Fighter Aircraft Cockpit Designs

[PAFAce]

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I think it will be interesting to compare cockpit designs of various fighter aircrafts, in particular Pakistani fighter aircrafts, since they are the "cubicle" of the fighter pilot.

In this post: JF-17, F-16A/B, F-16C/D, JAS-39, F-22

JF-17 Thunder



F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon/Viper



F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon/Viper


JAS 39 Gripen


F-22 Raptor


J-10


The JF-17 cockpit looks almost exactly like the JAS 39 cockpit, which is why I included the Gripen here. Also, it is quite clear that the layout and functionality of the JF-17 cockpit is more modern than aircrafts like the F-16A/B and comparable to more advanced jets like the F-16C/D.

I realise that this thread could easily have been a part of the JF-17 or F-16 threads, but because it is a general topic, I decided to start a new one. Also, I do not guarantee the authenticity of these pictures. I simply googled most of them.

[Muradk]

Excellent stuff , the cockpit of F-16 before Gripen is of Desert Falcon Block 60 with UAE

[Death.By.Chocolate]

May be a silly question, I notice the joy stick is on the right in some aircrafts. What if the pilot is left handed?

[Bezerk]

May be a silly question, I notice the joy stick is on the right in some aircrafts. What if the pilot is left handed?

He would have to sit the other way around. With his back facing the HUD

[Death.By.Chocolate]

He would have to sit the other way around. With his back facing the HUD

are you mocking me

[Muradk]

In that case hard luck ex COAS FF KHAN, SHADID LATIF VCOAS, KING COBRA ARSHAD SAHIB all were left handed but you get used to it.

[qsaark]

Cockpits of F-86 (E/F), F-104 (A)

[qsaark]

Cockpits of F-84 and F-94C

[qsaark]

Cockpit of B-57 (front and rear)

[SSGPA1]

He would have to sit the other way around. With his back facing the HUD

LOL ......

[PAFAce]

Thank you all for valuable additions.

I notice the joy stick is on the right in some aircrafts. What if the pilot is left handed?

Well, leftys get used to shifting gears with the right hand for manual cars in Canada, so its really not a big deal as long as you are flying the same plane.

A related interesting observation is that the Chinese obviously prefer the joytick in the middle, whereas the Americans obviously prefer it on the side (and we Pakistanis can work with both). I guess the joystick on the side makes more room for instrumentation and MFDs in the middle console (as in the F-16), for superior situational awareness. On the other hand the joystick in the middle allows the engineers to put more dials and switches on the sides, saving space. So, by my understanding, a side joystick makes for better information display whereas the middle joystick makes for a more compact and space-efficient design.

If an informed member could advise as to the advantages/disadvantages of both configurations, it would be really appreciated.

Originally posted by Qsaark

Boy, that's a lot of clutter. Talk about pilot overload! Just makes you think, in 50 years, we've gone from rows and rows of analog dials and meters to "sensor-fusion" and "avionics integration". Makes me feel proud to be an engineer.

[TOPGUN]

Good stuff!

[PAFAce]

This post: F-22, EF-2000, Su-30MKI, HAL Tejas (LCA)

F-22 Raptor


EF-2000 Eurofighter



Su-30MKI
Front-seat cockpit


Back-seat cockpit


HAL Tejas LCA
Picture of the real LCA cockpit (supposedly)

Picture of LCA cockpit mock-up (supposedly)


Observations:

-The EF-2000 cockpit looks almost as advanced as the F-22 cockpit, but underneath, the F-22 just blows the competition away.

- The Su-30MKI 2-crew cockpit does not look very impressive when compared with the others, but that is alright. We must remember that it is based on a plane that first flew in 1977. I am sure that underneath it all, the avionics are quite modern and powerful.

- The LCA cockpit looks impressive, but most impartial observers (on other forums) have given the nod to the JF-17 when it comes to the layout of the cockpit. This does not mean the JF-17 is better than the LCA, but that to a pilot, the JF-17 cockpit would be a more comfortable place (its called Human Factors Engineering, a sub-branch of regular Engineering, which deals with the interaction between people and technology).

[Zob]

dassault rafale photos picture

the intresting thing about the RAFALE is that it has 2 joysticks...i know this is a plane still being built but still...very intresting this kind of takes care of the left,right handed problem.

[wangrong]

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JH7




JH7A