The US has unveiled more details about its sixth-generation fighter, including the aircraft’s expected range, as competition intensifies with China for future air combat superiority.
General David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, shared an infographic on social media on Tuesday that revealed fresh details of the F-47 fighter jet and its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) drones, which are being developed under the country’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.
These developments come as China continues to advance its own sixth-generation fighter programme, with prototypes of the Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50 regularly appearing in public test flights since late last year. However, Beijing has not yet confirmed the aircraft seen in test flights as being its next-generation fighters.
The F-47 will have a combat radius of over 1,000 nautical miles (1,852km or 1,151 miles), significantly surpassing the roughly 590-nautical-mile range of the F-22 Raptor it aims to replace, according to the infographic.
The post added that the accompanying CCA drones, the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, would have a combat radius of over 700 nautical miles. The drones started ground tests last week.
The F-47 and CCA drones are expected to be critical for operations across the Indo-Pacific region, according to defence experts and previous US Air Force statements.
