Key Points and Summary: The concept of 7th-generation fighters pushes the boundaries of current military aviation, envisioning aircraft with unparalleled stealth, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous flight capabilities.
-Future warbirds could feature VTOL designs to counteract runway vulnerabilities, operate at near-space altitudes, and integrate AI for fully unmanned operations. Innovations like 4D printing may create lighter, more durable parts, while ground controllers use augmented reality for enhanced battlefield awareness.
-While speculative, 7th-generation fighters promise unmatched versatility in anti-satellite missions and space warfare.
-However, funding challenges and political shifts could jeopardize these advancements, making long-term defense planning essential for staying ahead of rival nations.
7th-Generation Fighters: The Future of Aerial Combat
At 19FortyFive, we are always looking to cover 6th-generation fighters and analyze their strengths and weaknesses, figure out how much they cost, describe the technological features, and predict when they will be ready.
You have read about our work with the American Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, the Russian PAK DP, and the Chinese White Emperor.
All these future warbirds are excited by various types of innovations that will advance flight into the 2030s.
But forget all of that for a moment, as something even more advanced could be coming.
Can You Believe It?
But what if we told you about a 7th-generation fighter?
That’s right. Militaries that are rivals and that are even existential threats to each other, never stop thinking about the future.
These airplanes should be completely invisible due to stealth technological advancements. All the weapons will be hypersonic.
The artificial intelligence will enable autonomous, unmanned flight, and the new parts and components will be light and strong with next-generation engines that can push the airplane to MACH 3 speeds and near-space altitude.
Could They Use 4D Printing?
Parts will be 3D-printed, and this additive manufacturing will be more advanced.
This could even include 4D printing that features a “smart process” in which a catalyst such as heat, light, or water can forge the parts autonomously.
7th-generation fighter airplanes will likely be flying-wing designs like the new stealth B-21 Raider.
The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony December 2, 2022 in..Palmdale, Calif. Designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability. (U.S. Air Force photo)
This means complete radar evasion capability with the radar cross-section of a bird.
DARPA Is on It
The defense masterminds at DARPA are thinking ahead with an experimental drone that could be considered the 7th generation.
“The Advanced Aircraft Infrastructure-less Launch And Recovery (ANCILLARY) program will field designs for new, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) carrying weapons. Specifically, the project aims to deliver X-planes capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) like a helicopter that can operate from aircraft carriers,” according to LiveScience.com.
VTOL Would Be Great
The Air Force may also have some vertical take-off and landing 7th generation fighters that could take off from any unimproved airstrip.
This is necessary because the Chinese, in any future conflict, would likely target American air bases in Japan or Guam with ballistic missiles.
Airstrips are at risk and existing F-35 or F-22s, including bombers like the B-21, would not be able to take off and land. If the Air Force had a 7th generation VTOL airplane, it could take off without a runway.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor taxis on the runway during a routine training schedule April 21, 2020, at Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii. Given the low traffic at the airport due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the active-duty 15th Wing and the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing seized an opportunity to document the operation which showcases readiness and their unique Total Force Integration construct. The units of Team Hickam work together seamlessly to deliver combat airpower, tanker fuel, and humanitarian support and disaster relief across the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Erin Baxter)
VTOL is not a new technology, but this could solve many problems, and future warfare needs to be about survivability and pondering how the enemy will react to how the United States progresses in its fighter programs.
It Would Be Unmanned for Sure
A 7th generation fighter would be uncrewed and autonomous.
I don’t see manned fighters in the 2040s and 2050s. The F-35 is supposed to fly for many more decades, but 7th-generation airplanes could replace the F-35 and save money.
The cost savings would entail reducing the dollars per flight hour.
A 7th generation warbird needs always to be available for flight. It cannot have the downtime problems of the F-35 and F-22.
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – Col. (ret) Jim Greenwald, previous 944th Fighter Wing commander, flies his F-35 Lightning II over the state of Arizona, June 3, 2021. The 944th FW is the Air Force Reserve Command’s most diverse fighter wing as it’s the only wing that trains on four different airframes: the F-35 Lightning II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech Sgt. Nestor Cruz)
The 7th generation fighter needs to fly into near space altitudes. It would have anti-satellite hypersonic missiles to bring the fight into space.
Other 6th generation fighters from Russia and China are expected to have this capability. A 7th-generation fighter would need to have a space war mission set with laser systems as well.
7th generation airplanes could also give the ground control operators of the unmanned airplanes some semblance of Web 3. This will allow ground controllers to use virtual and augmented reality so the battle space can be seen in a new visual environment.
Few analysts, engineers, and designers even mention a 7th-generation fighter, so our ideas here are speculative.
But it is a worthy exercise to think about the future of aerial combat into the 2040s and beyond.
More Fighter Jets: Does This Even Make Sense?
You may ask where the money and resources will come from for a 7th generation fighter if the American NGAD costs $300 million each.
The incoming Trump administration may eventually have a new Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force who may cancel the NGAD, and we may never reach the 7th generation of airplanes.
This would be a shame. Defense planners should always look forward 30 to 40 years to hop on trends to see what future airplanes can accomplish.
We may never achieve a 7th-generation fighter, but that doesn’t mean some of the best minds in defense should ignore the possibility.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
