Northrop Grumman has just released an animation that shows how 6th Generation fighters might look

[GhostZ06]

One year ago, Northrop Grumman, at that time competing with Lockheed Martin and Boeing for the LRS-B ( Long Range Strike-Bomber) released an interesting ad that teased the shape of the next generation bomber.

Earlier today, the aerospace giant released a new ad that clearly shows, along with a B-2 and some X-47B UCAVs, three 6th Gen. fighters: the new tailless concept, already exposed by some renderings last year, features the “cranked kite” design that’s in vogue with Northrop Grumman, which built the U.S. Air Force iconic B-2 stealth bombers the X-47B naval killer-drone demonstrator and the still much secret RQ-180 unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance aircraft.

The so-called Next Generation Air Dominance concept points towards a small and much agile plane, rumored to be supersonic, long-range, cyber-resilient against threats of the future interconnected world, and able to carry laser-weapons

http://theaviationist.com/2016/02/05/new-ad-shows-6h-gen-fighter/

So Ramjets might be a standard soon.


So far Lockheeds 6th generation concept looks like an F22...

boring and northrop have the most unique

 

[Abezal]

Mehh maybe see it fly in 50 years.

None look crazy futuristic cool nuf.

I want some beast that can fly into space and back and do super maneuverability while watching netflix in Vr. Sexi voiced AI to.

 

[Orgasmo]

I don't like these future designs without vertical stabilizers. How are they going to manage proper yaw when engaged in a dog fight? Also, the inlet is located behind the cockpit on the back side of the aircraft. That's going to have major issues with air inflow to the engines when the nose is pitched up at an high angle.

 

[GhostZ06]

Mehh maybe see it fly in 50 years.

None look crazy futuristic cool nuf.

I want some beast that can fly into space and back and do super maneuverability while watching netflix in Vr. Sexi voiced AI to.

Well at least incredibly wrong. They've been working on the 6th gen since 2012.

And we will see them around 2024–2030. The technology will be tested on current generation aircraft like laser defense weapons and the new ADVENT engine.

 

[GhostZ06]

I don't like these future designs without vertical stabilizers. How are they going to manage proper yaw when engaged in a dog fight? Also, the inlet is located behind the cockpit on the back side of the aircraft. That's going to have major issues with air inflow to the engines when the nose is pitched up at an high angle.

You're not a fan of the tailless design?

 

[Boagrius]

I don't like these future designs without vertical stabilizers. How are they going to manage proper yaw when engaged in a dog fight? Also, the inlet is located behind the cockpit on the back side of the aircraft. That's going to have major issues with air inflow to the engines when the nose is pitched up at an high angle.

I doubt yaw rate/pitch rate/nose authority in general will be particularly important by then - HOBS missiles have already made tail chase dog fighting a fool's game now. Why bother burning off energy like that when you could just cue your turreted laser using full spherical sensor coverage (EODAS "2.0", datalinked targetting data etc.)??

 

[Orgasmo]

You're not a fan of the tailless design?

I'm a fan, just not on fighter jets.

I doubt yaw rate/pitch rate/nose authority in general will be particularly important by then - HOBS missiles have already made tail chase dog fighting a fool's game now. Why bother burning off energy like that when you could just cue your turreted laser using full spherical sensor coverage (EODAS "2.0", datalinked targetting data etc.)??

Rocket motors only fires for less than 10 seconds, and HOB shots bleed significant energy on its way to the target. If what you say is true, why not just have B-2 carry tons of A2A missiles with a few fancy laser turrets for defence?

 

[Graves The Elder]

until a movie is made about them starring tom cruise, I won't believe in their viability

 

[Orgasmo]

until a movie is made about them starring tom cruise, I won't believe in their viability

Lockheed is paying movie producers some major cash to feature F-35 in films judging by the looks of it.

 

[Graves The Elder]

money well spent IMO.
just don't have a damn talking robot flying them.

 

[Abezal]

Well at least incredibly wrong. They've been working on the 6th gen since 2012.

And we will see them around 2024–2030. The technology will be tested on current generation aircraft like laser defense weapons and the new ADVENT engine.

Shit we may not even see the f 35 fly any combat missions between those years. Given how problematic fifth gen tech has been. No fucking way they get a six gen flying so early.

If its flyong so early we should call it whats its likley to be gen 5.1 aka this time it actually works. No longer a trillion dollar tech demonstrator.

 

[Boagrius]

Rocket motors only fires for less than 10 seconds, and HOB shots bleed significant energy on its way to the target.

True. Nevertheless their lethality has shifted western airpower doctrine away from being in the WVR arena for any great length of time (hence the heavy investment in network centrism and signals management/reduction... what the media might call "stealth"). The simple reality is that dogfighting is a high attrition endeavour for everyone these days, hence the west has in many ways shifted its focus to winning the air battle via alternative approaches.

