The Roar of the Fighter Jet: How Louder Than Cars, Motorcycles, and Dragsters

When discussing the loudest sounds produced by different vehicles and engines, the roar of a fighter jet often takes the crown. This article explores the factors contributing to the immense noise produced by fighter jets and compares it to everyday machines like cars and motorcycles. Understanding these comparisons can help us appreciate the sheer power and forcing angle of these highly advanced aircraft.

How Loud Is a Fighter Jet?

The intensity of the noise produced by a fighter jet depends on its proximity to the observer. At the same distance, a fighter jet can be much louder than many other types of engines, making it one of the loudest sounds in the world. Examples of such formidable sounds include the roar of an afterburning turbofan or the vibration-inducing power of a dragster’s engine, both of which are incredibly loud.

Comparison with Other Vehicles

While top fuel dragsters can cause your eyeballs to vibrate, their sound levels still do not match that of a fighter jet when the jets are operating at the same distance. A fighter jet, particularly one that is not at cruising altitude, is often several thousand feet above the ground. This distance significantly reduces the perceived noise level according to the inverse square law, which states that the intensity of a sound decreases with the square of the distance from the source.

In spite of being distant, fighter jets are still among the loudest sounds produced by any aircraft. This is particularly true for modern fighter jets like the F-35, which are equipped with powerful engines such as the Pratt Whitney F135-PW-100, generating over 43,000 pounds of thrust. This is in stark contrast to earlier fighter jets, such as the T-37, which could produce only about 1,025 pounds of thrust per engine. The sheer magnitude of thrust produced by these engines makes their noise level considerably higher than that of any car, motorcycle, or even a magnum-eci HI-Powered motorcycle engine.

Environmental Impact and Noise Attenuation

Due to the extreme noise levels, airports implement noise abatement procedures to minimize disturbance to nearby communities. These procedures often involve climbing steeply during takeoff, reducing thrust to previous levels for a short period, and then resuming full power as the aircraft ascends to cruise altitude. While such procedures are beneficial, they are also a source of annoyance for individuals who live in proximity to airports, leading to debates over the balance between safety and noise nuisance.

Low Power Engines and Noise

It is worth noting that even seemingly lower power engines, particularly the earlier turbojet engines, can be surprisingly loud. The T-37, a trainer aircraft used by the USAF, produced significant noise despite its lesser thrust. The two engines of the T-37 produced 1025 pounds of thrust each, yet the resulting noise was described as high-pitched and piercing, requiring extensive hearing protection for pilots during operation.

My experience flying T-37s as a USAF Instructor Pilot (IP) was firsthand, and I can attest to the noise levels. While these engines were efficient for their time, the noise they produced was particularly damaging to pilots' hearing over extended periods. The F-35's single Pratt Whitney F135-PW-100 engine, despite its immense thrust, is likely to produce noise levels comparable to, or even louder than, older engines due to its higher efficiency and modern technology. Even so, the general principle holds: higher thrust engines result in louder noise.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the noise produced by a fighter jet, even when not at its maximum takeoff power, is significantly louder than any car, motorcycle, or other stationary engines. Understanding this dynamic helps explain why noise abatement procedures are so critical for airport operations and why individuals who live near airports can find such procedures necessary for their peace of mind. The roar of the fighter jet is a powerful reminder of the technological marvels that aviation has achieved, but it also underscores the need for balance between innovation and environmental impact.