Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept

Sure that the Chinese have all the Boeing designs before hand for their "peaceful" rise.

The Boeing concept also features canards, which is somewhat of a surprise because the motion of those forward mounted control surfaces is generally assumed to compromise a stealth aircraft's frontal radar cross-section. But the lack of vertical tail surfaces suggests the aircraft would be optimized for all-aspect broadband stealth, which would be needed for operations in the most challenging anti-access/area denial environments.

Also of note in the manned version of the company's F/A-XX concept is the placement of the cockpit-rearward visibility appears to be restricted without the aid of a sensor apparatus similar to the F-35's distributed aperture system of six infrared cameras.

The Boeing F/A-XX concept is a response to a USN request for information (RFI) from April 2012 soliciting data for a replacement for the service's Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets in the 2030s. The Super Hornet fleet is expected to start reaching the end of the jet's 9000h useful lifespan during that time period.

"The intent of this research is to solicit industry inputs on candidate solutions for CVN [nuclear-powered aircraft carrier] based aircraft to provide air supremacy with a multi-role strike capability in an anti-access/area denied (A2AD) operational environment," the navy RFI stated. "Primary missions include, but are not limited to, air warfare (AW), strike warfare (STW), surface warfare (SUW), and close air support (CAS)."

Navy leaders had said at the time that they expect any new F/A-XX design to have greatly increased range and offer far superior kinematic performance compared to existing tactical aircraft.

India’s stealth fighter : Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft concept

British stealth drone to undergo first test flight

It can fly faster than the speed of sound, cannot be detected by radar and has no pilot. This is the new robotic plane that will become the next generation of front line bombers for the British military.

The drone, which is named Taranis after the Celtic god of thunder, has been designed to fly intercontinental missions to attack targets and can automatically dodge incoming missiles.

The aircraft, which has cost £125 million to build, is intended to be the first of a new generation of aeroplanes that will reduce the need to risk human lives on long, dangerous missions.

It is to be flown for the first time in a series of tests over the Australian outback in the spring in an attempt to demonstrate the technology to military chiefs.

Currently the Royal Air Force uses Tornado GR4 bombers as its front line strike aircraft, although the Typhoon Eurofighter is expected to replace it in the coming years.

Downed F-117 Stealth Fighter, Kosovo War

Photo courtesy of the Federation of American Scientists

It’s never a good thing to lose a state-of-the-art jet to enemy fire. But it’s even worse when that jet is a highly classified stealth aircraft – and the technology allegedly survives the crash. That’s what happened on March 27, 1999 when F-117 Stealth Fighter 82-0806 flown by Dale Zelko was shot down by a surface to air missile during the Kosovo War. The pilot was rescued, but the downed aircraft was reportedly inspected by Russian personnel before allegedly being used in the development of Russian and Chinese stealth planes. It has, however, been asserted that the then-20-year-old technology aboard the F-117 would not have proved much help to foreign governments looking to exploit U.S. technology. The jet’s canopy is currently displayed in Belgrade. Colonel Zoltán Dani, who commanded the missile brigade that downed the F-117, retired from military service in 2004 and now works as a baker in his native village Skorenovac.

Photos of Maiden Flight Of The Fourth T-50 PAK-FA Prototype

Click to enlarge - Best close up photos I have seen yet