6th Generation Fighter Aircraft
6th generation jet fighters are being designed to replace the fighter aircraft currently in use or to complement the shortcomings of 5th generation fighter aircraft in order to provide air superiority in areas and regions where they are needed, with or without pilots.
The most modern series of fighter jets today are the 5th generation fighter jets. Compared to the old 3rd and 4th generation aircraft, these aircraft are open to many innovations in addition to satellite and ground communications.
Which aircraft are these fighters?
Chinese-made Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31, American-made Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 fighter jets and Russian-made Suhoy Su-57.
The cheapest Su-57 costs 34 million dollars and the most expensive F-22 Raptor costs 150 million dollars.
The J20 has a flight range of more than 6,000 kilometers. It is followed by the Su-57 with 3500 km and the F-22 with 3220 km. With an operational radius of >3,000 km, the J20 has almost twice the range of its competitors.
As I explained in my article on Pilotless F-16 flight with Artificial Intelligence support, the footsteps of change began to be heard with unmanned aerial vehicles. Now, machines controlled by artificial intelligence have started to push human limits and even surpass humans in some areas.
Even before the 5th Generation aircrafts have been fully utilized, the production of 6th Generation aircrafts has reached the design, project and evaluation stages. Countries such as the USA, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Taiwan have started to work seriously on this issue.
Japan has recently started working to be included in these teams and is negotiating with other nations to establish partnerships on flying airplanes with artificial intelligence.
What are the differences between 6th Generation aircrafts and 4th and 5th Generation aircrafts?
In order to define this, we have to understand and know the management of today's air wars.
6th generation aircraft should be able to travel at very high speeds, have high maneuverability, recognize friendly forces in the area where it is located, be ready for instant assignments, and have an average level of artificial intelligence that can fight and defeat humans one-on-one, and even analyze one-on-one pilot flights and develop new applications of its own.
Another issue is that the aircraft should be able to instantly switch between roles such as reconnaissance, fighter, bomber, patrol, search and rescue. It should be able to fly manned or unmanned. Even maintenance and weapon loading operations should be unmanned, and for this reason, it should be designed and manufactured in a modular structure.
In other words, it should be in full harmony with the operation center to which it is attached, and should be able to perform autonomous missions when necessary. It should be able to operate in full coordination with the land, air and naval forces in the area where the operation is being conducted, and should be able to use the operational area in harmony with friendly forces in the region.
It should be able to operate with a pilot when necessary and without a pilot under life-threatening conditions.
They must be as silent and invisible as possible, and they must be able to see, hear and know every event in their area of operation, and must be able to share them instantly with their operational managers.
For this purpose, it must be able to instantly detect every movement in its area, in other words, it must be as fast as lightning not only in flight, but also in recognizing, perceiving and deciding on its surroundings.
Instead of electricity, light should circulate in the aircraft's veins and antennas, every event should be processed at the speed of light inside or outside the aircraft, and this information should be transmitted to the managers instantly.
Because it is imperative to respond to the surprises inherent in warfare with instant task or role changes. For this reason, it must have an almost supercomputer and communication system that can process millions of data instantly and share this data instantly within itself or with command centers. For this reason, the fuselage must be equipped with fiber optic cables carrying light instead of copper cables carrying electricity.
6th Generation fighter jets should also be aware of the land troops, naval forces and other friendly elements in the region and act in cooperation with these forces.
More importantly, it is also necessary to know whether the aircraft in the area of operation or 40-50 kilometers away is a friendly or enemy aircraft. Depending on the friend or foe status of this aircraft, it should immediately inform friendly forces and defense systems in its own or its region.
The mere presence of 15-20 aircraft in the air in an area where an operation is being carried out is enough to make things more difficult, and the decision-making process can lead to the shooting down of friendly forces. Who do we shoot at? Who is firing missiles at us? How do I avoid this missile, how do I accomplish my mission?
The 6th Generation fighter aircraft must be fast and agile enough to carry out all these coordination and decision-making processes on its own. Ultimately, it must accomplish its mission.
A 6th generation aircraft is expected to be able to withstand 13-14 G force when necessary and not harm friendly forces. For this reason, it must be produced with a new engine system and a structural durability suitable for these missions.
