# Sixth-generation fighter
A sixth-generation fighter is a combat aircraft intended to succeed fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, with no single agreed definition but a general expectation of deeper stealth, long-range sensing, and crewed-uncrewed teaming. The label is applied to several national programs: the United States F-47 under the [Next Generation Air Dominance](https://www.edgepedia.org/next-generation-air-dominance) (NGAD) program, the [Global Combat Air Programme](https://www.edgepedia.org/global-combat-air-programme) (GCAP) pursued by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy, and, until its cancellation in 2026, the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS).[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract) • [3](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | No universally agreed definition of a sixth-generation fighter exists; the term is applied by governments and manufacturers to programs meant to follow the F-22 and F-35.[4](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/) |
| US Air Force | The F-47, built by Boeing under NGAD, was announced on March 21, 2025 with an initial contract estimated at $20 billion; first flight is expected during 2028.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [5](https://www.techradar.com/pro/us-air-force-says-the-f-47-will-fly-in-this-administration-new-super-jet-set-to-replace-the-f-22-is-still-set-to-arrive-in-2028) |
| US Navy | Boeing also won the Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter contest, announced in October 2026.[6](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/boeing-navy-faxx-f47-f15ex-contracts) |
| GCAP | The UK, Japan, and Italy are developing a sixth-generation aircraft targeted to enter service in 2035, under a £4.6 billion contract awarded to the joint venture Edgewing.[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract) |
| FCAS | The Franco-German-Spanish FCAS project, launched in 2017 with an estimated cost of about €100 billion, was scrapped in June 2026 after disputes between Dassault and Airbus.[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897) |
| Cost benchmark | The Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2018 that the NGAD airframe could cost up to $300 million apiece; the Air Force later sought a price comparable to the F-35, about $100 million per aircraft.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf) |
| Chinese aircraft | Two Chinese combat aircraft that debuted in late 2024 were speculatively dubbed the Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50 by analysts as possible sixth-generation types; the Chinese government has remained largely silent about them.[8](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/AWST_2025_1-13_0.pdf) |
## What "generation" means
[Fighter aircraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/fighter-aircraft) have long been sorted into generations, but the classification is not a formal standard. There is no one agreed-to definition of what fighter generations are, and several schemes differ substantially from one another.[4](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/) The historian Richard Hallion, writing in the Airpower Journal in 1990, outlined six generations defined primarily by speed and maneuverability; in that scheme, then-current designs such as the Tornado, Mirage 2000, and F-14 counted as the sixth and most modern generation.[4](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/) • [9](https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publication/armament-project-future-combat-air-system-too-big-to-fail/)
The model now most widely used was set out in 2009 by John Tirpak, editorial director of Air & Space Forces Magazine, and identifies five existing generations based on technological milestones. In this scheme a fifth-generation fighter has all-aspect stealth with internal weapons, extreme agility, full sensor fusion, integrated avionics, and some or full supercruise, with the F-22 and F-35 as examples.[4](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/) The 2009 article speculated that a post-F-22 generation would be even stealthier, more efficient, networked with other vehicles, equipped with better sensors, possibly shape-morphing in flight, armed with directed-energy weapons, and even optionally crewed.[4](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/) • [10](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1009fighter/) Because the criteria are contested, the label has marketing value, and companies and governments sometimes adopt whichever definition best fits their program; after the F-47 and GCAP announcements, applying the term to current programs has itself become disputed.[11](https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/6th-generation-fighter-jets-development/)
The generational gap matters in combat terms. Japan's Ministry of Defense notes that a new-generation fighter holds an overwhelming advantage over previous-generation fighters, citing the F-22's credited 108-to-0 shoot-down record against earlier types.[12](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/equipment/global-combat-air-programme/index.html)
