What Exactly Is A 6th Generation Fighter?

What exactly is a sixth-generation fighter? Fifth-generation fighters are so advanced and so expensive that just three nations have designed and built models, United States, Russia, and China. The technology, stealth, supercruise, supermaneuverability, interconnectivity is still cutting edge. Yet the great powers are already looking ahead, as great powers tend to do, competing with each other and contemplating the sixth generation of fighter technology. Sixth-generation fighters exist only in concept. Several countries are working on sixth-generation fighters, some of which have never even created a fifth-generation fighter, including the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, the U.K., and France. No one is close yet to debuting a sixth-generation fighter. The going expectation is that the next generation won't debut until the 2030s. Sixth-generation fighter, designing aircraft for future conflicts All of the sixth generation of aircraft is still massive. A set of distinct features have congealed to form the basis of what a sixth-generation fighter is. Namely, all of the fifth-generation-worthy abilities for survivability in contested environments, air superiority, ground attack, etc. will need to be improved commensurate with the times. The emphasis on close-combat dogfighting, which dominated 20th-century aerial warfare, is becoming a peripheral concern of aircraft manufacturers. Instead, at-ground attacks, cyber warfare, and even space warfare are increasingly relevant. Beyond-visual-range missile combat is also still important. The next generation of jet fighters will likely incorporate the ability to operate in a manned or unmanned configuration. And like the F-35 and the fifth generation of air fighters, sixth-generation fighters will need to integrate with a variety of other jets, drones, soldiers, and sensors in a saturated network meant to provide warfighters with a comprehensive picture of the battlespace. To achieve the performance characteristics expected of a sixth-generation fighter, various design elements will be incorporated. The foundation of sixth-generation technology will be the brains of the aircraft. Advanced digital platforms with networking ability, onboard dye, data fusion, and advanced communications equipment. The jets will incorporate features to help the pilot integrate seamlessly with the machine. So, in addition to a new-age instrument panel, new fighters will likely feature virtual cockpits, presented into the pilot's helmet, allowing the pilot 360 degrees of vision. Sixth-generation fighters, like their predecessors, will need to feature advanced stealth technology, especially as air defense systems grow more sophisticated. Expect the new jets to include variable-cycle engines, which can operate efficiently under a variety of circumstances, such as cruising without consuming too much gas, and being able to provide high-end thrust and performance. Some speculate that sixth-generation fighters will even feature directed-energy weapons, like Laser Saiga-S. Whether the nation's developing sixth-generation technology can pull off such an array of novel technologies remains to be seen. Obviously, financial constraints will play a major factor. Multiple sixth-generation fighter concepts are under development. Japan is working on the FX program. The FX will be Japan's first-ever domestically produced stealth program. In Europe, different nations have teamed up to form the continent's first sixth-generation fighter. The UK, Sweden, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain are all working together on the future combat air system. Whether the six nations, representing Europe's greatest powers, can successfully coordinate such an ambitious project amongst themselves remains unclear. Russia, with its long history of impressive aerospace achievements, is working on various projects, including the PAK-DP, slated to be an interceptor aircraft capable of replacing the MiG-31. India, which is currently working to match China's impressive military buildup, is still working on a fifth-generation model, but is also looking ahead, and starting to plan for the development of sixth-generation technology. And China, of course, who has successfully created a fifth-generation jet, the Chengdu J-20, has begun researching a sixth-generation fighter platform to complement their ever-expanding military. Sixth-generation fighter, America will be first in the sky. The U.S. is still the world leader in aerospace technology. Expect them to be the first to field a sixth-generation fighter. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman all have sixth-generation projects in the works. The U.S. efforts to develop fifth-generation technology, in the form of the F-22 and the F-35, were notoriously played with delays and cost overruns. While those programs were oft-criticized, they may well be just par for the course of pushing the envelope of aerospace technology. The pursuit of sixth- generation technology may well be just one of the many similar pitfalls.