Sixth-gen Fighters Already on the Drawing Board
by Jon Lake
- June 15, 2019, 6:30 AM
Plans for a new sixth-generation U.S. Air Force (USAF) "Penetrating Counter Air" fighter aircraft concept are advancing, and Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman have all unveiled sixth-generation fighter concepts or artist’s impressions. It will, however, be many years before any resulting aircraft makes a Paris air show debut.
Current efforts stem from a 2016 USAF "Air Superiority 2030" study, which concluded that the Air Force would need to acquire a "Next Generation Tactical Aircraft" for air superiority and air dominance. The new aircraft would replace the Boeing F-15 Eagle and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, complementing the USAF's F-35As.
The Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft represents one element (the air domain platform component) in the USAF’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) analysis of alternatives. This is expected to encompass a future family of air superiority capabilities that will together allow the USAF to control the air and space domains. They will allow the USAF to operate in the anti-access/area-denial (A2AD) environment, holding targets at risk even in highly contested airspace.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-06-15/sixth-gen-fighters-already-drawing-board
