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The competition to develop sixth generation aircraft is no longer a vision for the future. It is now a critical force in the US defense strategy.
With cutting-edge platforms like the B-21 Raider, F-47 and Navy F/A-XX on the horizon, the US Department of Defense is reconstructing how the US projects air power for the next 50 years.
These aircraft promise unprecedented advances in speed, stealth and autonomy, but also conflict with budgetary pressures, limited industrial capacity and an increasingly uncertain global threat environment.
B-21 RAIDER: Stealth Legacy continues
Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider is ready to become the backbone of the US long-range strike capabilities. With its next-generation stealth design, a lower maintenance burden and affordability compared to the B-2 predecessor, the B-21 is considered important to thwart strategic threats like China and Iran.
The urgency became apparent last week when seven B-2 bombers flew an 18-hour mission to Iran and dropped a bomb that destroyed a bunker on its nuclear target. Although effective, the high cost of B-2 and the aging system highlights its need for replacement. At $692 million per aircraft compared to the B-2 billion, the B-21 offers a strategic reach at a more sustainable price.
The Hi-Texters bomber is designed to carry nuclear and traditional weapons and to be optionally placed by a person. This means you can fly without a crew.
The Pentagon announces $96.1 billion budget request Requests: Golden Dome, missiles, drone funds, fewer F-35 jets
Flight testing is already underway at Edwards Air Force Base, with three B-21s in the air, with the first unit expected to achieve operational capabilities by 2027. The Air Force is committed to at least 100 raiders, and internal debates are turning potential scale-ups to 200.
“What we need to consider is to double our capacity as quickly as possible to grow that inventory,” General David Deptura said.
The new B-21 Raider was announced at a ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
F-47 and NGAD Revival
Stalling, the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Control (NGAD) programme came to life this spring under a new name and a new contract. Currently designated as an F-47, the program awarded to Boeing is designed as the most advanced manned fighter aircraft in US history. Its features include stealth, extended range, speeds above Mach 2, and integration with a new class of AI-enabled drones called Joint Fighter (CCA).
The F-47 acts as a “quarterback” for teams at 1,000 CCA, controlling them in battle, adjusting sensors, and targeting data in real time.
“It’s very important for President Trump to advance manned platforms for the Air Force,” said former R-Calif Congressman Mike Garcia. “This academic debate about unmanned platforms is ambitious, but the network does not exist yet.”
According to a graphics posted by X’s Air Force Secretary David Allvin, the aircraft has an ambitious timeline for its early operational capabilities.
The Pentagon is all-in with the F-47 on its 2026 budget. Reduce F-35 demands from 74 to 47 while demanding $3.5 billion. Former Navy pilot Garcia emphasized that human pilots remained essential to managing the complexities of Warfare in the 21st century.
However, others within the Pentagon have argued that manned fighters could become outdated before the F-47s are fully put into the field.
“AI technology is evolving much faster than anyone would have predicted,” the former senior official said. “If they continue to evolve in five years… you’re on the wrong path.”
The Guide to “The End of the Airplane”: US Airborne Command Center
Deptula condemned the “arbitrary” budget set by Congress rather than determining what is needed for preparation, Deptula argued that the more expensive F-47 might be able to do much more work than fewer elite aircraft.
“Individually, the F-47 can be more expensive than previous fighter jets, but if you can achieve 15, 20, 30, 40 times what you need to achieve a certain outcome using stealth or other inexpensive aircraft, then does that offer the most value?
President Donald Trump revealed the rendering of the F-47 at a White House ceremony in March. (Reuters/Carlos Barrier)
f/a-xx: Navy air force, intentionally delayed
Unlike the Air Force, the Navy moves slowly on its own sixth-generation project, F/A-XX. Garcia considers this to be intentional and should note that Navy aircraft must withstand much greater environmental challenges than their Air Force counterparts.
According to the 2026 budget proposal, staff still aren’t sure if the Navy’s next-generation fighter aircraft will move forward at all.
“We are waiting for a decision from the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Defense and the President,” the defense official told reporters. “It’s an active conversation, whether you continue with the program or not.”
The program is currently underway with “minimum funding” for design within budget, officials said.
“Designing a naval variant of an Air Force aircraft on the same timeline is impossible to do that correctly.”
Instead, the Navy is expected to borrow technology like engines and sensors from NGAD, while also building unique carrier-enabled fighter jets suitable for saltwater, catapults and combat deck operations.
However, Garcia warned that the Navy has deeper, underreported issues, namely a shortage of career-based strike fighters.
The Pentagon is all-in with the F-47 in its 2026 budget: demanding $3.5 billion while reducing the F-35 demand from 74 to 47.
“A small amount of gold-plated sixth-generation aircraft is not the answer, it’s a slightly less capable of the Navy.”
However, Deptula said there is a question of whether the aircraft carriers will be viable in the future.
“The question that many people at the Department of Defense are asking now is what is the feasibility of aircraft carriers in a future world spread by highly accurate, polar sound missiles with ranges of over 1,500 miles?”
Deptula said that carriers “project” their “project power” in a low-threatening environment, but “most people know that they are not close enough to use the aircraft.”
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“The Navy wants to lean on the sixth generation and get trillions more. Anyone who wants to see a $2 trillion deficit should keep that in mind here,” the former Defence Agency said.
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