Fighter of the 6th Generation. Jet fighter: photos and technical specifications

The air force is one of the largest arms of Russia. The technological superiority of aircraft is the most important criterion for the combat capability of the Air Force. Therefore, the armies of the advanced powers of the world - Russia, the United States, and China - strive to be a step ahead of the rest of the planet in this respect. And therefore they aspire not only to equip their troops with modern models of technology, but also to engage in promising developments. Including in the field of aviation.

Now in the depths of many world design offices a fighter of the 6th generation is being created. Machines "junior" ranks already fly and are produced. They managed to release and the Russians, and Americans, and, according to some sources, the Chinese. Therefore, the key factor in the competitiveness of the national armies of the states will be the replenishment of the Air Force by a fighter generation above. When to expect the appearance of such machines?

Generation 6 Criteria

Actually, based on what criteria, a new fighter can be attributed to the aircraft of the 6th generation? Among the main, which are called experts - autonomy of flight. That is, the machine will be controlled not by a person, but by a computer - automatically or by remote interaction with people. At the same time, there are specialists in the field of aviation who say that a fighter of the 6th generation can also be manned. It is possible, experts admit, that the machines of the newest class will be produced in two technological realizations simultaneously.

There is a version that American aviators are closer to the unmanned concept, and Russian, in turn, the one in which the aircraft will be controlled by man. Designers from the United States, as noted in a number of sources, are counting on giving the fighters an incredibly high resistance to congestion, since the robot can withstand them without problems. Russians, in turn, tend to believe that no computer can control a car at the level of a person. However, among the aircraft designers from the Russian Federation, there are many supporters of unmanned concepts. True, as some experts note, Russian engineers are somewhat inferior to their Western counterparts in this regard. In support of this are the failed tests of the latest models of unmanned vehicles created in Russia. And that's why the fighter of the 6th generation Russia, experts believe, with a certain probability will create on the basis of the concept, where man will fly the plane.

Among other important criteria of perspective cars experts also call extreme low visibility. Today's level of stealth technologies ensures the protection of aircraft from air defense weapons by far not 100%. Moreover, if we take the most modern SAMs, such as, for example, the Russian S-400, then the "stealth" at the existing level is hardly a hindrance for them. However, a fighter of the 6th generation, experts expect, will be able to leave even the most technologically advanced air defense weapons out of the ordinary at the expense of stealthiness. By the way, anti-aircraft defense (anti-missile, false targets, etc.) can complement the above criterion.

The next criterion is the incommensurably higher speed of the fighter in comparison with the cars of previous generations. If now the fastest military aircraft fly with an indicator of the order of 3 Mach, the development of the 6th generation is expected to be able to overcome the threshold at 5. Cruising speed (without the inclusion of afterburner thrust) of the newest fighters, experts say, will definitely supersonic. It can also be recruited much faster. It is possible that the cruising speed of future fighters will be identical to today's afterburner speeds - Mach 1.5-2. One of the likely characteristics of engines that will be installed on ultrafast fighters is a very high efficiency. Thanks to it, aircraft can fly for a long time without refueling, and therefore carry out patrolling at large distances relative to their bases.

From the structural point of view, the machines of the 6th generation, as experts believe, will be very ergonomic. It is possible that the wing, for example, will be mostly mounted in the fuselage. There is a possibility, specialists believe, that the world's fighters belonging to the 6th generation will not be equipped with vertical tail. Perhaps the design of the aircraft will be based on the concept of a "flying wing" (similar to the futuristic-looking B-2 that is in service with the US Air Force).

How will the newest fighters look? The photo below can give us approximate landmarks.

Machines of the 6th generation are likely to be super maneuverable (including under the condition of flying at huge speeds). To do this, all engines will have engines with a deflected thrust vector. The aircraft should be easy to maneuver at angles of about 60 degrees. Why does the aircraft have this quality, if close air battles are likely to be unlikely? The main point of view in this regard - super maneuverability allows fighters to move within the so-called "anti-missile" trajectories. That is, when the approaching head from an anti-aircraft missile is approaching, the car can drastically move aside. The anti-aircraft missile, thereby not having time to calculate this maneuver, falls short of the target.

What else will be added to the newest fighters? It is quite possible to expect the appearance in them of a more perfect, in comparison with the existing, mechanism of interaction with terrestrial objects. And not only terrestrial, but also marine, space, or even underwater. The best fighter in the new generation, experts believe, is the one that, first of all, will be able to exchange tactical and strategic data with the command post and other aircraft faster than the others and receive information from satellites. All this will allow the pilot to get ahead of the enemy in making key decisions that affect the success of the combat mission.

