{"id":67648,"date":"2024-07-19T17:44:12","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T17:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:10:59","slug":"how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2024\/07\/01\/next-gen-fighter-not-dead-but-needs-cheaper-redesign-kendall-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">next generation of fighter aircraft<\/a> could bring greater speed, range and ability to penetrate deep into enemy airspace \u2014 and it might even feature a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2023\/08\/01\/adaptive-engine-work-feeds-sixth-gen-fighter-design-says-us-air-force\/\" target=\"_blank\">revolutionary new type of engine<\/a>, experts and retired U.S. Air Force officer say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aviation world has seen five generations of fighters, ranging from the subsonic F-86 Sabre after World War II to the current, stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Now, militaries around the world are working on jets they believe will represent technological leaps significant enough to qualify as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2024\/07\/11\/sixth-gen-jet-selection-likely-in-24-air-combat-command-chief-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">sixth-generation aircraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while the precise definition of a sixth-generation aircraft isn\u2019t set in stone yet, experts agree on some common <a href=\"http:\/\/attributes.in\/\" target=\"_blank\">attributes<\/a>, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force\u2019s effort to build a sixth-gen fighter family of systems is known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, and experts say the platform will be asked to do a lot of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou want it to be fast, you want it to fly high,\u201d said Hinote, who was the Air Force\u2019s former deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements. \u201cYou want it to fly a long way. You want it to be as stealthy as possible \u2014 not only in radar frequency \u2026 [but also] in the infrared spectrum as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hinote and Heather Penney, a retired F-16 pilot and senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said speed, stealth and range will be among the most crucial elements of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2023\/05\/18\/us-air-force-plans-to-award-next-generation-air-dominance-deal-in-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\">sixth-generation fighter<\/a> \u2014 particularly if it is needed to cross long distances in the Pacific and enter Chinese-controlled airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRange and the ability to penetrate will be absolutely critical for sixth-generation aircraft, especially given that we\u2019re looking at the Pacific theater and China as our primary pacing threat,\u201d Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35 were conceived at a time when the United States military still had a Europe and NATO-focused mindset, Hinote said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe [F-35] requirements were basically developed right after the Cold War,\u201d Hinote said. \u201cIt\u2019s a short-range fighter. That makes total sense in NATO, where you\u2019ve got hundreds of runways everywhere to operate off of. It makes no sense in the Pacific, where the situation is much different [and] you only have a few runways to operate off of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It needs to be able to communicate without giving its position away, Hinote said, and it must be able to carry larger payloads than fifth-generation aircraft carry today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat allows you to get to a position in the battlespace and the airspace where you can enforce your will through the use of force, if necessary, the concept of air superiority,\u201d Hinote said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"8192\" height=\"5464\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-118842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg 8192w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8423170.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 8192px) 100vw, 8192px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A B-21 Raider conducts flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the ability to maintain a plane without damaging its stealth coating will be crucial, Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early versions of stealth technology on aircraft such as the F-117A Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit bomber were delicate and difficult to maintain, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stealth has made considerable leaps forward over the years to be more practical and reliable, Penney said, and a sixth-gen fighter\u2019s stealth capabilities also need to take another step forward to be maintainable and provide better performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hinote and Penney said the next generation of aircraft must both take in large amounts of detailed data and fuse it in a way that sorts out the battlespace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A sixth-gen aircraft \u201cshould be able to not only have those advanced sensors, not just forward looking, but side and aft, looking across [multiple] phenomena\u201d such as radar, infrared and other frequencies, Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the Air Force wants NGAD to team up with AI-operated drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, as part of the \u201cfamily of systems\u201d concept. CCAs could carry out strike missions, jam enemy radars, conduct recon, or even serve as decoys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has so far planned for NGAD to have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/07\/15\/the-f-35-engine-is-at-a-crossroads-with-billions-of-dollars-for-industry-at-stake\/\" target=\"_blank\">new type of propulsion system known as an adaptive engine<\/a>, which can shift to different, more efficient configurations depending on the flying situation. Pratt &amp; Whitney and General Electric Aerospace are each developing their own adaptive engines as part of the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An adaptive engine, however, would be very expensive, Hinote said. And with serious budget crunches prompting the Air Force to reconsider its plans and designs for NGAD, the service is considering whether to scale down its engine to bring NGAD\u2019s price down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a June interview with Defense News that making NGAD\u2019s engine smaller and less complex is an option being considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But better dogfighting ability would likely not be on the wish list for sixth-generation fighters, Hinote said. He does not expect those aircraft to have advancements in slow-speed maneuverability or an emphasis on cannons that would allow fighters to go toe-to-toe in relatively close quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe F-22 can get a high [angle of attack] in ways we\u2019ve never seen,\u201d Hinote said. \u201cThe Sukhoi Su-57, same thing. