China’s sixth-generation fighter aircraft will have capabilities similar to the NGAD.
China is hard at work developing its own sixth-generation fighter aircraft, and its vision for the program is similar to the United States Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, according to Gen/ Mark D. Kelly, head of the Air Combat Command (ACC), in a media interaction, The Drive reported.
Sixth-generation fighter aircraft are primarily notional, and while they are being developed for a variety of nations, their specific capabilities are unclear. These aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of the decade at the very least, and will most likely include unmanned drones flying alongside crewed aircraft as well as new armaments and sensors.
China’s approach to sixth-generation aircraft development
Kelly stated during the media engagement that China’s objective for such an aircraft was comparable to that of the United States in terms of wanting an exponential rise in power and sensor capabilities while anticipating equivalent rate reductions in signature.
To do this, China is anticipated to use an iterative method to swiftly shrink the gap between its present and desired technologies. This is something it has done exceptionally successfully with the Flanker line of Soviet-built aircraft.
According to The Drive, China first purchased Su-27 planes in 1992 and began building them under license as J-11 and J-11A planes over the next eight years. Using domestically made avionics and engines, China then introduced the J-11B as their multirole aircraft.
It thus has something in common with the Su-30MKK aircraft, which, like the J-15, is experiencing multirole deployments. Because of recent improvements in warfare, the forthcoming models of the J-15 and J-16 are also equipped for electronic warfare.
Kelly saw the country’s recent decision to acquire a limited number of Su-35s as a chance to obtain access to the fifth-generation speed and avionics of the otherwise fourth-generation aircraft, according to The Drive.