The 6th generation jet fighters are being designed to replace the current fighter aircraft or to complement the shortcomings of the 5th generation fighter aircraft in order to provide air superiority in the required areas and regions with or without pilots. Each new system must also be compatible with its predecessor.
6th generation aircraft will be able to turn and maneuver more sharply with changes to their engines. Even energy diversity should be considered.
The development of lighter, more durable and faster-moving systems with new energy systems will lead to the development of much more different aircraft and systems in the coming period, and these aircraft will be able to instantly switch to any mission. It is thought that range and payload capacities will also improve in line with these designs.
The 6th generation fighter jet projects, which are still at the thought and design stage, are expected to become concrete between 2030 and 2035.
Low maintenance costs, easy parts replacement or repair, and even self-repairing smart metals, as well as being highly resistant to the harsh conditions and effects of war, are also likely to be expected features of these aircraft. A lighter, more durable metal, a faster engine and a system that consumes less fuel with variable wing features can also be considered.
While the developments in the fifth generation fighter aircraft continue at full speed, new needs have emerged in line with the needs of countries. It is considered that these needs will also have features that will bring fighter jet technologies to a very advanced level.
An example of this will be the communication of these aircraft with other aircraft, satellites and ground systems. In short, these aircraft will develop their own communication channels in the air, such as Link 11, Link 16, Link 22, or work to develop newer communication standards. All communication or control will be done over these links. Command and control, mission control, airspace monitoring and ground control tasks will all be transferred through these links, and the operational area will be monitored and tracked instantaneously.
Today, the 6th generation jet fighter designs will have a design that is free from cerebral and physical limitations, which means that human ability is limited.
These systems will be far superior to older generation fighter aircraft with their effective maneuvering capabilities and artificial intelligence. It will also be possible to think of these systems as a single command center that manages the entire operation.
In this way, it will be able to direct the smart ammunition mounted on it to the desired target and control the mission. Afterwards, it will also be able to evaluate the execution and success rates of the mission.
6. If we want to write a few of the 6th Generation fighter jet projects, one of them is the TEMPEST project. The TEMPEST Project is being carried out by the UK, Italy and Sweden. Within the framework of this project, the 6th generation jet fighter, which is planned to enter service in 2035, is being developed.
With the TEMPEST Project, it is aimed not to have any dials, screens or buttons in the cockpit design. The creation of a virtual screen through a technological helmet and a wearable cockpit design have come to the fore. For the development and production of engines, Rolls-Royce is working to equip TEMPEST with a hybrid engine. In the new generation engine system, one engine will be able to operate as a motor or generator by transferring power to the other. An energy management system is also being worked on to regulate the energy needs of the engines. In addition to the Tempest project, there is also the FCAS Project, which is being carried out in partnership with Germany, France and Spain. Japan's F-X project, Russia's MIG-41 project and the USA's PCA (Penetrating Counter Air) project
Conclusion
6th Generation fighter jets;
- Will have a manned and/or unmanned design.
- Compared to 5th generation fighter jets, they will have more effective maneuverability.
- It will have network and satellite-centered operation capability and cyber warfare capability using artificial intelligence.
- Directed energy weapons can be integrated.
- Thanks to its modular structure, the replacement of any part can be reduced to 1 hour.
- It will be able to establish strong sensor connections with air, land and naval units.
- It will not have the cockpit structure found in old generation fighter jets, but will have a wearable cockpit design thanks to the helmet to be worn by the pilot.
- It will be able to move 5-6 times above the speed of sound.
- With its invisibility features, it will be superior to the old generation fighter jets.
- It will be able to command drones or other unmanned aerial vehicles in high-risk operations.
- The features of high thrust engines used in fighter aircraft and low thrust engines used in passenger aircraft, which consume less fuel, will be combined in a single engine.
- Hybrid engine integration and technology will also be developed.
Note: The innovations in the 6th generation continue to develop not only in fighter aircraft, but also in different roles and categories such as Bomber (B), Early Warning (EW) and UAV. I will discuss these developments in more detail in future articles.
