Perun | The Race for 6th Generation Fighters - Drones, Lasers & Future Air Dominance @PerunAU | Uploaded December 2022 | Updated October 2024, 6 days ago.
Sponsored by Private Internet Access: privateinternetaccess.com/Perun
Taking a quick break from the horrors of trench war and artillery combat in Ukraine for a week, we instead try to gaze forward towards the 2030s and the future of air combat.
Fighter jets are among the most expensive, complex platforms that any nation builds and maintains (losing out to submarines and warships mostly because of the scale of the latter).
For years, the US was the undisputed leader in the fighter domain, having introduced the 5th Generation F-22 Raptor in 2005, while challengers like the SU-57 would have to wait until the 2020s (and rise to fame a little thanks to the new Topgun film).
But technology moves on; drones, engine technology, sensors, stealth...it all improves, and eventually countries are left with the choice to either build something new or fall behind.
Many have chosen to compete, and in this video I introduce some of the projects pushing for next generation fighters, including the British-Japanese-Italian GCAP, Franco-German-Spanish FCAS, and two American programs.
Whether I look at those in any detail in the future (or at the Russian, Chinese, and other programs) will likely depend on how this video goes.
Recent interview with Jake Broe:
youtube.com/watch?v=nWAkUWqdfBY&t
Patreon
patreon.com/PerunAU
Caveats:
While sources are listed, information on 6th Generation fighters in the public domain is generally a mixture of extreme speculation, carefully calibrated marketing speak, and rumour.
Please regard this video as what it is, a fun, speculative look at what is involved in producing the next generation of fighter aircraft (and their associated systems).
Relevant Reading:
Congressional Research Service Report on USAF NGAD:
crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11659
Reporting on existence of an NGAD demonstrator:
defensenews.com/breaking-news/2020/09/15/the-us-air-force-has-built-and-flown-a-mysterious-full-scale-prototype-of-its-future-fighter-jet
BAE Tempest site:
baesystems.com/en/product/military-capability
USAF wargame reporting:
defensenews.com/training-sim/2021/04/12/a-us-air-force-war-game-shows-what-the-service-needs-to-hold-off-or-win-against-china-in-2030
XA-100:
geaerospace.com/propulsion/military/xa100
Dassault Airbus deal:
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/32827-dassault-airbus-fcas-agreement
Questions with Spain's FCAS lead:
defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/feindef/2021/11/05/5-questions-with-airbus-spains-fcas-lead
USN future plans reporting:
thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40007/navys-aviation-boss-lays-out-big-vision-for-drone-packed-carrier-air-wings-of-the-future
GCAP:
news.usni.org/2022/12/09/japan-italy-u-k-enter-collaboration-to-develop-next-generation-fighter
There is No Spoon: _The New Digital Acquisition Reality (formatting was not what I would have gone with)
https://software.af.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/There-Is-No-Spoon-Digital-Acquisition-7-Oct-2020-digital-version.pdf
F-35 Information fusion presentation (credit Lockheed Martin)
https://swiss-f35.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PIRA-F-35-Sensor-Fusion-Brief-for-Switzerland.pdf
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — OPENING WORDS
00:02:28 — SPONSOR: PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS
00:03:45 — WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?
00:05:18 — FIGHTER GENERATIONS
00:05:22 — The Naming Game
00:06:18 — 1st Gen.
00:07:05 — 2nd & 3rd Gen.
00:07:48 — 4th Gen.
00:08:33 — 4th Gen. Plus
00:10:02 — 5th Gen.
00:11:16 — Networking & Sensor Fusion
00:13:12 — A Three Horse Race?
00:14:19 — WHAT MAKES 6TH GEN?
00:14:30 — The Next Steps?
00:15:21 — Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)
00:16:28 — Adaptive Cycle/Variable Cycle Engine (ACE/VCE)
00:17:33 — Directed Energy
00:18:14 — Why Build Them?
00:20:58 — The Challenge
00:21:01 — A Development Starshot
00:22:02 — The Combination Problem
00:22:34 — Directed Energy Weapon Testing
00:23:05 — Single Features are Easy
00:23:28 — Enabling the Requirements
00:26:18 — Counting the Costs
00:29:01 — Solution 1: A New Way to Design Aircraft
00:31:08 — Solution 2: Fleet Size
00:32:08 — Solution 3: Mega Projects
00:34:06 — GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM (GCAP)
00:34:38 — The Tempest (UK and Italy)
00:37:25 — The F-X (of Japan)
00:40:42 — GCAP Merger
00:42:21 — Program Goals
00:44:29 — What to Expect?
00:45:28 — F/A-XX (of the US Navy)
00:45:36 — A New Generation Carrier Group
00:46:40 — Tipping The Balance
00:48:06 — What to Expect?
00:49:12 — FCAS (of Germany, France, Spain)
00:49:21 — A new European Fighter
00:49:57 — The Requirements
00:50:37 — The Concerns
00:53:28 — Carrier Capability
00:55:32 — NGAD (of the US Air Force)
00:55:53 — A Different Beast
00:57:26 — Growing Challenges
00:59:11 — Refusing Parity
00:59:55 — Rumoured Requirements
01:01:02 — A Tall Order
01:02:53 — Next Gen. Dominance
01:05:46 — Questions
01:07:47 — Conclusions
01:08:45 — Channel Update
Sponsored by Private Internet Access: privateinternetaccess.com/Perun
Taking a quick break from the horrors of trench war and artillery combat in Ukraine for a week, we instead try to gaze forward towards the 2030s and the future of air combat.
