Russia has begun considering the construction of a sixth-generation fighter, as reported by OAK head Vadim Badeha. Apparently, the prospective aircraft will move beyond the definition of a “fast fighter” and transform into a combat platform, integrating the aircraft itself and drones into a single system.
“Pervyy Tekhnicheskiy” attempted to imagine what such a fighter might be like, considering the combat experience of the Su-57 in conditions of dense air defense countermeasures.
New Level Stealth and Adaptive Geometry
The future fighter must reduce its visibility not only through its shape but also through active camouflage systems.
This refers to controllable airframe surfaces that can change configuration for different flight modes, as well as coatings that adapt to various enemy radar ranges.
The effective radar cross-section (RCS) should ideally be even lower than that of the American F-22 and F-35 — around 0.0001–0.001 m². But the key here will not be the absolute value, but dynamic stealth in different flight modes.
Artificial Intelligence and “Pilotless Leader”
The pilot in the 6th generation is more of an operator than a pilot in the classical sense. The main part of the decisions should be taken over by the onboard AI — target distribution, weapon selection, and work with a group of assistant drones.
The fighter becomes a “control node” for a swarm of drones that conduct reconnaissance, jam, and even attack targets independently. The importance of implementing neural networks in fighters was also mentioned by Hero of Russia and Sukhoi Design Bureau chief instructor Sergey Bogdan.
Network Warfare and Long-Range Weapons
The main task of the new fighter is not close or medium-range combat, but the destruction of the target even before visual contact. The range of air-to-air missiles must exceed 400 km, and the platform itself must operate in a single digital network with air defense, satellites, and drones.
Then the fighter will turn into an element of a distributed engagement system, where it may not even see the target directly.
The 6th generation fighter is not a “duelist aircraft”, but an airborne command center. Its strength is not in its gun and maneuver, but in how quickly it sees, analyzes, and distributes combat.