Second - generation jet fighter The second generation jet fighters existed between the mid - 1950s to the early 1960s . Development . The development of second - generation fighters were shaped by technological breakthroughs , lessons learned from the aerial battles of the Korean War , and a focus on conducting operations in a nuclear warfare environment . Technological advances in aerodynamics , propulsion and aerospace building materials ( primarily aluminum alloys ) permitted designers to experiment with aeronautical innovations , such as swept wings , delta wings , and area - ruled fuselages . Widespread use of after - burning turbojet engines made these the first production aircraft to break the sound barrier , and the ability to sustain supersonic speeds in level flight became a common capability amongst fighters of this generation . Electronics . Fighter designs also took advantage of new electronics technologies that made effective radars small enough to be carried aboard smaller aircraft . Onboard radars permitted detection of enemy aircraft beyond visual range , thereby improving the handoff of targets by longer - ranged ground - based warning and tracking radars . Similarly , advances in guided missile development allowed air - to - air missiles to begin supplementing the gun as the primary offensive weapon for the first time in fighter history . During this period , passive - homing infrared - guided ( IR ) missiles became commonplace , but early IR missile sensors had poor sensitivity and a very narrow field of view ( typically no more than 30° ) , which limited their effective use to only close - range , tail - chase engagement s . Radar - guided ( RF ) missiles were introduced as well , but early examples proved unreliable . These semi - active radar homing ( SARH ) missiles could track and intercept an enemy aircraft " painted " by the launching aircraft ' s onboard radar . Medium - and long - range RF air - to - air missiles promised to open up a new dimension of " beyond - visual - range " ( BVR ) combat , and much effort was placed in further development of this technology . Weapons . The prospect of a potential third world war featuring large mechanized armies and nuclear weapon strikes led to a degree of specialization along two design approaches : interceptors ( like the English Electric Lightning and Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 21 F ) and fighter - bomber s ( such as the Republic F - 105 Thunderchief and the Sukhoi Su - 7 ) . Dogfight ing , per se , was deemphasized in both cases . The interceptor was an outgrowth of the vision that guided missiles would completely replace guns and combat would take place at beyond visual ranges . As a result , interceptors were designed with a large missile payload and a powerful radar , sacrificing agility in favour of high speed , altitude ceiling and rate of climb . With a primary air defence role , emphasis was placed on the ability to intercept strategic bombers flying at high altitudes . Specialized point - defence interceptors often had limited range and little , if any , ground - attack capabilities . Fighter - bombers could swing between air superiority and ground - attack roles , and were often designed for a high - speed , low - altitude dash to deliver their ordnance . Television - and IR - guided air - to - surface missiles were introduced to augment traditional gravity bomb s , and some were also equipped to deliver a nuclear bomb .