In any event, by the time we get to 2030 (just under five years away), our skies will look much different. Having jets which can go from coast to coast in under an hour might be normal rather than abnormal. Stay tuned - the best is yet to come.
Those of us who saw the new Top Gun movie (Maverick), saw a CG of what some are calling Darkstar. Others thought it might be a sneak peek at the long-awaited SR-72. Actually, those who guessed it was the SR-72 might win the prize. And it is now called Darkstar. We have built the SR-72, and it is so fast, it could fly rings around the now retired SR-71. Hypersonic? Probably. But it is a game changer.
A while back, there was a competition for the NGAD fighter jet. NGAD standing for Next Generation Air Dominance. In a surprise decision, the multi-billion-dollar award was given to Boeing. Not Lockheed Martin, who many thought was a shoo-in, but Boeing. With all the problems Boeing has had as of late with space capsules as well as the 737-Max airliners, this award had many scratching their heads.
But Lockheed Martin, who makes the very successful F-35 Lightning II fighter jet was tempted to protest this award. Instead, they told the Air Force they are going to ECP (Engineering Change Proposal) some of the sexy stuff they were going to put in the NGAD jet, into the F-35. Their believe is they can make the F-35 Lightning II just as capable as Boeing's offering, at a reduced price. Right now, both the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II are best of class. To make both of them better, as has been promised, will be more than awesome.
Lockheed Martin also has developed the F-45 Condor. It was the basis of their NGAD offering. This amazing jet is either a sixth or seventh generation fighter jet. Like the others in its class, it has super stealth, maneuverability and blazing speed. Is there a place in the USAF's growing inventory for the F-45 Condor? Unknown, but Lockheed really thought this could be the replacement for the F-35 Lightning II. But like I said earlier, Lockheed might just spiff up the Lightning II up instead of building the F-45 Condor. In any event, the United States seems to have an embarrassment of riches right now in high tech aircraft.
Not to put a fly into the ointment, but here is another angle. Our great innovator, Elon Musk, thinks having manned aircraft going into the future is a waste of money and effort. Manned aircraft have had their better day. Time to move on to autonomous aircraft. We have the AI, so let us use it. But - are ready to turn over very expensive jets with amazing powers to robots? Are we really ready to enter the Terminator phase? Stay tuned on this one. Elon usually does not blow smoke. He might be onto something.
In any event, by the time we get to 2030 (just under five years away), our skies will look much different. Having jets which can go from coast to coast in under an hour might be normal rather than abnormal. Stay tuned - the best is yet to come.
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