Why 5th Generation Aircraft are a Must-Have?

In the history of military aviation, many platforms and new systems have been developed, hundreds of tactics have been tried and hundreds of lessons have been learned. The new air operation capability targeted today is a combination of all these and has evolved into a completely different dimension with the effort to provide a special superiority against the new threats of the other side. 

In the race for superiority of societies that can produce very critical technologies by utilizing the blessings of high technology, the latest piloted aircraft, classified as the 5th generation in the field of aviation, have also been included. Today, in addition to some 5th generation aircraft that have reached the point of active duty, 6th generation air platforms have only reached the stage of flight tests without pilots. 

Approximately 24 years have passed since the F-117A incident, which has been referred to as a "ghost airplane" since the mid-90s and caused great astonishment with its downing. In addition to why and how it was shot down, the most important technology that experts agree on is the most critical technology that makes the 5th generation aircraft superior to others today. The necessity to adapt to the "digital" world, which we see today as a necessity of "transformation", started to manifest itself more sharply in military systems years ago.

The way in which the screenwriters, who even made Hollywood movies about the future of these days, include technology in their works today is only the part that is visible to us and consists of advertising. It is only the real users who calculate what is in its depth and how it should be used.

Today, we are in an era that requires artificial intelligence, high data processing capability, the ability to analyze large volumes of data in a very short time, and the ability to make critical decisions as soon as possible with accurate high probability and low controllable risk calculations. It was not possible to look for all these elements 20 years ago, but today these capabilities have become clear "Go/No Go" criteria. 

Just to give an example, the F-16 aircraft, which has won the admiration of the world aviation for 48 years, is targeted to gain the ability to become the 4th and 5th generation with the Block 60/70 versions. This is possible thanks to some systematic infrastructures that can be transferred from 5th generation aircraft, i.e. 5th generation inheritance features that can be called "DNA". However, the F-16 aircraft no longer has the capability to go beyond some of the mission capabilities and special qualities of its generation. Structurally, it is a small volume aircraft and there is not enough space to fit more equipment in its fuselage. The 5th generation aircraft is still a very powerful marketing weapon for countries that do not need it, but it is unlikely that it will ever have all the qualities sought in the 5th generation. 

Having the necessary capabilities for "first detection, identification, engagement and first destruction", which is considered a permanent superiority in military aviation, has never lost its importance throughout the ages. The 5th generation aircraft, which are being developed in line with this goal, are being promoted as capable of performing the most effective mission and surviving not only for themselves, but also for the 3rd and 4th generation aircraft they operate with. In this sense, the way in which 4th and 5th generation aircraft can conduct operations may differ thanks to critical advanced technologies, which is natural, and in this way, the objectives can be achieved together more effectively and with minimal losses. 

In a digitalized world, 5th generation aircraft attract the attention of users more than lower generation aircraft thanks to the structures called sensors, new generation aircraft radar, fuselage structure that contributes to low visibility, artificial intelligence-based learning, very fast joint analysis of data, the ability to support very fast decision-making, and perhaps most importantly, high electromagnetic spectrum control capabilities. I believe that these features are important and indispensable for end-users to a certain extent. 

In our age of hardening to the point of nuclear threat, it has become even more important to be strong and deterrent. The use of nuclear weapons, which can be considered the end of the world, is never desirable. In this sense, the backbone of the air power, which can be considered as a part of the military power, which has an important place in addition to the economic power accepted as deterrence, is gradually transforming towards 5th generation aircraft for western countries. Some NATO member countries and especially the organization itself now want to transform according to this technology. The understanding of not falling behind the times and being in harmony with our allies has brought along a series of activities that have been emphasized for years. In this context, the continuation of the same harmony will add value to our strength in the natural process and in our region. 

The 5th generation aircraft capability, which is among the capabilities that many countries see as an important defense technology and investment area, will of course bring some undeniable advantages. At this point, two important factors can be briefly evaluated: to reach and start using this technology as soon as possible, and to strive to stay on the same level with our allies. "Staying ahead of the curve", which is considered one of the most important conditions for becoming a global power in its region, is one of the most critical issues that has been emphasized for years. 

Considering that technology is expensive, critical advanced technologies are difficult to produce and not easy to access, it is clearly known that the development of 5th generation aircraft platforms is not cheap. In line with the current geopolitical and geostrategic positioning, it has become a race of our time to be able to benefit from such a high-level technology. With this understanding, it will only be years before we will be able to see how appropriate today's decisions are or how meaningful they will be in the future, either alone or with those we choose to walk with, in line with current or future environmental threat perceptions.