Air Force to rely on digital engineering to design and prototype 6th generation jet fighter to replace F-35

WASHINGTON – Drone fighter jets, hypersonic attack planes, artificial intelligence, lasers, electronic warfare and sensors woven into the fuselage of an aircraft - are all areas of current technological exploration for the Air Force as it begins early prototyping for a new, 6th Generation fighter jet to emerge in the 2030s and 2040s. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

25 Sept. 2019 -- While the initiative, called Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), has been largely conceptual for years, Air Force officials say current jet fighter prototyping and demonstrations are informing which technologies the service will invest in for the future.

Part of the progress with the program, according to Air Force Acquisition Executive William Roper, is due to new methods of digital engineering.

Digital engineering, as Roper explains it, brings what could be called a two-fold advantage. It enables weapons developers to assess technologies, material configurations and aircraft models without needing to build all of them -- all while paradoxically enabling builders to “bend metal” and start building prototypes earlier than would otherwise be possible.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics