Over the years, the US has become known for its secret aircraft. They are so good and advanced that they set the agenda in combat aviation. Washington built the first fifth-generation fighter jets, the first stealth bombers, and the first drones. Some of the projects, such as the “invisible” F-117, spent almost a decade in service under conditions of strict secrecy. The general public and even the majority of politicians do not know about the plane.
For example, in the event of an F-117 accident, US special forces quickly replaced the crashed aircraft with the remains of another aircraft. Counterintelligence officers help spread UFO conspiracy rumors around “Area 51” to divert attention from real test planes.
Today, Washington likes to be more public with his latest projects. Footage of the newest stealth aircraft’s first flight was aired before it was completed.
See what the latest US secret planes probably look like >> >> >>
The general public has known about the existence of the project for years. Images of new secret aircraft appear in ads for military giants.
What are the Pentagon’s new secret planes anyway?
Lockheed celebrated 80 years of its Skunk Works advanced division. It is responsible for the development of the company’s most advanced aircraft. In a special clip dedicated to Skunk Works, it was hinted at two of the most secretive aircraft of the USA – the spy drone SR-72 and the sixth generation fighter of the NGAD program.
Sixth generation stealth fighter
This is what the silhouette of Lockheed Martin’s sixth generation fighter looks like
Photo: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
The design of this aircraft is triangular and tailless. The aircraft is believed to be single-engined with a 2D exhaust system. This is a common attribute of stealth aircraft as it masks infrared emissions from the engine.
It is known that this will probably be the last aircraft with a pilot in the cockpit. The fighter will be equipped with multiple flight support systems, with integrated artificial intelligence and with the ability to interact with drones.
It is very likely that there are already tests of prototypes of the program. In fact, it began as early as 2014, and at the beginning of the next decade, the sixth-generation fighter should be put into service.
SR-72
Photo: Lockheed Martin
The spy drone with strike capabilities
For nearly a decade, Lockheed has been touting the SR-72 concept. It is a hypersonic reconnaissance and strike aircraft that is unmanned.
Back in 2016, Lockheed openly began discussing the possibility of building a demonstration aircraft roughly the size of the F-22 Raptor to help prove the technologies that would underpin the SR-72’s hypersonic design.
Such a demonstrator would cost less than $1 billion to build and could take several years.
Even earlier, Lockheed had revealed that it expected the SR-72 to enter service by 2030 and be able to easily move and maneuver at 5,800 km/h. This means that the project has already been worked on for over 10 years.
Documents reveal that in 2014, NASA gave Lockheed Martin nearly a million for theoretical development of hypersonic aircraft.
In addition to spying, it is speculated that the SR-72 may also carry a hypersonic missile.
This is the latest rendering of the concept behind the F/A-XX
Photo: Boeing
F/A-XX: The US Navy’s long-range stealth aircraft
The US Navy’s next stealth fighter is being developed specifically to serve aircraft carriers. The name F/A indicates that this new aircraft will also be used to attack ground targets. In addition, the leading company is Boeing.
The Navy says its sixth-generation fighter will share common systems with the NGAD program. This will allow it to be introduced more quickly. A modular software and hardware architecture is designed to allow for frequent and inexpensive updates to these aircraft as the technology matures around them.
However, the US Navy has different requirements for their new fighter. Its emphasis is on long range, which should exceed that of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-35C. The goal is to keep US aircraft carriers out of combat range of advanced hypersonic anti-ship missiles, such as China’s DF-ZF. This implies a design with two engines, different sizes and a range of at least 1000 kilometers.
The mysterious drone-bomber will fly in combination with the B-21
Photo: Kelley Aerospace
“Invisible” drone bomber
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed in 2022 that the United States was working on an unmanned stealth bomber platform. It will fly missions alongside the new stealth B-21 Raider and expand America’s capabilities to “deep penetration into highly contested airspace“. It is very likely that the drone is made by Northrop Grumman, but again there is no clarity on this matter.
This new platform is expected to have a “comparable range” to that of the new bomber. The latter can practically fly all over the globe. Payload capacity will be largely determined by price point. The Pentagon has estimated that one piece of the new drone will cost $300 million or even more.
It is assumed that now that the B-21 has made its first flight, the new stealth drone is also nearing completion.
Creating an unmanned bomber that can carry more than 2,000 kilograms of weapons and has the qualities to allow it to enter enemy airspace unimpeded could change the future of the US Air Force. For this reason, everything about the project is strictly confidential.
2023-11-22 19:53:00
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