If what you say is true, why not just have B-2 carry tons of A2A missiles with a few fancy laser turrets for defence?

Easy. Because:

A.) I didnt say yaw or pitch rate were irrelevant, just less so these days. There is a growing trend (in western doctrine) away from having the pilot do the hard maneuvering, and towards having the weapon system do it instead. That said, a B2 is obviously too cumbersome in both speed AND maneuverability to deal with those "oh sh*t" scenarios where Murphy's Law takes effect.

B.) "Laser turrets" can still be saturated. They are not a panacea, but they will almost certainly be a game changer in the A-A arena.

C.) B2s are horrifically expensive. The USAF simply could not field enough of them to cover its global commitments/interests. Nobody else would be able to afford them at all. The fleet would also have zero room for attrition.

D.) The USN couldn't fit them on their carriers. Not much more to say here really.

E.) Turreted lasers are only likely to function effectively in the WVR or near BVR range in their immediate future due to their energy demands. 6th gen aircraft are probably still going to need to be able to use A-A missiles to some degree in the air superiority role, and thus confer upon them all the kinematic advantages that a B2 or similar is simply incapable of doing - particularly in BVR combat.

 

[Anung Un Rama]

The Joint Chiefs are probably looking through their rolodex of unthreatening militaries for a target as we speak.

Look out The Gambia.

 

[GhostZ06]

i wonder if those new Hit-to-kill missiles are gonna become a standard for A2A fighting.

 

[GhostZ06]

True. Nevertheless their lethality has shifted western airpower doctrine away from being in the WVR arena for any great length of time (hence the heavy investment in network centrism and signals management/reduction... what the media might call "stealth"). In an operational scenario (and not a Hollywood one) time spent in a dogfight focused on one guy is time given to his buddy as he lines up his optimal 50g, Mach 3+ and HOBS capable missile shot.



Easy. Because:

A.) I didnt say yaw or pitch rate were irrelevant, just less so these days. There is a growing trend (in western doctrine) away from having the pilot do the hard maneuvering, and towards having the weapon system do it. That said, a B2 is obviously too cumbersome in both speed AND maneuverability to deal with those "oh sh*t" scenarios where Murphy's Law takes effect.

B.) "Laser turrets" can still be saturated. They are not a panacea, but they will almost certainly be a game changer in the A-A arena.

C.) B2s are horrifically expensive. The USAF simply could not field enough of them to cover its global commitments/interests. Nobody else would be able to afford them at all. The fleet would also have zero room for attrition.

D.) The USN couldn't fit them on their carriers. Not much more to say here really.

E.) Turreted lasers are only likely to function effectively in the WVR or near BVR range in their immediate future due to their energy demands. 6th gen aircraft are probably still going to need to be able to use A-A missiles to some degree in the air superiority role, and thus confer upon them all the kinematic advantages that a B2 or similar is simply incapable of doing - particularly in BVR combat.

Well they are aiming to put a 150-kilowatt solid-state laser on the F-35 and F-22. i bet they will put it on a drone first for testing purposes.

 

[GhostZ06]

Shit we may not even see the f 35 fly any combat missions between those years. Given how problematic fifth gen tech has been. No fucking way they get a six gen flying so early.

If its flyong so early we should call it whats its likley to be gen 5.1 aka this time it actually works. No longer a trillion dollar tech demonstrator.

well there are 2 platforms, one for the navy and one for the airforce. Now hopefully they pick 2 differant platforms for maximum capability. and not a common airframe bs

here is boeing for the navy

 

[DoomPatrol]

Mehh maybe see it fly in 50 years.

None look crazy futuristic cool nuf.

I want some beast that can fly into space and back and do super maneuverability while watching netflix in Vr. Sexi voiced AI to.

That would be sick. I know they were trying to do that with a transport at some point in the last few years. They wanted to be able to fly a special forces unit anywhere on the globe in like 18 hours. It would put them up in orbit then drop them where they needed to be.

Best way to beat radar is to not be in the sky. Just be in space instead.

 

[Boagrius]

Best way to beat radar is to not be in the sky. Just be in space instead.

Actually the Russian S400 and S500 will probably still wack you up there too...

 

[DoomPatrol]

Actually the Russian S400 and S500 will probably still wack you up there too...

You would have to be up past the mesopause. I think those missiles have a ceiling around 60km, which is pretty sick.

 

[Abezal]

well there are 2 platforms, one for the navy and one for the airforce. Now hopefully they pick 2 differant platforms for maximum capability. and not a common airframe bs

Hell they need more then two.

Do they have any plans for what will be an export version.