By Kris Osborn, Warrior
The Pentagon, the Navy, the aerospace industry and much of the world is closely watching the US Navy’s ongoing source selection for the 6th-Gen F/A-XX carrier-launched fighter, despite the fact there is little to no actual available information due to the secrecy of the program.
There is no announcement yet as thousands of weapons developers wait in anticipation, and some might wonder why the decision is taking so long. The program is expected to move into Milestone B and transition to the well known Engineering, Manufacturing and Design (EMD) phase at some point this year, and only Boeing and Northrop Grumman remain alive in the competition. Boeing is famous for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and was of course just selected for the Next-Generation Air Dominance F-47 6th-gen Air Force plane. and Northrop is famous for building the F-14 Tomcat. Both companies have extensive experience engineering carrier-launched fighter jets, and both vendors are doubtless quite experienced with stealth technology. It may be that Northrop has an edge with stealth technology, given its role in generating a new era of stealth technology with the B-21 and its history building the first ever stealthy carrier-launched drone demonstrator years ago called the X-47B.
Extensive Evaluation
The evaluators will look at key performance specs such as speed, stealth effectiveness, thrust-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, aerial maneuverability and lethality, yet there is an entire universe of less prominent, yet equally significant additional capabilities which will be analyzed by Navy decision-makers
Requirements and proposal analysis for a program of this magnitude are extremely extensive and detailed, as they often involve computer simulations, design model experimentation and careful examination of performance parameters. The process is quite intense, as each offering’s technological attributes and areas of advantage are carefully weighed against determined requirements. Requirements are painstakingly developed as Pentagon weapons developers seek to identify what’s referred to as “capability gaps,” and then seek to develop technologies and platforms capable of “closing” those capability gaps by essentially solving a particular tactical or strategic problem.
A 6th-generation, carrier-launched stealth fighter is likely envisioned by Navy developers as a platform capable of closing or addressing many “capability” gaps. While little is known about the program for security reasons, the intent is likely to combine F-22-like speed and maneuverability with a new generation of stealth ruggedized for maritime warfare and carrier deck operations. Carriers are now being configured with special unmanned systems headquarters areas designed to coordinate drone take-off and landing. This requires deconflicting air space, accommodating wind and rough sea conditions and ensuring a successful “glide slope” onto a carrier deck. As part of a 6th-gen family of systems, the F/A-XX will be expected to control drones from the cockpit, conduct manned-unmanned teaming operations and take-off-and-land in close coordination with drones.
Networking & AI
Both Boeing and Northrop have extensive drone-engineering experience and mature AI-enabled technologies, and the Navy is likely closely looking at networking technologies. Each of the vendor platforms will need to conduct secure data collection, analysis and transmission to ensure time-sensitive combat information exchange. This requires interoperable transport layer communication technologies able to interface with one another in the air in real time. For example, the platform best able to successfully gather and analyze time-sensitive threat information from otherwise disparate sensor sources, likely enabling AI at the point of collection, will be best positioned to prevail in a competitive down-select.
The F/A-XX will not only need to connect with each other but also network successfully with F-35s and 4th-generation aircraft and ship-based command and control. This will likely require what are called “gateway” applications, computer technologies engineered to essentially “translate” time-sensitive data from one transport layer to another. Perhaps key targeting data arrives via an RF datalink, while other information arrives from GPS and a third source of incoming data transmits through a different frequency or wireless signal? How can all of this information be organized, analyzed collectively in relation to a complete, integrated picture and delivered instantly as needed at the point of attack? This is where AI-enabled gateways come in, and the vendor which most successfully navigates these technological complexities is likely to prevail.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
