Military aviation has largely been the realm of gradual evolution, not in terms of bounds and leaps. The 7th generation fighter jet is an attractive concept that, at best, is only a few decades away. Meanwhile, designs for the B-21 Raider follow this gradual path of improvement from its predecessor’s success, the B-2 Spirit, which also had a flying wing design. While the sixth-generation fighters are trying to push beyond what the fifth-generation aircraft achieved.
The term “generation” in the planes was one popularized by Lockheed Martin with the F-35; it has served as a marketing tool from which evolved this now-ubiquitous classification. Gareth Jennings, Aviation Editor at Janes, explains that the notion of a 7th generation fighter does not get discussed out there; most nations are still focused on working through their fifth- and sixth-generation jets. If one looks at the way previous generations of aircraft evolved, some educated guesses can be made about what a 7th-generation fighter might entail.
The U.S. Air Force further classified the capabilities of each generation: the first generation introduced jet propulsion, the second brought in swept wings and infrared-guided missiles, supersonic flight, and pulse radar marked the third generation, while the fourth added high agility and advanced avionics. The fifth generation introduced stealth, sensor fusion, and supercruise capabilities with the F-22 and F-35.
The sixth generation is expected to feature flexible payloads, adaptable airframes, long-range sensing, laser-directed-energy weapons, advanced materials, and intelligent maintenance, among others. Jennings said that the 7th generation could build from those features and add new, yet-to-be-conceptualized technologies. He said by the time we consider a 7th generation fighter it might be fully unmanned, and that introduces all sorts of ethical, moral, and legal questions about autonomous combat systems.
Rob Enderle, a technology analyst, provided several points on the rapid progress taking place with the Metaverse, 3D metal printing, and realistic simulation that could vastly accelerate the development of new fighters. He added that with autonomous technology and human digital twins, the creation of high-performance fighters in a matter of months, flown by digital replicas of top pilots, was not out of the question.
With the costs so high and the requirement likely to be common, international cooperation will be highly desirable in a 7th-generation fighter. Technology is continuing to evolve, but with the rising complexity and cost of new systems, the approach taken by most nations is the upgrading of aircraft in service rather than developing new ones.
In a related development, the Seventh Air Force has initiated an experiment in optimizing combat capability with the establishment of a “Super Squadron” of F-16 Fighting Falcons at Osan Air Base in another effort to field the most capable combat forces. The test will examine what effect it will have on sortie generation, maintenance, manpower, and the associated logistics in determining how to best achieve maximum combat effectiveness. Lt. Gen. David R. Iverson underlined, however, that despite this test burdening personnel and their families, it opens opportunities to improve both training effectiveness and combat capability.
Looking into the future, a 7th generation fighter jet is a mouthwatering prospect, but quite far into the future. Technology and cooperation between nations will determine how a whole new generation of air warfare develops.