Also, most likely, military fighters of the 6th generation will be equipped with weapons with a much larger radius of combat use than today's models allow. There is a version that it is due to resources to defeat targets from a long distance that the machines will be able to withstand the confrontation with the latest air defense facilities. For example, it will be possible to launch a missile before the radar of the antiaircraft complex detects the aircraft. It is likely that the newest machines will be equipped not only with missile weapons, which are mainly used now, but also with laser installations. And the most various purposes: as those that are intended for radio-electronic fighting (disabling enemy avionics), and those lasers that can themselves hit targets. It is possible that the weapon will also be electromagnetic. And those missiles that are supposed to be put on 6 generation cars will fly at such a speed that air defense systems simply can not "keep up" with them.

Will there be the best fighter in the world?

Another interesting question. Some experts believe - it is unlikely that any of the aircraft designers will be able to create an objectively best fighter in the world. By the time when the 6th generation machines will be put into operation, the level of technology in them is supposed to be approximately the same. Approximately this situation is now with the fifth generation fighters. The Russian T-50 and the American F-22, in general, according to many experts, have a very similar potential and comparable level of technology. And this despite the fact that fighter aircraft of 3rd and 4th generation, produced in the Russian Federation (and before that in the Soviet Union), in a number of cases, according to many experts, were head and shoulders above the American counterparts and vice versa. Regarding the 6th generation, then, according to specialists, even if some planes will lead, say, in speed, there is no guarantee that in other components (for example, in maneuverability) they will not yield to competitors. Very important will be the factor of supporting cars from other types of troops - space, air defense, navy, in certain tasks - also land.

Does Russia need a plane of the 6th generation?

Among experts in the field of aviation, there is an opinion that a fighter of the sixth generation is not needed by modern armies, including the Russian one. In confirmation, there are two main types of arguments. According to the first of them, air defense weapons will develop more intensively than cruise technology. And therefore it is completely impractical, experts believe, to create a fleet of the newest and, most likely, incredibly expensive fighters, since they are likely to be knocked down during the battles.

Another argument - the technology of building modern military aircraft, in principle, reached such a level that it would be problematic to make a car that would be really stronger. Russian T-50s, American F-22 fighters, and also, probably, the already-coming 5-generation Chinese aircraft, in principle, are sufficiently technologically advanced to meet the needs of the armies for decades ahead, experts say. In particular, such a parameter as the deviated thrust vector, which will be expected to be mandatory for the 6th generation aircraft, is present on many modern machines. And the same super-maneuverability, about which we spoke above, is present even on some 4 generation fighters. Not to mention the modern T-50 and F-22. In addition, the cruising speed of both aircraft, according to some experts, may well reach supersonic values.

Those who are ahead of their time

There is a version that the current models of fighters are designed for service for 50 years. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that even the previous 4-generation aircraft developed in the mid-1960s successfully serve in the armies of the world's leading military powers until now. Their basic characteristics - fighter speed, armament, maneuverability - are fully answered, experts believe, to modern tasks. These include, in particular, such machines as the Russian Su-30, the American F-14.

There is also an opinion that even some 4 th generation aircraft can compete quite successfully in some components with promising developments. In particular, some experts consider such fighters to be Russia's Su-35, MiG-29 in the newest modifications. In addition, existing machines (both 4 and 5 generations) have, as many experts believe, a colossal potential for modernization. And because many of the functions that are expected to be seen in perspective aircraft, it is possible to "screw" to the samples of the previous generation of fighters.

When will new cars appear?

When will the airplanes of the new class appear? According to experts, test testing of such machines is possible within the next 10 years, launching into production is realistic for 20. There is a version that the first fighter of the 6th generation will be built by Americans. First of all, the colossal US military budget, which at times exceeds that available to Russia and China, is contributing to it, even if they are summarized. Also, the US has an enviable, in the opinion of many experts, technological potential.

Although, as some experts note, not all Americans are so positive. In particular, many experts criticize the existing advanced developments from the US - the same F-22, as well as the promising F-35 (which, by the way, does not belong to the 5th generation, which can indirectly confirm the lack of interest of designers in the output to the 6th level).

Existing prototypes: American concepts

What are the prototypes of the 6th generation machines? What is the best fighter of the new class in the world?

To this, some experts consider the F / A-XX project, developed by Boeing. It is assumed that this will be a deck fighter for the US Navy, which can be used in a wide range of combat missions. The prototype of the machine was presented to the world by Boeing engineers in 2008. The peculiarity of the design of the aircraft is that it does not have vertical empennage, while almost all modern fighters possess it. Picture of an unusual F / A XX below.

