While planners see the main force of fighter aircraft being manned, there is growing evidence of a requirement for an unmanned fighter capability with critics saying, it will be to the Navy’s detriment if the future generation fighter program delivers a manned fighter for the Navy, adding that designing a nextgeneration manned aircraft will be a critical mistake. Every year remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) replace more and more manned aviation platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming ever increasingly capable. By the mid-2030s, when the F-35C will still be in operation, the next platform is expected to begin production. In order to make sure the Navy maintains the technical edge in aviation, it needs, experts claim, to invest in an unmanned-capable aircraft today. Recent advances and long-term trends in automation and computing make it clear that such an investment is not only prudent but necessary to maintain capability overmatch and avoid falling behind. The concept of an unmanned fighter may seem years away, but defence scientists expect at least one carrier will, by 2040, deploy with an air group of unmanned fighter jets.
The US Navy’s F/A-XX project will oversee the development and acquisition of a sixth generation of fighter to replace the Super Hornet and support the F-35C in the 2030s. It is understood the project is aiming to deliver a manned and unmanned platform. At the same time, the UK is developing a new fighter called the Tempest which on current planning will include an unmanned capability as well as being able to deploy a swarm of
