(Washington, D.C.) Air Force senior leaders are now saying that the already airborne U.S. Air Force 6th-Generation stealth fighter jet will replace the F-22 and operate as a “multi-role” fighter, developments which offer a small glimpse into some of the thinking and tactical planning for the highly-secret aircraft.
Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Brown cited these two plans when speaking to the House Armed Services Committee at a recent hearing on the service’s 2022 budget request.
Brown also added, as quoted in Aerospace Manufacturing, that the aircraft’s primary role will be air dominance but that it will also operate with some air-to-ground attack ability.
F-22s vs. 6th-Generation Jets
Also, in what could be considered an extremely important comment, Brown reportedly said the new jet would have increased range and weapons load when compared with the F-22.
The possibility of greater range aligns with previous comments or indications about the program made by Brown earlier this year. When asked about whether there could be two variants of the 6th-Gen fighter, Brown did not dismiss the possibility, but instead concurred that greater range would be essential in the Pacific.
Should there be two variants, it would indeed make sense that a slightly larger, longer-range Pacific variant might be built to carry more fuel and operate with an extremely large combat radius, whereas a European variant could, by contrast, perhaps be a little smaller, faster and more maneuverable as it would not face the tyranny of distance known in the Pacific. The Russian border is, after all, pretty close to many U.S. friendly NATO air bases in Eastern Europe.
It also makes sense that the aircraft would primarily replace the F-22.
