Sixth Generation Fighter

[Scorpion82]

Originally Posted by Ozzy Blizzard

Through sensor fusion this can be countered to an extent, AN/ALR-67(V)3/4 on the F/A-18E/F can cue the AN/APG 79 on to the source even if its fleeting. I'm sure the same will be possible for the IRSTr to be intergrated.

Why shouldn't IRSTs be able to cue other sensors or being cued? Sensor fusion easily takes IRST device information into account as well.

[nevidimka]

6th gen...

The plane will have an AI. It will interact with the pilot in aiding the combat situation.

Plane will have a 360 degree LPI radar coverage of more than 70 km range all aspect. Future radar will not only be hard to detect, it will be able to create false signals for the enemy.

New forms of stealth designing/material combination will be developed so that ACM compromises will not be made like in todays stealth, bringing back the design of the plane to pre stealth days of optimum air performance.

Experimentation of new technology to enable humans to beat the 9g limit in todays fighters so that future pilots will be able to take more G's or at least the unmanned craft flown by AI will be able to do these manouvres.

Heat seeking guided canon bullets.

Some form of 1st gen visual stealth.

thats all can think of for now.

[Ozzy Blizzard]

Originally Posted by Scorpion82

Why shouldn't IRSTs be able to cue other sensors or being cued? Sensor fusion easily takes IRST device information into account as well.

Thats precicely what i meant. Allthough the RWR itself may have some trouble becasue of the fleeting nature of the contact, through sensor fusion it can cue other sensors onto the source i.e. your radar or IRST or both. I doubt the IRST could the be one doing the cueing, i'm pretty sure in search mode the maximum detection range is rather limited. If however you use your ESM/RWR as the "search" component and when you get a contact you use your IRST which can "zoom" right in on a known target and provide the "track" componant you end up increasing the capabilities of both systems.

[Ozzy Blizzard]

Originally Posted by SlyDog

Use of LADAR or LIDAR might be used for air fighter of 6th generation behaps?

I think they'll be useing conformal AESA's with 360 degree coverage. Allthough solveing the cooling requirements for conformal AESA will be a huge challange.

Originally Posted by nevidimka

Future radar will not only be hard to detect, it will be able to create false signals for the enemy.

Current 3rd gen US AESA (ESA) can do this now (practically), not only giveing the enemy false signals but attacking enemy communications, missiles and radar capabilities.

[SlyDog]

I have read somewhere that Silicon carbide might be used in the future. It is much less sensitive to high temperature. On the other hand - its mayby more importent to incraese signal sensitivity.

[Dr Freud]

I just saw precisely how they will look like, and even their names:

X-47B and nEUROn, take note they look nearly identical!

http://www.google.co.th/imgres?imgur...&ct=image&cd=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_nEUROn

they are both planned to enter mass production ~2020

to sum it up: we will soon have unmanned, remotely controlled, with ability to work independent from human intervention, invisible, flying machines of death. nice work.

Oh, and anyone light up a radar in an futile attempt to find them gets a integrated self-protection suite generated ultra-long range missile with >95% hit probability fired at him within a few seconds, if the AI consider it in danger of being detected.

How do i counter this ?
Some serious anti-missile defense to begin with, probably DE

[SlyDog]

DrFreud: Well, take a look and compare nEUROn and X-47C!!

nEUROn

X-47C

[Commander Eagle]

Here is the list of capabilities which i feel a 6th Generation Fighter should have:

1. Stealth
2. Hypersonic Speed (More than Mach 5)
3. Hypersonic Cruise Seed (At least 5,000 NM range at Hypersonic Speed)
4. Vertical Tak Off and Landing
5. 3D Thrust Vectoring
6. Tailess. (Same as the X-44 Manta)