## The United States: NGAD and the F-47
The US Air Force's effort grew out of a Defense Science Board study on maintaining air dominance in 2025–2035, sponsored in 2014 by Frank Kendall, then Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and [Logistics](https://www.edgepedia.org/logistics).[13](https://news.usni.org/2025/01/20/report-to-congress-on-u-s-air-force-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter) The program's airframe was first designed in 2018, and by 2020 the service had flown a classified NGAD demonstrator.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf) From FY2022 to FY2024 Congress appropriated $5.1 billion for NGAD fighter technologies, and the FY2025 request was $2.75 billion for the platform.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf)
**A pause, then an award.** In mid-2024 Air Force leadership paused the program over cost concerns, doubting whether NGAD could be developed alongside the B-21 Raider bomber and the LGM-35 Sentinel ICBM replacement.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf) After a reevaluation, President Donald Trump announced on March 21, 2025 that Boeing would build the fighter, named F-47 in tribute to the P-47 Thunderbolt, the Air Force's founding year (1947), and the 47th presidency.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [14](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/04/MarchApril2025_Full-issue.pdf) The initial contract to proceed with production is worth an estimated $20 billion, and the Air Force chose a cost-plus-incentive-fee structure for engineering and manufacturing development.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [14](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/04/MarchApril2025_Full-issue.pdf) The Air Force says the F-47 will fly during the current administration, with first flight still expected in 2028, and Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin has said more F-47s will be produced than F-22s.[5](https://www.techradar.com/pro/us-air-force-says-the-f-47-will-fly-in-this-administration-new-super-jet-set-to-replace-the-f-22-is-still-set-to-arrive-in-2028) • [1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2)
The F-47 is the cornerstone of the NGAD Family of Systems, designed to integrate next-generation stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike for contested environments.[15](https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4131605/air-force-awards-contract-for-next-generation-air-dominance-ngad-platform-f-47/) The manned jet is meant to serve as a "quarterback" to a fleet of [Collaborative Combat Aircraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/collaborative-combat-aircraft) (CCA), autonomous drone wingmen designed by [Anduril Industries](https://www.edgepedia.org/anduril-industries) and [General Atomics](https://www.edgepedia.org/general-atomics), intended to penetrate Chinese air defenses.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2) • [16](https://www.axios.com/2025/03/21/trump-airforce-boeing-ngad-f47) The Air Force awarded CCA Increment 1 contracts for air vehicles and mission autonomy software, and the General Atomics YFQ-42A has begun flight testing.[17](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4520575/air-force-advances-future-of-air-superiority-with-cca-contracts/) • [18](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4288255/collaborative-combat-aircraft-yfq-42a-takes-to-the-air-for-flight-testing/) AI flight control is maturing in parallel: under the DARPA-Air Force VENOM program, modified F-16s are flying with AI agents controlling the aircraft, building toward human pilots commanding teams of uncrewed aircraft.[19](https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16)
Propulsion is being developed under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, where [General Electric](https://www.edgepedia.org/general-electric) is building a variable-cycle XA102 prototype and [Pratt & Whitney](https://www.edgepedia.org/pratt-and-whitney) an XA103, both of which have passed design reviews.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf) • [14](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/04/MarchApril2025_Full-issue.pdf) A future unmanned version of NGAD is also planned as AI for the aircraft improves.[1](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2)
