phoenix missile were retired in 2006.

===United Kingdom===
[[File:RAF Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Lofting-1.jpg| thumb|A [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] with the [[RAF]]]]

The British [[Royal Air Force]] operated a supersonic day fighter, the [[English Electric Lightning]], alongside the [[Gloster Javelin]] in the subsonic [[night fighter|night/all-weather role]]. Efforts to replace the Javelin with a supersonic design under [[Operational Requirement F.155]] came to naught. The UK operated [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in UK service|its own, highly adapted version of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom]] as its primary interceptor from the mid-1970s, with the [[Panavia Tornado ADV|air defence variant (ADV) of the Panavia Tornado]] being introduced in the 1980s. The Tornado was eventually replaced with a multirole design, the [[Eurofighter Typhoon]].

===China===
The [[Shenyang J-8]] is a high-speed, high-altitude Chinese-built single-seat interceptor. Initially designed in the early 1960s to counter US-built [[B-58 Hustler]] bombers, [[F-105 Thunderchief]] fighter-bombers and [[Lockheed U-2]] [[aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]] planes, it still retains the ability to 'sprint' at Mach 2+ speeds, and later versions can carry medium-range [[PL-12|PL-12/SD-10 MRAAM]] missiles for interception purposes. The PLAAF/PLANAF currently still operates approximately 300 or so J-8s of various configurations.

===Other countries===

Several other countries also introduced interceptor designs, although in the 1950s–1960s several planned interceptors never came to fruition, with the expectation that missiles would replace bombers.

The Argentine [[FMA I.Ae. 37]] was a prototype jet fighter developed during the 1950s. It never flew and was cancelled in 1960.

The Canadian subsonic [[Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck]] served in numbers through 1950s. Its supersonic replacement, the [[Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow|CF-105 Arrow]] ("Avro Arrow"), was controversially cancelled in 1959.

The Swedish [[Saab 35 Draken]] was specifically designed for intercepting aircraft passing Swedish airspace at high altitudes in the event of a war between the Soviet Union and NATO. With the advent of low flying cruise-missiles and high-altitude AA-missiles the flight profile was changed, but regained the interceptor profile with the final version J 35J.