What would a much cheaper next-generation air dominance fighter actually look like? via WARZONE

What would a much cheaper next-generation air dominance fighter actually look like?

The Air Force now says it might want a sixth-generation fighter costing about $100 million instead of $300 million, but is that even possible?

Main article: https://t.co/KnhjYLu3bk

— The War Zone (@thewarzonewire) September 24, 2024

Read the article and then come back here.

Are you back?

Have you seen what the air chief says, what he wants? That’s a lot of capability to pack into a manned fighter, isn’t it? In fact, he doesn’t want a manned fighter (well, but that doesn’t make sense if you mix what he says), what he actually wants is a control platform.

He’s talking about numbers. He is talking about the right number of fighters, both manned and unmanned.

But he is caught in a dilemma.

Getting and keeping the number of pilots he wants seems impossible these days. Moreover, he fights against the technological revolution.

What he needs is a long-distance, long-duration control bird. He can build countless loyal wingmen, but in the manned part of the plan he runs into problems.

But that is also his solution.

He needs the G650 as a control platform for the loyal wingmen. The aircraft can fly at Mach .925. It has a range of just over 8,000 kilometers. There is room for a number of operators so that the control aspect is not saddled with one person trying to control a squadron of drones.