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Do We Really Need
6th-Generation Stealth Fighters?
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Published
9 hours ago
Tempest 6th Generation Stealth Fighter. Image
Credit/Artist Rendering from BAE Systems.
6th-Generation Stealth Fighter: Do We Really Need
It? Next-generation
warplanes make for interesting stories. These technological wonders are usually
focused on fighting bad actors and near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China. They have
robust new capabilities that
leave observers star-struck. They have cheerleaders in the Air Force, in the
Pentagon, and in Congress. And they keep the attention of war buffs. But are
they really needed?
Save Money By
Investing in Legacy Platforms
But what if
the financial muscle behind these new airplanes, such as the Next Generation
Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter from
the United States and the Tempest Future
Combat Air System (FCAS) from the United Kingdom and three other countries,
could simply be re-focused on adept legacy warplanes like the F-35? Money
earmarked for the new platforms could be re-programmed to buy more Lightning
IIs. So, the 6th generation airplanes would not even be needed in some
scenarios.
6th-Generation
Stealth Fighter: NGAD Has Sticker Shock
These cost
concerns are valid. The price tag for the F-35 is at least $85 million, but the
NGAD is expected to be much higher per airplane. Even Air Force Secretary Frank
Kendall admits the NGAD cost is prohibitive. “This is a number that’s going to
get your attention, but we’re talking about prices that are multiple hundreds
of millions of dollars for NGAD on an individual basis,” Kendall told the House Armed Services Committee (HASC)
in response to a question from a member earlier this spring.
Tempest FCAS
Needs a High-Cost Investment
Meanwhile, the
Tempest FCAS is still in its conceptual stages, but the British government has
already poured $340 million into the program and that
is just for research and development purposes.
6th Generation
Stealth Fighter: Can It Live Up to the Hype?
The enthusiasm
for the Tempest FCAS fighter is palpable. The airplane will supposedly be able
to take to the skies in the next five years. British air force chief of staff
Sir Mike Wigston has seen the light.
“We’re taking
a revolutionary approach, looking at a game-changing mix of swarming drones and
uncrewed aircraft, as well as a next-generated piloted platform. Tempest is not
just hardware. It is about the weapons, the sensors, its battlespace
connectivity, and how information is moved around its network. Tempest will
exploit our world-class industrial base, pairing our brightest minds with
digital ways of working,” Wigston told Chris Pocock of AIN Online in 2021.
Tempest Will
Be a Job Creator
Tempest FCAS
will create thousands of jobs in
England and Scotland in the coming years and it also has defense contractors
from Italy, Japan, and Sweden ready to hire. The economic development impact of
expensive airplanes cannot be ignored. But the F-35 is an economic force in its
own right. The F-35 directly or indirectly has created 250,000 jobs in 45
states, Bloomberg reported.
What Does
6th-Generation Mean?
Sixth-generation
warplanes have highly stealthy characteristics, advanced radar and sensors, and
supercruise flight that saves on fuel. They have artificial intelligence, the
ability to be manned or unmanned, and combine loyal wingman drones
as part of a family of systems.
China and
Russia have their own fifth-generation fighters such as the Sukhoi Su-57 and
the Chengdu J-20. The United
States and Britain are hoping to leapfrog those airplanes and outclass Moscow
and Beijing with the NGAD and Tempest FCAS.
But the F-35
Is Already a Global Program
On the other
hand, there are eight international program partner militaries for the F-35
and six other countries currently flying the
Lightning II. Three service branches in the United States operate them. Partner
militaries are enthused about the F-35 and often order more after initial
purchase agreements. For example, Israel dominates its neighborhood with its
F-35s. The Israelis have 33 Lightning IIs with an additional order of 17 on the
way by 2024. Israel would really have no need for a sixth-generation fighter.
By: Image Credit: Rodrigo Avella
6th-generation
stealth fighters make good media content. They are exciting with ever-improving
capabilities depending on how far aviation technology progresses into the
2030s. But these future airplanes are expensive and sometimes make only
incremental advances on already proven capabilities. Is it time to totally
re-think the value propositions of 6th generation warbirds? Not necessarily,
but keep in mind the airplanes that are already in the inventory may have all
that is needed to control the skies.
Now serving as
1945’s Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M.
Eastwood, PhD, is the
author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an
Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood.
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