USAF already considering 6th generation fighter requirments.

[eaf-f16]

Here's the link: http://www.janes.com/news/defence/air/jdw/jdw071024_2_n.shtml

The USAF Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley said that USAF would consider having the plane unmanned but he said he finds it hard to envision the USAF developing such a plane because there are no integrated sensors that would help a UCAV make the kind of judgment of a human pilot in A2A combat. But he still said they were seriously considering it.

I honestly don't see any air force with an unmanned aircraft as their 6th generation front-line fighter. Maybe unmanned heavy bomber.

 

[perfectgeneral]

The UK MoD are developing an unmanned deep strike bomber, which seems likely to finish prototyping about 2010. I can't see A2A going unmanned for some time yet. If these 7th gen fighters can operate off an aircraft carrier then the UK should get some. Best chance of that is to join the project early. Not much chance of that unless we have some new toys to bring to the design that weren't included in the F-35 deal.

 

[eaf-f16]

The UK MoD are developing an unmanned deep strike bomber, which seems likely to finish prototyping about 2010. I can't see A2A going unmanned for some time yet. If these 7th gen fighters can operate off an aircraft carrier then the UK should get some. Best chance of that is to join the project early. Not much chance of that unless we have some new toys to bring to the design that weren't included in the F-35 deal.

Yeah, the guy also said that the US (for it's next gen stealth bomber) might ask manufactures to make a "B model" (upgrade) that would make the plane capable of both manned and unmanned.

 

[swerve]

The UK MoD are developing an unmanned deep strike bomber, which seems likely to finish prototyping about 2010. ...

Deep strike bomber prototype by 2010? Seems rather optimistic. Taranis should be flying around by then, but something the size of a Hawk with a MTOW of about 8000 kg isn't a deep strike bomber.

 

[tphuang]

Here's the link: http://www.janes.com/news/defence/air/jdw/jdw071024_2_n.shtml

The USAF Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley said that USAF would consider having the plane unmanned but he said he finds it hard to envision the USAF developing such a plane because there are no integrated sensors that would help a UCAV make the kind of judgment of a human pilot in A2A combat. But he still said they were seriously considering it.

I honestly don't see any air force with an unmanned aircraft as their 6th generation front-line fighter. Maybe unmanned heavy bomber.

A Chinese A2A UCAV is already pretty late in the development stage. You can probably expect to see it in the air force in a few years. So, I disagree with your last statement.

 

[kato]

A Chinese A2A UCAV is already pretty late in the development stage.

They're putting A2A missiles on those converted drone J-5/MiG-19 and J-6/MiG-21 now?

 

[tphuang]

They're putting A2A missiles on those converted drone J-5/MiG-19 and J-6/MiG-21 now?

Nope, that was a long time ago. Check out this article:
http://www.flightglobal.com/article...nned-combat-air-vehicle-programme-raises.html
By the way, Anjian is just a concept that has already been dropped. SAC does apparently have something that is far more advanced in development. The actual progress of this UCAV really depends on how much of certain Chinese sources you believe.

 

[funtz]

What are the people here considering as the possible design aims for the 6th generation fighter,
Is it just flying robots with bombs and missiles something like larger predators, which have been enchanced with limited Air to Air combat ability?

Ability to respond to complex situtations on their own, or some sort of combination of all?

and, do the scientific resources(both hard and soft) have the depth required to create this complex independent system, or are future developments required to take care of such systems?

The aims might change rapidly with time, and when will one say will a real need for these platforms arise?

 

[SABRE]

What are the people here considering as the possible design aims for the 6th generation fighter,
Is it just flying robots with bombs and missiles something like larger predators, which have been enchanced with limited Air to Air combat ability?

Ability to respond to complex situtations on their own, or some sort of combination of all?

and, do the scientific resources(both hard and soft) have the depth required to create this complex independent system, or are future developments required to take care of such systems?

The aims might change rapidly with time, and when will one say will a real need for these platforms arise?

If you are asking whether these UCAVs are Robotic & capable of taking decision on their own than answer could be "YES" but for most of the part I think they would be manually controlled from the ground just like the UAVs in contemporary time period.

Decision of action would remain with men, unless a micro-cyborg with living tissues & bio-genetic brain similar to that of human beings [with sense of right & wrong] is invented to control the aircraft. The bad news though is that we are still far away from living our science fiction dreams.

The real need for these machines is always there. Why put the pilot & an expensive fighter aircraft to risk? The USAF F-22 & F-35 are their last manned aircrafts & after they have done their service (say for 30 to 40 years ... may be 50) they would be perhaps be replaced by UCAVs for ever. What UCAVs would be like 30 years from now is something we would have to wait & live to see.

 

[XaNDeR]

SABRE is right , even if the artifical intellegence would not be capable of making its own choises in air to air combat situations which they probably could , the aircrafts could just be manualy driven by pilots on the GROUND.
There is no reason to risk lifes of pilots if you can do unmanned fighters , im not so pesimistic about 6th generation fighters beeing unmanned , it is possible.

 

[tphuang]

SABRE is right , even if the artifical intellegence would not be capable of making its own choises in air to air combat situations which they probably could , the aircrafts could just be manualy driven by pilots on the GROUND.
There is no reason to risk lifes of pilots if you can do unmanned fighters , im not so pesimistic about 6th generation fighters beeing unmanned , it is possible.

there are other advantages too. You don't have to put consideration into fitting a pilot in there + all the necessary MMI. You also don't have any restrictions with turns. The load of a sustained turn would be determined by the plane's structural strength + aerodynamics rather than being limited by what a human body can absorb.

 

[Tasman]

The USAF F-22 & F-35 are their last manned aircrafts...

Hmm... I will reserve judgement on that. A similar comment was made about the English Electric Lightning by the British Defence Minister 50 years ago!

I believe that most strike and some A2A will be performed by unmanned aircraft when the F-22/F-35 are phased out. However, I suspect that A2A roles will be limited for reasons given in earlier posts. In the same way that SAM's supplement manned aircraft in the air defence role I believe that unmanned aircraft will supplement but not completely replace manned fighters. In the deep strike role I envisage the majority of delivery platforms being unmanned and controlled from a mix of ground stations and manned aircraft.

Tas

 

[Gripenator]

Nope, that was a long time ago. Check out this article:
http://www.flightglobal.com/article...nned-combat-air-vehicle-programme-raises.html
By the way, Anjian is just a concept that has already been dropped. SAC does apparently have something that is far more advanced in development. The actual progress of this UCAV really depends on how much of certain Chinese sources you believe.

TP, you're quite an accurate PLA/AF/N observer so I would take you at your word at this one because no one seems to know anything about this project....seems like its "top secret" from the normally secretive PLAAF. Chinese sources I know are normally unreliable, however nobody predicted the IOC of the Yuan class or generally the unvieling of the J-10A so I would downgrade the "advancement" slightly but I am certain SAC have a major
A2A UCAV program in progress....and will surprise the media and the politicians greatly as they did before although I can tell you major intelligence agencies were not.