The F-22 Raptor is already starting to look like a relic. That sounds crazy, right? We’re talking about the plane that basically defined the modern "invisible" warplane. But in the classified hangars where engineers are sketching out the future, the F-22 and even the F-35 are becoming the "old guard." We have officially entered the era of sixth generation fighter jets, and honestly, it’s not just about being hard to see on a radar screen anymore.
Everyone asks the same thing: what actually makes a jet "sixth gen"? If the fifth gen was defined by stealth and data fusion, the sixth gen is about something much weirder. It’s about the "Loyal Wingman." It’s about directed energy. It’s about a plane that acts more like a flying data center than a traditional dogfighter.
The NGAD Program and the End of the "Pilot-Only" Era
The U.S. Air Force is currently pouring billions into the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. This isn't just one plane. It’s a "family of systems." Think of it as a hive mind. You’ve got a central, highly expensive manned aircraft, but it’s surrounded by several cheaper, autonomous drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
💡 You might also like: 50 challenging problems in probability: Why Most People Get the Math Wrong
These drones are the real game-changer. They do the dirty work. They fly ahead to jam enemy sensors or carry extra missiles so the main pilot doesn't have to reveal their position. If a CCA gets shot down? It’s a bummer for the budget, but nobody is writing a letter home to a grieving family. That changes the tactical math entirely.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has been pretty vocal about this. He’s mentioned that the Air Force wants at least 1,000 of these CCAs to pair with their crewed fighters. It's a massive shift in how we think about air superiority. We are moving away from the "Ace" pilot in a single plane toward a "Quarterback" pilot managing a small robotic fleet.
Speed vs. Survival
For decades, we obsessed over the "OODA loop"—Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. In sixth generation fighter jets, the "Decide" part is increasingly handled by AI. The pilot is there to give the okay, but the plane is doing the heavy lifting.
Look at the engines. The Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) is working on motors that can switch between high-thrust modes for combat and high-efficiency modes for long-range cruising. This is physics-defying stuff. General Electric and Pratt & Whitney are fighting over this right now because whoever wins controls the heart of the next fifty years of aviation. These engines don't just provide push; they provide massive amounts of electrical power. Why? Because the sixth gen is going to carry lasers.
Why Europe and Japan are Teaming Up
The U.S. isn't the only player. Not even close. You have two major competing projects in Europe and Asia that are trying to outdo the Americans.
First, there’s the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). This is a massive marriage between the UK, Italy, and Japan. They are merging their previous projects (Tempest and F-X) because building sixth generation fighter jets is just too expensive for one country to do alone—unless you’re the U.S. or China. Japan bringing their sensor expertise to the UK’s airframe design is a powerhouse move.
Then you have FCAS—the Future Combat Air System. That’s the French, German, and Spanish team-up. It’s been a bit of a soap opera. Dassault (France) and Airbus (Germany) have spent a lot of time arguing over who gets to lead the project. France wants a carrier-capable version for their Navy; Germany isn't as worried about that. Despite the drama, they’re aiming for a 2040 rollout.
Digital Twins and the Death of the Prototype
In the old days, you’d build a physical prototype, fly it, watch it crash or fail, and then spend five years fixing it. Sixth-gen development uses "Digital Twins." They build the entire plane in a virtual environment so precise that they can run millions of flight hours before a single piece of carbon fiber is cut.
Former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper famously revealed that a secret NGAD demonstrator had already flown years ahead of schedule because of this digital engineering. It’s why these planes look so "clean." If you look at the concept art for the B-21 Raider or the various NGAD sketches, you’ll notice a lack of vertical tails. Tails are a radar's best friend. Removing them makes the plane stealthy from all angles, not just the front, but it makes the plane incredibly unstable. Only super-advanced flight computers can keep a tailless jet from falling out of the sky.
💡 You might also like: YouTube: Why We Can’t Stop Watching and What Most People Get Wrong About the Algorithm
The China Factor: The J-20 Was Just the Beginning
We can't talk about the future without looking at China’s aerospace industry. They skipped a lot of the growing pains the West went through. The Chengdu J-20 is a formidable fifth-gen jet, but China is already working on their follow-up.
While the U.S. keeps a lot of NGAD details behind a "black" curtain, Chinese state media and aerospace shows have dropped hints about their sixth-gen goals. They are focusing heavily on "swarming" technology. They want to saturate a battlespace with so many low-cost sensors and shooters that even the most advanced stealth jet becomes overwhelmed. It's a battle of sensors. Whoever sees first, wins.
Sensors, Not Just Cameras
We used to talk about "radar." Now we talk about Multi-Spectral Sensors. The sixth gen will see in infrared, radio frequency, and even use LIDAR. It will "see" the heat generated by the skin of an enemy stealth jet moving through the air. You can hide your radar reflection, but you can’t hide the fact that your plane is getting hot as it friction-burns through the atmosphere at Mach 1.8.
The Power Problem
This is the part nobody talks about at airshows: heat.
These new jets are basically flying microwave ovens. Between the high-powered AESA radars, the jamming pods, and the potential for directed-energy weapons (lasers), the electronics generate a staggering amount of heat. If you don't manage that heat, the electronics fry or, ironically, the heat signature makes you a giant glowing target for infrared missiles.
The sixth gen is as much about "thermal management" as it is about aerodynamics. Engineers are looking at using the fuel itself as a heat sink, pumping the heat from the electronics into the fuel tanks before it gets burned in the engine. It’s a delicate, dangerous dance.
Actionable Insights for Following the Tech
If you're trying to keep track of this space without getting lost in the jargon, here is how you should actually watch the development of sixth generation fighter jets over the next few years.
- Watch the Engine Contracts: Don't look at the airframe shapes; look at who wins the engine bids. The AETP (Adaptive Engine Transition Program) is the real barometer for whether these jets will have the range and power they promise.
- Monitor the "Loyal Wingman" Tests: Keep an eye on the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie or Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat. These aren't just "cool drones." They are the testbeds for the AI that will eventually run the sixth-gen family of systems.
- Focus on Open Architecture: The biggest failure of the F-35 was its proprietary software that made updates a nightmare. The sixth gen is being built with "Open Architecture," meaning the Air Force wants to be able to swap out sensors or software like you swap apps on a phone.
- Ignore the 2030 Deadlines: Defense projects always slide. If a country says they’ll have a sixth-gen fleet by 2030, they probably mean 2035 or 2038. Look for "Initial Operating Capability" (IOC) dates instead of "First Flight" dates.
The leap from the fifth to the sixth generation isn't about flying faster or turning tighter. It's about a fundamental shift in the philosophy of flight. We are moving from "man-in-the-machine" to "man-over-the-network." The pilot isn't just a driver anymore; they are a systems administrator with an ejection seat. It’s a strange, slightly terrifying transition, but in a world where sensors are becoming perfect, it’s the only way to stay alive in the sky.