The new generation of combat aircraft-the sixth-which will soon see the light of day, is part of the global dynamic of massive rearmament triggered in particular by the war in Ukraine, but also by the growing tensions between the United States and China. Beijing has made dazzling progress in the field in recent months, by managing to fly its prototypes of Ultramodern aircraft J-36 and J-50, says online magazine Live Science.
The United States, on the other hand, has decided: Boeing will be the manufacturer of its F-47. Speeding will only be one aspect of these aircraft of the future which should also be intelligent devices, boosted with artificial intelligence (AI), capable of mastering the airspace thanks to their stealth technology. They should be able to carry out incognito military actions, without ever that the opposing lines detect their presence.
Sutivity is based on specific forms of the structure of the plane – so angle, such as diamond patterns – and on the special coatings that compose it. The cell, including the fuselage, the wings and the impact, had already been designed with this objective in mind on the previous generation. We should find these very specific angular forms in the hunters of tomorrow, but pushed even further.
Ever more stealth aircraft
One of the most visible developments will undoubtedly be the reduction, even the total disappearance, of vertical footprints at the back of the aircraft, as well as their rudder. On current planes, these surfaces ensure directional stability and allow you to keep the course or effectively maneuver in flight.
The cutting-edge devices could ensure this control thanks to the push vectorization, a technology allowing to orient the engines and therefore to direct the push itself, without having to rest on fins. The deletion of vertical footprints would contribute, again, to the increased stealth of the hunter.
Another pillar of this new generation will obviously be the integration of unmanned air -combat vehicles (UAV). Dones that have become essential on the battlefield. More economical, they will contribute to military missions by limiting human risks and will be responsible for protecting the devices housing a pilot. The AI will have a key role in this mechanism and engineers around the world hope to capitalize on the progress made in this sector to design autonomous and reliable vehicles.
The sixth generation hunter race is engaged: in parallel with the F-47, the United States developed the F/A-XX, while the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan bet on the GCAP Air Program program. France, Germany, Spain and Belgium have combined behind the SCAF project aimed at developing an air combat system for the future. The objective is to replace current combat aircraft with more connected, stealthy and versatile devices.
