Reference Message Network reported on May 20th according to a report from the website of The Economist周刊 on May 14th. On March 21st, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the future fighter F-47 of the United States would be manufactured by Boeing, he talked at length, saying, "There is no aircraft that can rival it in terms of speed, maneuverability, and payload." This fighter is one of several so-called sixth-generation fighters under development worldwide.

In December 2024, an aircraft rumored to be the prototype of the J-36 appeared online in China. It features stealth capabilities and a large wingspan design. The UK, Italy, and Japan are jointly developing their own aircraft, temporarily called "Storm" in the UK, expected to enter service in 2035. France, Germany, and Spain hope their Future Air Combat System will be ready by 2040. These aircraft represent the future of air combat.

Fighters are typically classified based on their era, characteristics, and complexity. First-generation fighters appeared in the 1940s and 1950s. Many of the fighters currently serving in NATO, such as the US F-16, are fourth-generation fighters manufactured in the 1970s to 1990s.

The latest fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 and F-22 often feature stealth performance, sustained supersonic flight capability, and advanced computer systems.

One commonality among sixth-generation fighters compared to previous aircraft generations is their large size. The earliest photos of the F-47 have been heavily blurred, which may differ significantly from its final appearance. However, some online photos and models of "Storm" indicate that sixth-generation fighters are much larger than China's J-20, Europe's "Typhoon," or the US F-35 and F-22. This suggests that these countries share similar predictions for future air combat.

One change they all predict is that ground-to-air missile systems will become increasingly numerous and advanced. This requires aircraft to have stronger stealth capabilities to evade enemy radar. Stealth also requires smooth surfaces, so bombs and missiles cannot be hung under the wings but must be stored inside the larger fuselage.

The second change is the increasing distance of air combat. Over the past 40 years, the proportion of "beyond visual range" air-to-air kills has steadily increased - from a small portion in the 1970s to more than half between 1990 and 2002. Since then, the range of air-to-air missiles has grown longer. Europe's Meteor missile has a range of 200 kilometers, while the US AIM-174B and China's PL-17 can now hit targets 400 kilometers away. This means aircraft need better sensors to detect and engage targets from greater distances; they also require improved electronic warfare equipment to counter incoming threats.

Finally, aircraft are particularly vulnerable to attacks from long-range missiles when on the ground. This means they need to take off from farther airports, requiring larger fuel tanks and smaller drag for more efficient flight.

Aeronautical expert Bill Sweetman pointed out that the large wings on Storm and J-36 meet both requirements.

In summary, these aircraft look like old bombers. Sweetman compared the massive J-36 to an "air cruiser," optimized for range, stealth, and payload rather than dogfighting agility. Sweetman said that one of the most important requirements for the Storm fighter is the ability to carry a large amount of weapons. He noted that its payload is approximately twice that of the F-35. This makes sense: if each sortie can deliver more firepower, the risk of flying into enemy airspace to destroy targets can be reduced.

Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo Company in Italy, said that as the aircraft grows larger, the interior becomes a "flying supercomputer." Leonardo Company stated that the Storm fighter can "absorb" the equivalent of a medium-sized city's data volume within a second. This may include various intelligence information from radio communications to air defense radar signals. Cingolani said the key is to share this data with allies, including tanks and ships, perhaps via satellite, with a "central artificial intelligence" making decisions.

Perhaps the most controversial design choice is whether sixth-generation fighters should have pilots. Trump's aide Elon Musk recently mocked, "Some idiots are still manufacturing manned fighters." In fact, most air forces of countries believe that artificial intelligence and autonomous technology are not yet mature enough to completely replace human pilots with computers. The UK Royal Air Force estimates that this will not happen until 2040. However, the mainstream view is that sixth-generation fighters will become the core of a larger "air combat system." In this system, humans in the cockpit control a swarm of drones.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506398697467413031/

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