**The Navy variant.** The Navy's carrier-based version, F/A-XX, is planned as a piloted main element of its "Air Wing of the Future," and Navy studies have indicated that a fifth- and sixth-generation mix is needed for longer-term threat scenarios.[20](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106375.pdf) Boeing won the F/A-XX downselect in October 2026, the same day it secured a $2.4 billion contract for additional F-15EX fighters.[6](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/boeing-navy-faxx-f47-f15ex-contracts)
## Europe: GCAP and the end of FCAS
**GCAP.** The Global Combat Air Programme, launched by a treaty signed in December 2022 between the UK, Italy, and Japan, aims to field a sixth-generation combat aircraft by 2035, succeeding Japan's F-2 and working alongside Typhoons, F-35s, and autonomous systems.[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract) • [12](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/equipment/global-combat-air-programme/index.html) The UK had already allocated £656 million in April 2023 to move the program into its next technology phase, with [BAE Systems](https://www.edgepedia.org/bae-systems), Leonardo UK, MBDA UK, and Rolls-Royce maturing more than 60 technology demonstrations.[21](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-funding-boost-to-progress-future-fighter-jet-programme) In 2026 the three nations signed a £4.6 billion contract with the industry joint venture Edgewing to advance design and testing, alongside a UK commitment of £8.6 billion over four years; the aircraft, known in the UK as Tempest, is designed as a stealth fighter with supersonic capability.[2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract) • [21](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-funding-boost-to-progress-future-fighter-jet-programme) [Governance](https://www.edgepedia.org/governance) is centralized through the GCAP International Government Organisation, established by a convention signed in December 2023 and headquartered in the UK.[12](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/equipment/global-combat-air-programme/index.html)
**FCAS.** The Future Combat Air System, launched by France and Germany in 2017 and joined by Spain, centered on a Dassault-led New Generation Fighter intended to replace Eurofighters and Rafales by around 2040.[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897) • [22](https://elpais.com/economia/2026-06-09/alemania-se-resigna-ante-el-fin-del-caza-europeo-el-proyecto-se-ha-estrellado-contra-la-realidad.html) The roughly €100 billion project was plagued for years by disputes between [Dassault Aviation](https://www.edgepedia.org/dassault-aviation) and [Airbus Defence and Space](https://www.edgepedia.org/airbus-defence-and-space) over control of the next phase, access to intellectual property, and differing aircraft requirements.[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897) In June 2026, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron agreed to scrap the program after the manufacturers failed to resolve key disputes; German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the collapse a large-scale European project meeting reality.[3](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897) Analysts had long noted the difficulty of the leap: none of the FCAS countries operated a fifth-generation fighter, so moving straight from fourth-generation designs to a sixth-generation benchmark was considered extremely challenging.[9](https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publication/armament-project-future-combat-air-system-too-big-to-fail/) With FCAS gone, Spanish commentary noted the GCAP program, estimated to cost less than half of FCAS, as the leading remaining European route.[23](https://elpais.com/economia/2026-06-20/que-es-un-caza-de-sexta-generacion-ee-uu-saca-una-decada-de-ventaja-a-europa-tras-la-caida-del-proyecto-fcas.html)
## China
In December 2024 China debuted two new combat aircraft, sparking immediate speculation that Beijing had revealed sixth-generation fighters ahead of anything similar in the United States. The Chinese government has remained largely silent about the aircraft, which analysts have speculatively dubbed the [Chengdu J-36](https://www.edgepedia.org/chengdu-j-36) and [Shenyang J-50](https://www.edgepedia.org/shenyang-j-50); one US configuration designer questioned the Chengdu aircraft's three-engine layout with a centerline upper inlet.[8](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/AWST_2025_1-13_0.pdf) China has meanwhile deployed fourth- and fifth-generation fighters including the Su-35, J-10, and J-20 in quantity around Japan.[12](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/equipment/global-combat-air-programme/index.html)
## What the aircraft are expected to do
The Air Force's stated attributes for NGAD are enhanced survivability, lethality, persistence, interoperability, and crewed-uncrewed teaming.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf) Early concept work anticipated directed-energy weapons such as high-powered microwaves and lasers, "dial-an-effect" munitions, an airframe acting as a large integrated sensor that might eliminate the conventional nose radar, and cyber-attack capability alongside kinetic effects, all while remaining affordable to build, service, and modify.[10](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1009fighter/) A recurring theme across programs is that the fighter is conceived as one node in a family of systems rather than a standalone aircraft: the Air Force frames the F-47 within the NGAD Family of Systems with CCA drones, GCAP pairs its jet with autonomous systems, and FCAS was designed as a "system of systems" network.[15](https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4131605/air-force-awards-contract-for-next-generation-air-dominance-ngad-platform-f-47/) • [2](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract) • [9](https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publication/armament-project-future-combat-air-system-too-big-to-fail/)
