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Lockheed Martin’s 6th generation fighter plane
January 5, 2012
While the rest of the world is still trying to come up with an answer to America’s 5th generation fighter the Raptor F-22, US is already thinking in terms of the 6th generation fighter.
Lockheed Martin the company which has developed the F-22 at a huge cost is now proposing a more advanced fighter which would be able to outclass the best fighter jets in the world at the time of its induction in 2030.
This new fighter jet, which is at the level of merely a concept right now is to be called Sabre Warrior. The fighter would have advanced multi-spectral stealth capabilities, flexible payload, longer range, multirole functionality, the ability to super cruise at high altitudes.
The question is: why does the US needs to build a next generation plane when it is already far, far ahead of its competition ? While the Russian built Su-50 is also a fifth generation fighter, it is still playing catch up with the Raptor. Chinese built J-20 is even more far behind.
Moreover, it is not as if developing a new fighter jet comes cheap. The F-22 cost a whopping $66.7 billion dollars. The next generation fighter, if anything, is going to be even more costly. After all according to Lockheed Martin itself, it would incorporate weapon systems that are yet to be conceptualized:
“Next generation fighter capabilities will be driven by game changing technological breakthroughs in the areas of propulsion, materials, power generation, sensors, and weapons that are yet to be fully imagined. This will require another significant investment in research and development from a standpoint of both time and money.”
Indian defense
January 5, 2012
While the rest of the world is still trying to come up with an answer to America’s 5th generation fighter the Raptor F-22, US is already thinking in terms of the 6th generation fighter.
Lockheed Martin the company which has developed the F-22 at a huge cost is now proposing a more advanced fighter which would be able to outclass the best fighter jets in the world at the time of its induction in 2030.
This new fighter jet, which is at the level of merely a concept right now is to be called Sabre Warrior. The fighter would have advanced multi-spectral stealth capabilities, flexible payload, longer range, multirole functionality, the ability to super cruise at high altitudes.
The question is: why does the US needs to build a next generation plane when it is already far, far ahead of its competition ? While the Russian built Su-50 is also a fifth generation fighter, it is still playing catch up with the Raptor. Chinese built J-20 is even more far behind.
Moreover, it is not as if developing a new fighter jet comes cheap. The F-22 cost a whopping $66.7 billion dollars. The next generation fighter, if anything, is going to be even more costly. After all according to Lockheed Martin itself, it would incorporate weapon systems that are yet to be conceptualized:
“Next generation fighter capabilities will be driven by game changing technological breakthroughs in the areas of propulsion, materials, power generation, sensors, and weapons that are yet to be fully imagined. This will require another significant investment in research and development from a standpoint of both time and money.”
Indian defense
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