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s relevant for enforcing air superiority in the Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Department does not keep a hard-and-fast taxonomy of aircraft generations. But in 2017, a spokesman at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia took a crack at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jble.af.mil\/News\/Commentaries\/Display\/Article\/1112351\/defining-the-5th-generation-fighter-jet\/\" target=\"_blank\">In his column, Jeffrey Hood<\/a> of the 633rd Air Base Wing\u2019s public affairs office said the first generation of fighter jets that emerged following World War II took advantage of novel jet technology and swept wings, as opposed to the perpendicular wings that were previously standard. But those fighters, such as the F-86 Sabre, were limited to sub-sonic speeds and machine guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All that changed after Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947. This opened the door to a second generation of jets, such as the F-104 Starfighter, that could break Mach 1 and even Mach 2, and carry on-board radar and air-to-air missiles, Hood wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third generation \u2014 which included the Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom \u2014 incorporated advanced radars and better guided missiles that could engage enemies beyond visual range. After that came the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-18 Hornet \u2014 fourth-generation fighters that can maneuver at high G-forces, use digital data links to share information, track multiple targets, and strike surface targets using lasers or GPS guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellaerospacepower.org\/fifth-generation-air-combat-maintaining-the-joint-force-advantage\/\" target=\"_blank\">2016 study published by the Mitchell Institute<\/a> for Aerospace Studies, now-retired Gen. Jeff Harrigian said fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 and F-35 include stealth, improved self-defense, sensing, and jamming abilities, integrated avionics, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And depending on one\u2019s perspective, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2022\/12\/03\/deterrence-the-american-way-the-new-b-21-bomber-debuts\/\" target=\"_blank\">the first sixth-generation aircraft<\/a> could already be flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northrop Grumman has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/techwatch\/2022\/11\/28\/northrops-b-21-is-almost-here-whats-next-for-the-stealthy-bomber\/\" target=\"_blank\">touted its B-21 Raider bomber<\/a> as the first sixth-gen aircraft. In an interview with Defense News before the B-21\u2032s 2022 rollout, a Northrop official said the bomber\u2019s cutting edge stealth, use of open systems architecture, and use of advanced networking and data sharing technologies to connect sensors to shooters across multiple domains make it \u201cthe first of the sixth-gen systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those abilities are probably enough for the B-21 to qualify as a sixth-generation aircraft, Penney said, though she said its high levels of classification make it hard for outside observers to gauge whether it lives up to the hype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hinote looks at Northrop\u2019s claims with a bit more skepticism and thinks it\u2019s more of a marketing angle, but notes these generational definitions are largely matters of opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf they want to call it sixth-generation, sure,\u201d Hinote said. \u201cI don\u2019t necessarily believe that the stealth characteristics and the open architecture of the B-21 automatically makes it a generational change in what we\u2019ve got. It\u2019s an incremental step, it\u2019s a good step, I\u2019m glad that we\u2019re doing it, but it\u2019s probably not so big that it\u2019s truly generational.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":112838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","news"],"primary_category":"your-marine-corps"},"7":{"categories":["your-navy","news"],"primary_category":"your-navy"}}},"categories":[7,160,29,87,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3412],"class_list":["post-67648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-farnborough","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ZFM66MM7QBEXPBG6JXTLVCJDLU","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1311,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Air Warfare\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Digital Show Dailies\",\n\t                \"Farnborough\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/19\\\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Air Warfare\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"air\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare - Defense News","description":"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare","og_description":"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00","author":"Stephen Losey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephen Losey","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare","datePublished":"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/"},"wordCount":1311,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Air Warfare","Daily News Roundup","Digital Show Dailies","Farnborough","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/","name":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-07-19T17:44:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:10:59+00:00","description":"Militaries around the world are working on planes they hope will represent a generational leap in aviation technology.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2024\/07\/19\/how-the-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-will-upend-air-warfare\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Air Warfare","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/","ad_zone":"air"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How the sixth-generation fighter jet will upend air warfare"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21-flight-test-crop-2.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67657,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67648\/revisions\/67657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67648"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=67648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}