Fighter jets are among the most expensive, complex platforms that any nation builds and maintains (losing out to submarines and warships mostly because of the scale of the latter).
For years, the US was the undisputed leader in the fighter domain, having introduced the 5th Generation F-22 Raptor in 2005, while challengers like the SU-57 would have to wait until the 2020s (and rise to fame a little thanks to the new Topgun film).
But technology moves on; drones, engine technology, sensors, stealth...it all improves, and eventually countries are left with the choice to either build something new or fall behind.
Many have chosen to compete, and in this video I introduce some of the projects pushing for next generation fighters, including the British-Japanese-Italian GCAP, Franco-German-Spanish FCAS, and two American programs.
Whether I look at those in any detail in the future (or at the Russian, Chinese, and other programs) will likely depend on how this video goes.
Recent interview with Jake Broe:
youtube.com/watch?v=nWAkUWqdfBY&t
Patreon
patreon.com/PerunAU
Caveats:
While sources are listed, information on 6th Generation fighters in the public domain is generally a mixture of extreme speculation, carefully calibrated marketing speak, and rumour.
Please regard this video as what it is, a fun, speculative look at what is involved in producing the next generation of fighter aircraft (and their associated systems).
Relevant Reading:
Congressional Research Service Report on USAF NGAD:
crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11659
Reporting on existence of an NGAD demonstrator:
defensenews.com/breaking-news/2020/09/15/the-us-air-force-has-built-and-flown-a-mysterious-full-scale-prototype-of-its-future-fighter-jet
BAE Tempest site:
baesystems.com/en/product/military-capability
USAF wargame reporting:
defensenews.com/training-sim/2021/04/12/a-us-air-force-war-game-shows-what-the-service-needs-to-hold-off-or-win-against-china-in-2030
XA-100:
geaerospace.com/propulsion/military/xa100
Dassault Airbus deal:
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/32827-dassault-airbus-fcas-agreement
Questions with Spain's FCAS lead:
defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/feindef/2021/11/05/5-questions-with-airbus-spains-fcas-lead
USN future plans reporting:
thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40007/navys-aviation-boss-lays-out-big-vision-for-drone-packed-carrier-air-wings-of-the-future
GCAP:
news.usni.org/2022/12/09/japan-italy-u-k-enter-collaboration-to-develop-next-generation-fighter
There is No Spoon: _The New Digital Acquisition Reality (formatting was not what I would have gone with)
https://software.af.mil/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/There-Is-No-Spoon-Digital-Acquisition-7-Oct-2020-digital-version.pdf
F-35 Information fusion presentation (credit Lockheed Martin)
https://swiss-f35.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PIRA-F-35-Sensor-Fusion-Brief-for-Switzerland.pdf
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — OPENING WORDS
00:02:28 — SPONSOR: PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS
00:03:45 — WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?
00:05:18 — FIGHTER GENERATIONS
00:05:22 — The Naming Game
00:06:18 — 1st Gen.
00:07:05 — 2nd & 3rd Gen.
00:07:48 — 4th Gen.
00:08:33 — 4th Gen. Plus
00:10:02 — 5th Gen.
00:11:16 — Networking & Sensor Fusion
00:13:12 — A Three Horse Race?
00:14:19 — WHAT MAKES 6TH GEN?
00:14:30 — The Next Steps?
00:15:21 — Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)
00:16:28 — Adaptive Cycle/Variable Cycle Engine (ACE/VCE)
00:17:33 — Directed Energy
00:18:14 — Why Build Them?
00:20:58 — The Challenge
00:21:01 — A Development Starshot
00:22:02 — The Combination Problem
00:22:34 — Directed Energy Weapon Testing
00:23:05 — Single Features are Easy
00:23:28 — Enabling the Requirements
00:26:18 — Counting the Costs
00:29:01 — Solution 1: A New Way to Design Aircraft
00:31:08 — Solution 2: Fleet Size
00:32:08 — Solution 3: Mega Projects
00:34:06 — GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM (GCAP)
00:34:38 — The Tempest (UK and Italy)
00:37:25 — The F-X (of Japan)
00:40:42 — GCAP Merger
00:42:21 — Program Goals
00:44:29 — What to Expect?
00:45:28 — F/A-XX (of the US Navy)
00:45:36 — A New Generation Carrier Group
00:46:40 — Tipping The Balance
00:48:06 — What to Expect?
00:49:12 — FCAS (of Germany, France, Spain)
00:49:21 — A new European Fighter
00:49:57 — The Requirements
00:50:37 — The Concerns
00:53:28 — Carrier Capability
00:55:32 — NGAD (of the US Air Force)
00:55:53 — A Different Beast
00:57:26 — Growing Challenges
00:59:11 — Refusing Parity
00:59:55 — Rumoured Requirements
01:01:02 — A Tall Order
01:02:53 — Next Gen. Dominance
01:05:46 — Questions
01:07:47 — Conclusions
01:08:45 — Channel Update
