Reference News Network, January 17 report: The U.S. "The National Interest" biweekly website published an article titled "Which countries are developing sixth-generation fighter jets?" by Harrison Cass. Excerpts follow:

the United States and China are the two obvious competitors in the sixth-generation fighter jet project, while many European countries are also committed to this project.

The competition for sixth-generation fighter jets has already begun. Although fifth-generation fighter jets are still relatively new and most industrialized countries find it difficult to access them, leading countries around the world are actively advancing the development of the next generation of fighter jets, reflecting their concerns that the advantages of fifth-generation fighter jets are already weakening. Although the specific technical details of sixth-generation fighter jets have not been determined, it is certain that only a few countries have the real opportunity to develop such fighter jets.

What exactly is a sixth-generation fighter jet?

There is currently no official definition of a sixth-generation fighter jet, but it is generally believed to include aircraft that will be in service from the late 2020s to the 2040s. There is currently no sixth-generation fighter jet; the first one to be deployed is likely to be the B-21 "Raider" bomber, which has multiple prototype models and is expected to be launched in 2027.

Common features of sixth-generation fighter jets include manned-unmanned collaborative operations, using "collaborative combat aircraft" (CCA) drones as force multipliers; advanced network and sensor fusion technology, which has been applied to fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35 "Lightning" -2; adaptive engines and power systems that allow the aircraft to switch between high-speed flight and energy-saving modes; and advanced (broadband) stealth performance.

Here are the countries participating in the sixth-generation fighter jet competition:

● United States: The United States has always been the leader. The "Next Generation Air Dominance" (NGAD) program is the most advanced and feasible sixth-generation project, reflecting the unique advantages of the United States in systems engineering, industrial depth, and operational experience. It is reported that the NGAD demonstrator has already been test-flown, although no test-flight video has been released so far.

The development principles focus on high-end conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region, which means that the platform is likely to rely on broadband stealth, long-range capabilities, and manned-unmanned collaboration with CCA drones. However, the project does carry risks; due to concerns about uncontrolled single-aircraft costs (reportedly rising to hundreds of millions of dollars), the project has been temporarily suspended recently. If the project cannot control costs, the fleet size may be affected, just like with the F-22 and B-2 fleets of the previous generation.

● China: China is a strong challenger, having invested heavily in aerospace R&D, autonomous technology, and sensors. China has successfully deployed the fifth-generation J-20 "WuLong" fighter jet, making it one of the few countries in the world that truly possesses fifth-generation fighter jets. Beijing's sixth-generation fighter jet project is likely to include networked fighter jets and loyal wingmen, which are likely to be designed around the core of supplementing the anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) network.

● Europe: Europe is also a competitor, but its sixth-generation fighter jet development lags behind China and the United States. One problem is that European countries have two competing sixth-generation projects: "Future Combat Air System" (FCAS) (participating countries: France, Germany, and Spain) and "Global Combat Air Program" (GCAP) (participating countries: the UK, Italy, and Japan). Lack of unity leads to duplicated work and increased costs, which could delay or even cause the failure of the project. Political fragmentation and unstable funding may hinder the launch of sixth-generation fighter jets. Do not expect Europe to produce sixth-generation fighter jets, at least not before the United States and China.

● Russia: Russia has ambitious plans for its fighter jet projects, but lacks the capabilities to match these ambitions. The fifth-generation Su-57 "Felon" fighter jet has been disappointing, with only a small number of aircraft delivered so far, estimated at about 30, while the number of F-35s exceeds 1,000. Russia is also unwilling to test the Su-57 in real-world environments; due to the limited number of aircraft, the Kremlin has kept this fifth-generation fighter jet away from the Ukraine battlefield, preserving the number of aircraft but preventing potential customers from understanding whether the aircraft can actually perform as advertised. Therefore, despite expressing interest in sixth-generation fighter jets, Russia has a very low chance of mass-producing sixth-generation fighter jets in the foreseeable future.

In short, the competition for sixth-generation fighter jets is real and is happening right now—but it is extremely narrow, limited to a few major powers. (Translated by Wang Haifang)

Original source: toutiao.com/article/7596322419082543643/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.