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Abstract

The main objective of the paper is to present the main criteria for the selection of carbon fiber composite materials for fighter aircraft. Nowadays, more than ever, customers for fighter aircraft demands a highly maneuverable, agile aircraft that is reliable and easy to maintain. Composite materials are, besides metal alloys, the most important materials for aerospace application. Application of carbon fiber thermosets as airframe materials offersa significant weight and cost reductions in manufacturing process. In the last decades, such materials overcome more than 15% and 50% of the structural weight of civil and military aircraft, respectively. Weak points in the basic materials, i.e. fiber (strain, stiffness) and resin (lowviscosity) are now well known and improvements led to a new generation of carbon fiber composites. Several suppliers are offering in their chemical composition, mechanical properties and processing. This paper describes the selection criteria based on fighter aircraft components with respect to design and manufacturing requirements and presents a comparison of different carbon fiber composites.