A possible sixth-generation U.S. fighter / Northrop Grumman
No sooner does Defense Secretary Robert Gates succeed in ending production of the Air Force’s F-22 fifth-generation jet fighter than the service is off into the wild blue yonder developing its sixth. The so-called Next Generation Tactical Aircraft — they always begin with boring names before the marketeers get involved and dub them Raptor, the F-22’s official nickname, or something equally cool — should begin flying about 2030. The Air Force’s wish-list for its next warplane is included in a new solicitation for the purchase:
The envisioned system may possess enhanced capabilities in areas such as reach, persistence, survivability, net-centricity, situational awareness, human-system integration, and weapons effects. The primary mission in the future Next Gen TACAIR definition is Offensive and Defensive Counterair to include subset missions including Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), Close Air Support (CAS) and Air Interdiction (AI). It may also fulfill airborne electronic attack and intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance capabilities…The future system will have to counter adversaries equipped with next generation advanced electronic attack, sophisticated integrated air defense systems, passive detection, integrated self-protection, directed energy weapons, and cyber attack capabilities. It must be able to operate in the anti-access/area-denial environment that will exist in the 2030-2050 timeframe.
It’s likely to cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, but no spending targets are mentioned. Wonder if any Chinese firms will want to build it? Anyway, get cracking. Time’s a-wasting, and initial responses are due December 17.