By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
(Washington D.C.) The Air Force’s new now “airborne” 6th-Gen aircraft will likely complement and operate alongside the F-35 for many decades into the future. Not only does the Air Force plan to acquire more than 1,700 F-35s, but the service plans to fly the aircraft well into the 2070s by leveraging a continuous or ongoing modernization plan for the 5th-generation jet.
F-35
Plans for this include the often referred to Air Force continuous development upgrade program intended for the F-35. Many of the anticipated huge breakthrough technologies are expected to be software-reliant, computer-based or related to advanced sensing and AI, therefore enabling a jet like the F-35 to make massive leaps forward in performance without needing a new airframe configuration. Lockheed engineers built the F-35 with this in mind, meaning it was technically configured to be upgradeable for decades.
Since several of the artistic renderings of the new 6th-Gen aircraft show an absence of tail fins or any vertical structures, perhaps 6th-gen aircraft will be stealthier? Perhaps it will be faster and more maneuverable than its 5th-Gen predecessors? These could truly be crucial attributes given well documented rapid advances in enemy air defenses.
Video Above: Colonel Michael Stefanovic, Director of the Strategic Studies Institute for the Air Force sits down for an exclusive interview with Kris Osborn
For example, the F-35’s sensor fusion already encompasses early iterations of AI, given that advanced computer algorithms are able to aggregate, analyze, organize and transmit clear, integrated information to pilots. New yet-to-exist sensors and weapons configurations could be accommodated by this kind of technical infrastructure.
Stealth coating can be maintained and upgraded, weapons’ lethality and guidance systems can be upgraded with software as we have seen with the both the F-35 and F-22, and engine enhancements decreasing heat emissions or increasing propulsion and maneuverability are also entirely possible as well. What this means is all the evidence points to the continued, long-term operational relevance of the F-22 and F-35. The Air Force already plans to fly the F-35 until 2070 and the F-22 all the way to 2060.
Video Above: Air Force 6th-Gen Stealth Fighters Control Attack Drones
Newer networking technologies, such as radios able to connect F-22s and F-35s in stealth mode and two-way LINK 16 connectivity between the two 5th-Gen platforms means secure interoperability between 5th and 6th gen fighters is expected, a technological scenario enabling a massive expansion in tactical warfare possibilities.
Also, a 2014 Congressional Report, the US-China Economic and Security Review, contained a 70-page chapter on Chinese military modernization. Among its many findings, the report specifically cited Chinese “mobile” ICBM launchers with as many as 10 “reentry vehicles” in some cases. These weapons, of course, present significant new threats; the more reentry vehicles approaching a target, the more difficult the defense. With this in mind, an F-35 might bring an ability to use stealth, speed and maneuverability to operate above heavily defended inland areas to find, chase and destroy mobile launchers,
The F-35 is also quite well known for massively improving its lethality and performance through software upgrades, something which weapons developers see as a developmental focus for the jet. Software increments or “drops” for the F-35 have been implemented over the course of many years, often separated by years in between. Each new software integration has, over the years, massively expanded the weapons and sensing capabilities of the jet, so it is something which will likely continue. The F-35 in 2060 may have roughly the same stealthy external configuration as it does now, yet operate with an entirely new generation of mission systems, sensing, computing and weapons.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19 FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
