By Felipe Marques and Thiago Jacobino Honório |
The United States Air Force (USAF) anounced that they are currently working on the development of next-generation fighter jets, through the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) project. According to Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the next generation of fighter jets must have features such as directed-energy weapons firearms (Laser), highly level of stealth, further integration of sensors, as well as the use of of Artificial Intelligence and capacity for controlling an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The reason behind working on the improvements of a next-generation fighter jet is a response to new aircrafts being developed by the military aviation of rival countries, such as China and Russia.
Impacts on Defense and Security: The development of the next generation of figther jets highlights how the aeronautics industry will improve in the next coming years. It also demonstrates the importance of UAV and technologies that involve using Artificial Intelligence in fighter jets.
Source: INSINNA, V. The US Air Force’s radical plan for a future fighter could field a jet in 5 years. Defense news, 2019. Available at: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/2019/09/16/the-us-air-forces-radical-plan-for-a-future-fighter-could-field-a-jet-in-5-years/