America has led the way into the fifth generation of fighter platforms with both the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but plans have been underway since 2012 to field an even more advanced and capable air superiority platform in the coming years. The F-35 famously relies on long distance tracking and identification of threats with advanced weapons systems that can engage with potentially more capable fighters from distances greater than would be allowed in previous fighter platforms, but few can argue that the F-35 is the best plane in the skies when it comes to a good old-fashioned dog fight (though some claim dog fights are just that: old-fashioned).
The F-22, China’s J-20, and even some fourth generation fighters like Russia and China’s Su-35 have all been touted as more capable air-to-air platforms, which makes sense, as the F-35 was developed in many ways to serve as a jack of all combat trades, but a master of very few. As international competitors continue to field advanced air frames like Russia’s Su-57 and China’s forthcoming J-31, America’s lead in the battlefield of the skies will continue to diminish, and that’s where the new fighters will come into play.
Fifth generation fighters were the first to incorporate stealth technology into their design and include active scanning radar arrays and engines that can sustain supersonic flight without the use of afterburners — but the qualifications for a “6th generation” fighter have yet to be formalized. It’s likely that increasing weapons payload capacity without compromising stealth and an increased operational range will be primary among considerations however, as hypersonic anti-ship missiles shift the way in which America’s aircraft carriers are able to operate in contested spaced.
Carried based UCAVs
The U.S. Navy recently did away with proposals for an armed, carrier based unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) in favor of the MQ-25 Stingray program, which aims to provide carriers with drone refuelers to extend the operational ranges of F-35Cs and forthcoming Block III Super Hornets, but no one within the aviation community expects the Navy to give up on the concept. Systems like the X-47B shown above, as well as each of the MQ-25 aircraft proposals to the Navy all have some level of combat capabilities built into their designs, even if those designs aren’t being executed upon in favor of the Navy’s short-term fueling needs.
Like other unmanned aircraft, Navy UCAVs will provide combat capabilities without putting pilots directly into harms way, but more importantly, they can serve as a significant bolster to manned aircraft like the F-35. UCAVs can accompany manned aircraft in hostile territory, intercepting inbound fire, assisting in the completion of objectives, and if need be, sacrificing themselves to save the manned “parent” aircraft networking the joint formation of jets and drones.
Old planes with new technology
While there are a number of advanced combat drones in development, some of the most promising programs aim to recycle existing air frames into a new kind of asset. Loyal Wingman, for instance, is a program under development with the U.S. Air Force to convert legacy F-16s into fully functional combat drones. Just like the UCAVs above, Loyal Wingman would allow an F-35 to take to the skies accompanied by a formation of dated, but still quite capable early generation fighters functioning as drones. This alleviates the need to develop new aircraft, build them, and get a support infrastructure into place… because it all already exists. The only difference would be the method of aircraft control and, of course, that there would be no pilot in the cockpit.
Feature image courtesy of Northrop Grumman
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