Next decade's awesome Air Force

"If we can make it to 2030 without going to war with Russia over Ukraine, or China over Taiwan, we can build hundreds of these spiffy new planes. My fear is extensive and expensive wars this decade, will keep our future in the next decade looking murky. Very murky indeed."  

This decade, we will transition from fifth generation aircraft (F-22's and F-35's), into the almost otherworldly sixth generation planes. Before you hang up the phone, stay with me on this one. It is fascinating. And - unbelievable. The next generation will take us from science fiction to science. So, buckle up!

The new sixth generation fighter jet has been dubbed the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter. And it will be able to do everything which you could imagine, and then some. It will have stealth (almost to the point of being invisible), next generation stand off missiles, lasers, ultra fast speed, AI, and survivability. But that is not all.

Each NGAD will be accompanied by one or more drones, called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). How many CCA units are planned to be built? About 1,000 of them. By the way, before you think we will be the talk of the town (so to speak), with our new NGAD and CCA aircraft, China and Russia are also trying to come up with something bigger and badder for their sixth generation aircraft. The world of aerial combat and dogfighting is about to look a whole lot different.

Before we scrap the F-22's and F-35's, know this. The NGAD is supposed to replace the very expensive F-22. However - the F-22's have many fans. Putting their price tags aside, the F-22 is an awesome platform, maybe the best in the world. And the more affordable F-35, is the darling of the West. The plans are to keep upgrading this fifth generation fighter, so it will still around when we introduce the NGAD fighter's into the mix. 

Our Navy may be lagging a bit right now, but the Air Force is on the right track. The F-15 and F-16 won over many fans. Excellent aircraft. Then came the F-22 and F-35 fighters. Better yet. But none of these will hold a candle to the NGAD and CCA platforms. They will be one step away from Star Wars. 

If we can make it to 2030 without going to war with Russia over Ukraine, or China over Taiwan, we can build hundreds of these spiffy new planes. My fear is extensive and expensive wars this decade, will keep our future in the next decade looking murky. Very murky indeed.