6th Generation Jet Fighters - the Race is On

What is a sixth generation jet fighter?

The definition of jet fighter 'generations' is not clear and still argued over by experts and manufacturers, but we can take this as an approximate classification structure and build on that:

subsonic, trans-sonic, supersonic, Mach 2+, with the fifth being fighters with multi-mission capability culminating in types such as the US F-16 and Russian MiG-29.

...fifth-generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft classification which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century.

…they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities. - Wikipedia

I picked up on the word 'supercruise' and this is what I learned:

the Federation of American Scientists defined supercruise as "the ability to cruise at speeds of one and a half times the speed of sound or greater without the use of afterburner for extended periods in combat configuration" in discussing the F-22.

One of the best-known examples of an aircraft capable of supercruise was Concorde. Due to its long service as a commercial airliner, Concorde holds the record for the most time spent supersonic; more than all other aircraft combined.

Amazing. Good old Concorde! They used to scare the shit out of me with their sonic booms as a young man sailing in the Bristol Channel - they were headed southwest, with New York just 3 hours away.

So, with the fifth generation as a baseline, this comparison is what I established. Hard numbers are difficult to come by - most are 'classified' - but in the 5th Generation column words such as 'improved' relate to the previous 4th generation; 'advanced' means the technology current at the start of the design cycle. The niumbers provided are those for the F-22 Raptor, which was arguably the first 5th generation fighter. The later F-35 Lightning will have 'improved' numbers:

Given that the sixth generation is in existence in prototype form in the US at least, then I would expect them to be using artificial intelligence to deliver increased autonomy, perhaps even advanced speech input. 

In fact, I would expect them to be very close to the crossover between manned/unmanned. The life support systems, seating, and so on that add weight which better could be traded for payload and/or range/duration.

Also, of course, the stress of high-G on the human body places a serious limitation on flight performance envelopes.

To do that, there will be variants, for sure.

Sixth Generation Fighter Programs

These are the sixth generation programs that we know about - there may be others with these countries involved. 

China

The program was announced by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China in late January 2023 with a WeChat video. It's been pulled off to Twitter, so the quality is degraded.

The video showed three aircraft that resemble the fifth-generation Chinese J-20 stealth fighter but lack tails, fins or canards.

Talking to the South China Morning Post, Wang Haifeng, the chief architect at the Chengdu Aircraft Research and Design Institute, said in 2019 that new technologies, such as lasers, adaptive engines, hypersonic weapons and swarm warfare, might also be features of the new aircraft.

Interestingly, out of all the sixth-gen programs I have read about, only China's specifically mentions the term 'swarm warfare'.

United Kingdom with Japan

Tempest/Global Air Combat Program (GCAP)

This project is still in the very early stages, but what is noticeable is that it is not a tail-less design.

France/Germany/Spain 

Dassault/Airbus: Future Combat Air System (FCAS). An early-stage project which has suffered from contractual wrangling. 

Russia

Mikoyan MiG41 PAK DP: "Perspektivny Aviatsionny Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsii - Dal'nego Deystviya" in Russian, which roughly translates to "Perspective Air Complex for Frontline Aviation - Long-Range Action". Putin's dream machine which will reportedly be able to counter hypersonic missiles and fly high enough to take out satellites, powered by ramjet/scramjet engines and capable of Mach 4+. Incredible for Russia. Literally.

The Mikoyan Design Bureau is definitely flying high on something.

According to Izvestia, the PAK DP is envisioned to become an interceptor of hypersonic missiles by carrying a multifunctional long-range interceptor missile system (MPKR DP) that will dispense several sub-missiles in order to increase the chance of intercepting hypersonic weapons. The PAK DP is also intended to carry anti-satellite missiles.

In January 2021, Rostec Corporation, the owner of Mikoyan, announced that the PAK DP had entered the development phase - Wikipedia

There's a video here which is highly speculative showing tail-less designs but notes that the deign will be based on the MiG 31, which is a tailed aircraft.

United States

There are two programs.

1. Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Images show a tail-less design. Here's one video about it, although I cannot attest to its accuracy. However it does include a relevant interview with a USAF senior officer. There are two consortia working on prototypes, one led by Lockeed Martin and the other by Northrop Grumman. The fighter is expected to leverage adaptive cycle engines being developed under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) and Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, with flight ready engines expected by 2025. The manned version is expected to be able to operate with a 'loyal wingman' - a UAV in tandem. (Wikipedia)

2. F-35 Lightning II: Although the F-35 is a 5th generation fighter the U.S. military is planning to upgrade the F-35 with 6th generation capabilities as part of the F-35 Block 4 program. This program is expected to include advanced sensor and communication technologies, improved stealth, and enhanced weapons capabilities.

Other countries

There may also be other countries which have not disclosed sixth generation fighter programs, but the technologies are complex and the development programs hugely expensive and outside the reach of most countries. I think that possibly India could be in the running. It has Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which is a major aerospace and defense company that has been involved in the design and manufacture of reliable, high quality military jet engines for several decades.

And India has built its own jet fighters and nuclear weapons (as has Pakistan). But sixth-gen? Maybe they will surprise us. 

Overall status

It seems to me that the US is well ahead in the race to deliver a sixth generation jet fighter, particularly as it has the stepping stone of the F35 Block 4 to utilise. 

Russia's program may be based around the MiG-31 which also gives them a stepping stone. But despite Putin's claims, I really don't know how they can take on such a complex technical project when they have the distraction of the Ukraine and industry-stopping sanctions crippling them. The proposed operational date of 2028 is ridiculous IMO.

China will advance their program quickly - what we see is probably less than half the real story.

And I'm interested to see the different design concepts, principally relating to the control surfaces - tail or no tail?

And what about the Seventh Generation?

These will undoubtedly be fully unmanned, swarm capable and be able to operate at very high altitude. 

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Additional sources:

F-22: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104506/f-22-raptor/

F-35: https://www.f35.com/f35/index.html

US 6th Gen: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/usafs-6th-gen-fighter-in-development

6th Generation: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-features-and-design-will-a-6th-generation-fighter-have-2022-9

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