6th Gen NGAD Vs 5th Gen F-35 Comparison

         F-35 Vs. NGAD Concept 

Indian Air Force/IAF is happy flying 3rd Gen, 4th Gen, and 4.5++ Gen fighters like Mig-29/29K, Rafale/Rafale M, Su-30 MKI, Jaguar, and Mirage 2000. Most of these will still keep flying till 2035 and 2040 when the world is already looking forward to the 6th Gen fighter like NGAD (USA), Tempest (UK), and Mig-41 (Russia) and these will be launched around the same time as 2035 to 2040.

IAF as yet is still trying to get its hands on a 5th Gen fighter. Its homegrown effort the AMCA will reportedly be a 5.5 Gen fighter. In all likelihood, the first AMCA TD will come out only by 2035, a time when the world would have probably already seen the launch of 6th Gen fighters like the NGAD (USA), and Tempest (UK). Mig-41 (Russia) is more likely to emerge by 2040. IAF is aware it's really falling behind in the race, so had attempted to get hands-on Su-57 (Russia) customized as FGFA, but that plan didn’t materialize.

IAF must realize that it has already missed the 5th Gen fighter bus. As such it must now focus on acquiring a 6th Gen fighter. Logically India should acquire the schematics of YF-23 from Northrop Grumman and use it as a base to develop its 6th Gen fighter. As for AMCA, it should develop as many Technological Demonstrators and fight out the nitty-gritty of these jets. It will help them develop an idea as to how to develop a 6th Gen fighter. As for experience IAF can acquire fully loaded 3 squadrons of Su-57 and gain as much experience of flying a 5th Gen fighter.

Can India Use YF-23 as the Base for its 6th Generation Aircraft?

https://rbt-defense.blogspot.com/2023/08/can-india-use-yf-23-as-base-for-its-6th.html

In the meantime, it’s worthwhile to know that USAF the leading air force in the world despite having 2 different types of 5th Gen fighters in its arsenal (F-22 and F-35) is still pushing to buy more and more advanced F15EX variants, and will continue to use F-18 SH well into 2050s; both of which are advanced 4th Gen fighters. Because both F-22 and F-35 are highly expensive jets with high per-unit and operational costs very high and can’t carry a lot of weapons and can only be used in specific missions; the USAF will continue to need low-cost heavy fighters that can be used in general missions. Do note that NGAD per unit cost and operational cost will be still more than the F-22 or F-35 put together.

So, it presents a case that if F-22 and F-35 both are highly expensive jets with high per-unit and operational costs; then what will the more advanced 6th Gen NGAD will cost. As such it is better to compare the upcoming 6th Gen NGAD and F-35, the better of the two 5th gen jets USAF is operating. So here is the comparison or difference between the 2 aircraft.

F-35

  1.  The F-35 is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which gives the fighter a top speed of Mach-1.6. While this number may not be as high as the Lightening II’s Raptor predecessor, the fighter sports a litany of other unmatched capabilities.

  2.  Each F-35 airframe is equipped with a sophisticated sensor fusion, which provides a single integrated image of the battlefield that can improve the situational awareness of pilots. Additionally, the 360-degree Distributed Aperture System and long-range electro-optical targeting technology enable the airframe to detect threats much more quickly.

  3.  Across all three F-35 variants designed for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the standard weapons payload is quite formidable.

  4.  Each variant can carry two AIM-120C/D air-to-air missiles and two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAM guided bombs. Lockheed Martin has also developed an advanced internal weapons carriage that will eventually enable the fighter to host an additional two missiles internally.

  5.  The F-35 was designed to fly at speeds reaching Mach-1.6 (times the speed of sound), which is attainable with a full internal payload. With nearly double the internal fuel of its predecessor the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Lightening II has a greater combat radius. Since the F-35 is highly armed, it is considerably heavier than the lightweight fighters that came before it. The lightest of the F-35 variants has an empty weight of just over 29,000 pounds.

  6.  3 main F-35 variants exist: the conventional take-off and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B and the carrier-based F-35C.

  7.  One of the most pivotal upgrades in the F-35 is advanced technology. Built on lessons learned from designing the F-22 program, the F-35 is equipped with sophisticated sensors and avionics components. The open architecture code installed in this platform enables continuous updates and improvements over time.

   8.  In addition to this top-notch avionics suite, the F-35 has an extremely low radar cross-section.

  9. The F-22 costs roughly US$135 million per tail, making it the most expensive fighter the US Air Force has ever developed. The F-35A meanwhile, costs around US$80 million per jet.

NGAD

  1.  Intended to replace the F-22 Raptor, the NGAD derived from Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) studies conducted back in 2014 to explore new aerial concepts for the U.S. military.

  2.  The overarching objective of the NGAD program is to provide the service with air dominance. The technologies that will be prioritized in designing this next-generation system include stealth, thermal management of the aircraft signature, advanced weapons, and propulsion.

   3.  One of the most significant limitations of America’s current fighter platforms is short-range capabilities. If a future war does break out between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, the U.S. will need airframes that can be positioned within easy striking distance of Chinese land-attack missiles.

   4.  For this reason, it is largely assumed the US Air Force will produce both short and long-range NGAD variants. However, many other details surrounding the sixth-generation program remain under wraps.

  5. One of the most critical changes that the NGAD will incorporate is the addition of unmanned aircraft. Unlike the single fighter designs that currently exist, the NGAD will employ Collaborative Combat Aircraft. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will serve as “wingmen drones” to the sixth-generation fighter.

 6. NGAD will have variable cycle engines through the Advanced Engine Technology program. One goal is to enhance electrical power generation while simultaneously improving cooling capabilities.

  7. NGAD will have uncrewed aircraft to complement it with potential roles to support the NGAD with intelligence gathering, and electronic warfare capabilities.

  8. NGAD will have new low-cost design and manufacturing structural concepts for attributable vehicles, further suggesting the potential use of these materials in the accompanying uncrewed aircraft. But still, NGAD will likely cost more than F-22 and F-35 put together.

   9.  NGAD with its large airframe (most likely bigger than F-22) will have advanced radar, infrared sensors, and enhanced electro-optical cameras. While speed and maneuverability will be critical, long-range sensors, networking, high-speed, AI-enabled computing, and weapons guidance will likely be in NGAD.

All this proves that the upcoming NGAD will all sense purpose will be even special mission aircraft, costlier to operate and maintain in comparison to the existing F-35. So, USAF and other air forces will have to iron out the cost vs. sophistication dilemma and think whether it is a viable option to go for ever costlier advanced aircraft, after every few years.