THE MASSIVE CARRIER PROBLEM THE NAVY’S F/A-XX HAS TO SOLVE
Alex Hollings | August 17, 2022
With development underway on the Navy’s next-generation fighter, currently known simply as F/A-XX, the very makeup of America’s seaward branch may be resting on its still-forming wing roots. Among the long list of capabilities that the Navy would like to see this new fighter field, there’s one that may literally dictate the relevance of America’s most expensive warfighting platforms for decades to come: the Navy’s fighters are in serious need of a big boost in range.
As tensions continue to rise between the United States and China in the Pacific, America’s multi-billion dollar carriers are often called upon to serve as they always have — as a looming American presence in far-flung areas of the globe; the proverbial Big Stick meant to compliment America’s diplomatic efforts in other arenas. But for all the power these floating airstrips can bring to bear, these cities on the sea are currently staring down the barrel of a significant capability gap presented by Chinese forces. Their primary offensive capabilities come via the dozens of Joint Strike Fighters and Super Hornets carried onboard, and not one of them could reach Chinese targets if a fight were to break out today… At least, not without putting the carriers themselves at risk of being lost.
In order to keep America’s flat-tops in the fight, there’s one thing the Navy’s new F/A-XX fighter has to bring with it into service: a massive increase in operational range over both the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter. To make matters worse for the engineers trying to solve this problem, that boost in range will need to come from what’s likely to be a larger aircraft that the Navy wants to pull more speed out of as well.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-massive-carrier-problem-the-navys-f-a-xx-has-to-solve/
