Third - generation jet fighter The third - generation jet fighter was the class of fighters developed between the early 1960s to the 1970s . Development . The third generation witnessed continued maturation of second - generation innovations , but it is most marked by renewed emphases on manoeuvrability and traditional ground - attack capabilities . Over the course of the 1960s , increasing combat experience with guided missiles demonstrated that combat would devolve into close - in dogfights . Analog avionics began to be introduced , replacing older " steam - gauge " cockpit instrumentation . Enhancements to improve the aerodynamic performance of third - generation fighters included flight control surfaces such as canards , powered slats , and blown flap s . A number of technologies would be tried for Vertical / Short Takeoff and Landing , but thrust vectoring would be successful on the Harrier jump jet . Electronics . Growth in air combat capability focused on the introduction of improved air - to - air missiles , radar systems , and other avionics . While guns remained standard equipment ( early models of F - 4 being a notable exception ) , air - to - air missiles became the primary weapons for air superiority fighters , which employed more sophisticated radars and medium - range RF AAMs to achieve greater " stand - off " ranges , however , kill probabilities proved unexpectedly low for RF missiles due to poor reliability and improved electronic countermeasures ( ECM ) for spoofing radar seekers . Infrared - homing AAMs saw their fields of view expand to 45° , which strengthened their tactical usability . Nevertheless , the low dogfight loss - exchange ratios experienced by American fighters in the skies over Vietnam led the U . S . Navy to establish its famous " TOPGUN " fighter weapons school , which provided a graduate - level curriculum to train fleet fighter pilots in advanced Air Combat Maneuvering ( ACM ) and Dissimilar Air Combat Training ( DACT ) tactics and techniques . Weapons . This era also saw an expansion in ground - attack capabilities , principally in guided missiles , and witnessed the introduction of the first truly effective avionics for enhanced ground attack , including terrain - avoidance systems . Air - to - surface missile s ( ASM ) equipped with electro - optical ( E - O ) contrast seekers – such as the initial model of the widely used AGM - 65 Maverick – became standard weapons , and laser - guided bomb s ( LGBs ) became widespread in effort to improve precision - attack capabilities . Guidance for such precision - guided munition s ( PGM ) was provided by externally mounted targeting pods , which were introduced in the mid - 1960s . It also led to the development of new automatic - fire weapons , primarily chain - guns that use an electric motor to drive the mechanism of a cannon ; this allowed a single multi - barrel weapon ( such as the 20 mm Vulcan ) to be carried and provided greater rates of fire and accuracy . Powerplant reliability increased and jet engines became " smokeless " to make it harder to visually sight aircraft at long distances . Specialization . Dedicated ground - attack aircraft ( like the Grumman A - 6 Intruder , SEPECAT Jaguar and LTV A - 7 Corsair II ) offered longer range , more sophisticated night attack systems or lower cost than supersonic fighters . With variable - geometry wings , the supersonic F - 111 introduced the Pratt & Whitney TF30 , the first turbofan equipped with afterburner . The ambitious project sought to create a versatile common fighter for many roles and services . It would serve well as an all - weather bomber , but lacked the performance to defeat other fighters . The McDonnell - Douglas F - 4 Phantom was designed around radar and missiles as an all - weather interceptor , but emerged as a versatile strike bomber nimble enough to prevail in air combat , adopted by the U . S . Navy , Air Force and Marine Corps . Despite numerous shortcomings that would be not be fully addressed until newer fighters , the Phantom claimed 280 aerial kills , more than any other U . S . fighter over Vietnam . With range and payload capabilities that rivalled that of World War II bombers such as B - 24 Liberator , the Phantom would became a highly successful multi - role aircraft .