defense

What Will Fighter Aircraft Look Like in the Future?

The future of air warfare will soon depend more on the systems that accompany it than on the actual aircraft itself. Data and intelligence are more valuable in long-term military strategy, so the effectiveness of sensors, target search, detection, imaging, lock-on, strike technologies, etc. will have a higher priority than new aircraft models.

Since the beginning of air warfare nearly a hundred years ago, the fighter aircraft has been a staple of the air service. The last seventy years of this century have been the age of the jet fighter, most notably in the Vietnam War. Used in armed forces around the world, fighter jets have redefined and improved how wars are fought.

But are fighter jets in danger of being rendered obsolete by new technologies?

The F-117, F-22, F-35 are equipped with stealth technology to evade radar, and these features have led them to be described as "stealth".

Of course, it was not correct to call these aircraft invisible. Stealth aircraft are less likely to be detected by radar scans due to their airframe materials, aerodynamic geometry, and some radar wave detection and emission systems, and when they are detected, their signature is very small. They also have "jamming" technologies that could potentially allow them to fly undetected in enemy airspace.

But with new technologies emerging faster than ever, how much longer will we realistically need such aircraft, and will they be worth the cost of their acquisition and procurement?

The new aircraft will fall into the category of "sixth" generation fighters (see Ref.-1 & Ref.-2). It is still not clear what capabilities a sixth generation fighter will have, they are not/can not be fully defined. Some aviation authorities predict that the sixth-generation fighter will be able to navigate at hypersonic speeds, switch between manned and unmanned aircraft, be flown manned and unmanned, have laser-shooting weapon systems, and even have artificial intelligence. (See Ref.-3 for artificial intelligence)

How Will Fighter Aircraft Change in the Future?

1. Fighter Aircraft Will Become More Versatile.

Hyper connectivity will play a vital role in future interactions. The ability to receive live updates, understand where everyone is on the battlefield, and control all drones in one area will make the fighter jet a more versatile weapon.

2. Stealth will become even more important.

As scanning and tracking technology becomes more refined, the ability to move undetected by radar in wide and narrow spaces will become more essential. Jamming technology already exists, but the ability to sustain it over a wide range will be essential to winning air battles in the future. Today's advanced aircraft have electro-optical/infrared and synthetic aperture radar imaging capabilities. Emerging capabilities include/will include "cognitive" electromagnetic weapons and defenses that autonomously find ways to detect enemies.

3. Speed/Speed.

Sixth generation fighters are expected to fly at any speed between Mach 2.2 and Mach 2.5. Unmanned ones will be required/expected to fly at hypersonic speeds (+5 Mach). Higher speed at lower cost will mean that combat aircraft are more capable and efficient.

4. High Maneuverability.

Some of today's fighters are also very maneuverable, but those with humans on board cannot go above +9 G (G is the acceleration we feel due to the force of gravity) (due to the constraint of human physiological resistance), which limits their maneuverability. In addition, the structural condition of the aircraft must also be suitable for higher maneuverability.

5. High Carrying Capacity.

User air forces want their fighter aircraft to be able to carry as many weapons and ammunition as possible, and this has been the case since the beginning of aviation.

6. Long Range.

The biggest limitation of fighters, especially single-engine fighters, was their short range. User air forces rightly demand long-range fighters.

7. Low Acquisition and Maintenance Costs.

Not only the user air forces, but also the governments of the user countries that provide budget financing to these air forces desire and demand that the costs of the fighter aircraft they purchase and maintain for approximately 50-60 years are at reasonable levels.

For example, today, the maintenance and sustainment cost of the F-35 is about ten times that of the F-16, but one F-35 is far from performing the mission of 10 F-16s.

How will the Performance Parameters of the Aircraft be Optimized?

Demanding high speed, high maneuverability, high carrying capacity, high stealth capability and long range from a fighter jet will not lead to a practical solution. There is not yet a technology that can combine all of these on a single platform, but perhaps there will be in the future.

For example, when we want a stealth aircraft to have high ammunition carrying capacity, long range, high speed and high maneuverability; if we want to carry ammunition in the external parts of stealth aircraft, the stealth feature of the aircraft will disappear, and when we carry all the ammunition inside the fuselage to ensure stealth, our carrying capacity will decrease. Let's say we enlarge the fuselage of the aircraft and we can carry more ammunition inside the fuselage, in this case, our maneuverability will decrease, speed will decrease and range will shorten due to the large fuselage.

We will need a very precise optimization equation (the best possible) in order to have all of these performance characteristics in a single air platform. When we expect a little more performance from one feature, we will have to cut back on another feature to a reasonable extent.

In conclusion, fighter aircraft will continue to dominate air warfare for decades to come, both manned and then fully unmanned.