The wings of the device, as experts say, are similar to those of the F-22. In the cockpit of a prospective aircraft, based on the layout presented, there are two places for pilots. The first, as experts believe, will control the fighter, and the second - to direct unmanned aerial vehicles that are part of the weapons. Many experts, at the same time, were confused by the large declared weight of the car - 45 tons. However, there is an opinion on this - a heavier hull can be installed more powerful engine, due to which increase the total thrust-to-weight ratio of the device. The engine that will probably be on F / A-XX is the same as the one on the F-35. That once again confirms the fact that many of today's technologies already meet the criteria of the 6th generation. The expected launch of F / A-XX in production is the mid-2020s.

A few years after the first F / A-XX show to the public, Boeing introduced the updated version of its 6th generation concept to the public. According to the project, the aircraft is supposed to be produced just in two technological versions - unmanned and one where the device will be controlled by a person. It is assumed that the aircraft will be able to replace the fourth-generation F-18 fighter aircraft in the next few decades.

Boeing Corporation, meanwhile, has yet another concept of a fighter of the 6th generation. This is the FX machine. It is intended not for the Navy, but specifically for the US Air Force. It is assumed that this aircraft will replace the F-22. The main advantage of the machine is called very high speed.

It is known that another American aviation giant - Lockheed Martin - also prepared its concept. True, there are very few facts about a promising aircraft from this company. There is, perhaps, only information about the fact that the car will be produced by an integral aerodynamic concept.

Americans, according to some experts, have approximate guidance on the timing of the introduction of fighter aircraft of the 6th generation. The maximum, how many are ready to wait for the US - until the end of the 2030s. In turn, the Americans are planning to retool the army within 20 years after launching the aircraft into mass production.

Airplane from Europe

Among the notable European prototypes of the 6th generation aircraft is the development of the Dassault nEUROn concern. True, everything that engineers of this company can boast of yet - a good drone, created with the use of "stealth" technology. It was shown to the world in 2012. However, those engineering developments that were implemented in it, experts believe, can be the basis for creating a full-fledged 6-generation machine.

Chinese project

At the moment, aircraft designers from the PRC finalize fighters of the 5th generation. It's about the J-20 and J-31 planes. So far, according to experts, Chinese engineers will not be seriously distracted by promising developments, but there are facts confirming some interest of designers from China in the creation of a 6-generation car. As well as Europeans, engineers from the PRC created a high-tech drone, which was named Lijian, characterized by low visibility for radars. Based on this development, experts believe, a promising jet fighter may well be designed. It is possible that it will to some extent meet the criteria of the 6th generation.

Japanese prototype

Designers from Japan, as reported in a number of sources, are also engaged in the development of a new class fighter. It is believed that the basis for the car will be an experimental aircraft ATD-X. There is a version that the fighter of the 6th generation the Japanese will build in alliance with designers from the USA. Experts call the ATD-X a model, which could well become the basis for implementing the most advanced technologies of the future. Including the development of a fighter of the 6th generation.

Russian concept

How are things at the domestic design school? Is there a chance that a Russian fighter of the sixth generation will soon appear? It is known only that the military leadership of the country has plans to create such a machine. There is some information that the development in this direction is engaged in the company Sukhoi. However, little is known about the possible dates for the beginning of the development and commissioning of such an aircraft in production. Today, all the resources of Russian developers are thrown at other Russian fighters - the T-50, belonging to the 5th generation, as well as the modernization of cars belonging to older models. But among the experts there is a version that it is the T-50 that can become the basis for the creation of the 6th generation aircraft.

Above we have already said that Russian designers can start creating a promising machine both on an unmanned basis and on the basis of technologies that involve participation in the management of a human aircraft. If the first option is chosen as the basis, then the "Skat" type device created by the MiG OKB can be used as a basis for development. The technologies used in it, according to experts, could well help to ensure that the Russian fighter of the 6th generation appeared in the foreseeable future.

At the same time, there are reports in the media that the first prototype of the 6th generation machine, created by engineers from the Russian Federation, will appear in the next 10-12 years. This, most likely, will deal with the United Aircraft Corporation. At the same time, it is noted that Russian aircraft designers have a chance to overtake the United States, which planned to create a plane of a similar class for the 2030s. At the same time, as experts say, engineers from the Russian Federation have not yet decided on the exact concept of a prospective fighter, believing that its development is a more scientific issue than a design one.