Cost has shaped the American design conversation. After the 2024 pause, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall sought an NGAD aircraft priced comparably to the F-35, about $100 million per aircraft, and officials debated whether to "disaggregate" subsystems such as radar or weapons onto other platforms including CCAs rather than concentrating them in one expensive airframe.[7](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf)
## References
1. [Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet, AP News (March 21, 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2)
2. [Over £4 billion invested in next-generation fighter jet with new international contract, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-4-billion-invested-in-next-generation-fighter-jet-with-new-international-contract)
3. [Germany, France scrap joint fighter jet program, DW (June 9, 2026)](https://amp.dw.com/en/franco-german-fighter-jet-project-collapses-after-industry-dispute/a-77466897)
4. [A sixth-generation fighter jet will replace F-22s, Popular Science](https://www.popsci.com/technology/sixth-generation-fighter/)
5. [US Air Force says the F-47 'will fly in this administration', TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/pro/us-air-force-says-the-f-47-will-fly-in-this-administration-new-super-jet-set-to-replace-the-f-22-is-still-set-to-arrive-in-2028)
6. [A "clean sweep" for Boeing in next-gen Navy and Air Force fighters, Axios (October 7, 2026)](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/boeing-navy-faxx-f47-f15ex-contracts)
7. [U.S. Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Fighter, Congressional Research Service, IF12805](https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12805/IF12805.2.pdf)
8. [Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 13–26, 2025](https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/AWST_2025_1-13_0.pdf)
9. [Future Combat Air System: Too Big to Fail, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik](https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publication/armament-project-future-combat-air-system-too-big-to-fail/)
10. [The Sixth Generation Fighter, Air & Space Forces Magazine (2009)](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1009fighter/)
11. [6th generation fighter jets: What we know so far, Aerospace Global News](https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/6th-generation-fighter-jets-development/)
12. [Global Combat Air Programme, Japan Ministry of Defense](https://www.mod.go.jp/en/equipment/global-combat-air-programme/index.html)
13. [Report to Congress on U.S. Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter, USNI News (January 2025)](https://news.usni.org/2025/01/20/report-to-congress-on-u-s-air-force-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter)
14. [Air & Space Forces Magazine, March/April 2025 full issue](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/04/MarchApril2025_Full-issue.pdf)
15. [Air Force Awards Contract for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, F-47, Air Combat Command](https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4131605/air-force-awards-contract-for-next-generation-air-dominance-ngad-platform-f-47/)
16. [Trump touts Boeing as builder of Air Force's future F-47 fighter, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/03/21/trump-airforce-boeing-ngad-f47)
17. [Air Force advances future of air superiority with CCA contracts, U.S. Air Force](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4520575/air-force-advances-future-of-air-superiority-with-cca-contracts/)
18. [Collaborative Combat Aircraft, YFQ-42A takes to the air for flight testing, U.S. Air Force](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4288255/collaborative-combat-aircraft-yfq-42a-takes-to-the-air-for-flight-testing/)
19. [DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16, DARPA](https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16)
20. [Tactical Aircraft Investments: DOD Needs Additional Portfolio Analysis, GAO-23-106375](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106375.pdf)
21. [Major funding boost to progress future fighter jet programme, GOV.UK (April 2023)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-funding-boost-to-progress-future-fighter-jet-programme)
22. [Alemania se resigna ante el fin del caza europeo, El País (June 9, 2026)](https://elpais.com/economia/2026-06-09/alemania-se-resigna-ante-el-fin-del-caza-europeo-el-proyecto-se-ha-estrellado-contra-la-realidad.html)
23. [¿Qué es un caza de sexta generación?, El País (June 20, 2026)](https://elpais.com/economia/2026-06-20/que-es-un-caza-de-sexta-generacion-ee-uu-saca-una-decada-de-ventaja-a-europa-tras-la-caida-del-proyecto-fcas.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Military aviation › Military aircraft by type and era › Fighter aircraft › Fighter aircraft overview and lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license