Is it better to focus on tomorrow's technology when considering 5th- or 6th-generation jet fighter planes?
WASHINGTON – The American development and deployment of 5th-generation stealth aircraft like the F-35 Lightning is one of the central stories of today’s security zeitgeist. But behind the scenes, several countries already are looking ahead to the design of a 6th-generation jet fighter. The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
5 March 2020 -- The relentless pace of research arguably is driven less by combat experience -- of which there is little -- and more by a sober assessment that development of a successor will take several decades and is started better sooner rather than later.
The 6th-generation fighter developers divide into two categories: the U.S. with two stealth fighter types, and countries that have skipped or given up on their attempt to build 5th-generation jets.
These latter countries -- including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom -- have concluded that doing so is so time-consuming and expensive that it makes more sense to focus on tomorrow's jet fighter technology than try to catch up with today's.
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics