6th Generation fighters and beyond.

Von Smallhausen

Von Smallhausen

Von Smallhausen

Man of Honour
Joined
1 Aug 2004
Posts
12,681
Location
Tyneside
When I was a kid, 4th gen fighters such as the Tomcat and Eagle were cutting edge and I still have a soft spot for the 3rd gen Lightning which was retired when I was in comprehensive.

I look now at the F-22 which is an astounding fighter with seemingly unmatched cabilities but the US has already invited 6th gen designs for tender which are even more futuristic with directed energy weaponry being suggested.

What do you fellow plane nerds think the 6th and 7th gen will bring ? Manned ? Unmanned ? Space capable?

Discuss.
 
Strange little thread to start?

But OK, i like military devices.

I imagine the end of the F/22 was due to cost restraints and likelihood of stolen blueprints, though i don't totally know the latter incident, wouldn't really have mattered anyway, Manned jets aren't really that relevant any more...so i suppose they will be focusing their money on much more capable drones.

Directed energy weapons are a bit far-fetched at the moment, in my opinion, I don't see them attaching a power cell with enough capacity yet, though the area of miniature power generation is evolving at quick pace, so i imagine i might be wrong soon enough.
 
Ooooh... good topic - subscribed (and I agree about 4th gen fighters, air shows at Mildenhall or Lakenheath with the USAF flying in F16s, 15s & 14s were gobsmacking at the time)
 
I would say that the next generation are probably going to be unmanned. If you can get the software right then an unmanned just will be able to do more than a manned one.
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
Very very strange, if going unmanned, then there is no need to pander to the needs of a squashy lump in the cockpit, an actual fighter/bomber, could be capable of much faster turning and climb rate than anything manned, and it would be madness not to exploit this to the maximum.
Click to expand...

Then demoralise the entire airforce?
 
Aye unlike the pilots who dont want to fly the f22 as it kills them or might be rather unsafe.
Totally moralising that one isnt it?

Anyway still need the chapsmto play playstation to fly the jobbies.
 
The USAF have already started training more drone pilots than "real aircraft" pilots and that is with the current crop of drones only really being able to operate in benign airspace.
 
I think there will be a number of aspects in the 6th generation, but I think systems integration will be the key so all aspects of the battlefield work better together, talk to one another without intervention etc. Stealth will still form part and I think beyond visual range will become vital. I think their will be unmanned or manned options on the same plane however, there are still aspects where you need a man in the seat I feel and I think there will be a further move from single role to multi role.
 
I very much doubt we will be seeing 6th/7th gen for a while apart from drones, however it depends what happens, the "generation" numbering system is defined by America hence why the F-22 is, by all accounts, not amazingly better than some 4.5 gen (4th gen design concepts with 5th gen systems) planes, I.E the Typhoon, however I would still want to be in an F-22 if going into combat right now :P

The upcoming Russian 5th gen fighter looks pretty cool, but as for looking to the future I would imagine it will be a long time before we see true 6th/7th gen as its really not needed yet, The F-22 was designed over a quarter of a century ago and first flew 23 years ago, its not exactly brand new, however it is currently the dominant air fighter and with the exception of the Typhoon, Rafael, and perhaps the latest implementation of the Su-35, nothing can really touch it at the moment.

Its not like america has to worry about sending an F-22 or 35 into the middle east and not getting it back, and lets not forget that the F-22 wasn't even the best design of its day, it was chosen over the YF-23 Blackwidow mostly because it was cheaper (the 23 had better stealth, better speed, could fly higher and could carry more missiles).

From the looks of it the PAK-FA has more in common with the YF-23 than the F-22, which could bode well for 6th gen advancement as im sue the US don't want Russia to have the best plane as despite the cold war being over it would represent an embarrassment.

pakfayf23f22f35.jpg
 
Last edited:
"Generation" is becoming a bit of marketing, the lines are blurred more than the simple designation suggests.

My view is that interceptor roles, close air support and (for the yanks) anything strategic will remain manned for quite some time. ISTAR and bomber roles will be unmanned.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom