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The race to develop a 6th generation aircraft is no longer a future vision-this is now a defined force behind the US defense strategy.
With state -of -the -art platforms such as B -21 raider, F -47 and Navy’s F/A -XX on the horizon, Pentagon is explaining how Americans produce air power for the next 50 years.
These aircraft promise unprecedented progress in speed, secret and autonomy – but they are also colliding with budget pressure, industrial capacity limit and a rapidly uncertain global threat.
B-21 raider: a secret inheritance continues
The Northrop Grumman’s B -21 raider is ready to be the backbone of the US long distance strike capacity. With its next -gene stealth design, reduced the burden and strength of maintenance compared to its B -2 preceding, B -21 is seen as important to prevent strategic threats such as China and Iran.
Last week, when seven B -2 bombers flew a 18 -hour mission to Iran, it became clear, dropping a bunker -bomb on nuclear goals. Being effective, the high cost of B -2 and aging system underlines the need for its replacement. A $ 692 million per aircraft provides strategic access to a more durable price compared to $ 2 billion at $ 692 million.
The high-tech stealth bomber can carry atoms and traditional weapons and is designed to work alternately, which means it can fly without a crew on the board.
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Flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base are already running, with the first units of obtaining operating capacity by three B -21 and 2027 in the air. The Air Force has committed to at least 100 attackers, with internal discussions floating on a possible scale up to 200.
“We are doubling the production capacity as soon as possible to bring that inventory as soon as possible.
The new B -21 raider is unveiled at Pamdel, California during a ceremony at Plant 42 of the Air Force of Northrop Gramman. (Frederick J. Brown / AFP via Getty Image)
F-47 and ngad revival
Once at a stalled, the Air Force’s next generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program roared for life in this spring under a new name and a new contract. Now named F-47, the program-boiling was awarded-designed to become the most advanced manned fighter in American history. Its capabilities will include stealth, extended range, much speed of more than 2 and integration with a new square of AI-competent drones called collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
F-47 will serve as a “quarterback” for a team of 1,000 CCAS, control them in fighting and coordin the sensor and target data in real time.
“It is seriously important that President Trump proceeded with the manned platform for the Air Force,” said former rape Mike Garcia, R-Calif. “This academic debate about unmanned-unseen platforms is aspiring-but the network is not yet.”
According to the graphic posted by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the aircraft has an ambitious timeline for the initial operational capacity-2025-2029 range, within the range of 2025-2029 David Alvin X.
The Pentagon is being all-in at F-47 in the 2026 budget: F-35S requested $ 3.5 billion, reducing the request of 74 to 47 to 47 for F-35S. Garcia, a former naval pilot, emphasized that human pilots are still necessary for managing the complexity of the 21st century war.
However, within the Pentagon, others argue that the manned fighters may be obsolete even before the F -47 completely landed.
A former senior defense officer said, “AI technologies are growing much faster than any prediction.” “If they develop in five years … then you are on the right path.”
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Deptula reduced the budget “arbitrarily”, which was determined by the Congress rather than the defense officers, what they needed for readiness and argued that more expensive F -47 might be able to work far more than less elite aircraft.
“Personally, F -47 can be more expensive than the previous fighter aircraft, but if it can get 15, 20, 30, 40 times, what would be to meet special results using non -stifles or other less expensive aircraft, which offers the most value?
President Donald Trump revealed the rendering of F -47 during the White House ceremony in March. (Reuters/Carlos Bairia)
F/A-XX: Navy Airpower, deliberately delayed
Unlike the Air Force, the Navy is slowly moving forward with its own 6-gene project-F/A-XX. Garcia sees it as deliberately, given that naval airframes will face more environmental challenges than their Air Force counterparts.
According to the budget proposal of FY 2026, the officials are still uncertain whether the Navy’s next-Je-Fighter Jet, F/A-XX will move forward.
A defense officer told reporters, “Waiting for a decision from the Navy Secretary, Defense Secretary and the President,” a defense officer told reporters. “This is an active conversation, whether it continues with the program or not.”
The official said that the program will move forward with “minimum money” for design in the budget.
“Designing a naval version of an Air Force aircraft at the same time? It is impossible to do it correctly.”
Instead, the Navy is expected to make saltwater, favorable for catapults, comprise and deck operating by building technology-like engine and sensor-NGAD.
However, Garcia warned that the Navy has a deep, under-reported problem: a decrease in carrier-based strike fighters.
Pentagon is going to all in the 2026 budget on F-47: F-35S requested $ 3.5 billion to reduce its request from 74 to 47. (Reuters/Kim Cuning-Hun/File Photo)
“There is no response to a 6-jewel aircraft with a gold climbing in small amounts. There is a slightly lower capacity in high numbers that require Navy.”
However, Deptula said that there is a question whether the aircraft carriers will be viable in the future as well.
“The question that a lot of people in the Defense Department are now asking what is the viability of an aircraft carrier in the future world, which is transmitted by hypersonic, very accurate missile with 1,500-meal-flus range.”
The carrier “Project Power” in a low-range environment, Deptula said, “Most people recognize that you are not going to keep the aircraft carrier enough to use the aircraft.”
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Another former defense officer said, “The Navy wants to bow to the sixth generation.