US Navy 6th Gen Fighter - F/A-XX

Assuming congress does approve the sale of F-47s, it also depends on what roles the F-47 is performing in vs competitors.

For most countries, GCAP and F/A-XX would be able to perform 90% of the roles they need and the rest probably filled by CCA/UCAVs. So unless F-47 can also carry and substantial strike munitions, which it wont save for a few missile types, then it may not do well on the market unless someone really needs a high end air superiority fighter (Australia maybe?)

The only good reason for F/A-XX would probably be a shorter wait time and higher availability rates especially if the british GCAP and Japanese GCAP are going to be a little different. Otherwise GCAP seems built to be able to do most of everything and its not a naval fighter.

Granted - there should also be a discussion of what CCAs these get paired with / integrate with. Id imagine that unless you develop your own CCAs, you'd be buying into an ecosystem by choosing which fighter you buy, and thats another reason to buy F/A-XX over GCAP, as you'll likely have access to a larger selection of CCAs to integrate with..
 
EmoBirb said:
Not buying an expensive next generation fighter when you can't afford it (can't afford GCAP).

For most countries in the world the likes of F-35, J-35, Su-57, Su-75, KF-21, Kaan are more than enough. A step further, for the majority of countries aircraft like the F-16, Rafale, Gripen, Su-30 or J-10 are already enough.

When a country can't cough up the necessary sums, the need is not urgent enough to justify any 6th Gen.
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The question was not what other options other than 6th gen. It was if a western aligned nation wants a 6th gen what options do they have.
 
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With the current situation, pretty sure any money that MIGHT have gone into the F-47/XX from outside the CONUS, will be going into collaboration with other nations. Something we have already seen the start of with various current projects.

It will take a LOT of years for things to change/revert if they ever do.

Not judging if that is right or wrong, just that it is like the sunrise.

No names and no pack drill but a lot of regret all around.
 
Ozair said:
The question was not what other options other than 6th gen. It was if a western aligned nation wants a 6th gen what options do they have.
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The amount of countries that would be willing to pony up the necessary funding is less than a handful. And most of these are either contemplating indigenous programs or already participating or seeking observer status with GCAP. Which as of right now is the only viable option that's going to be available in a reasonable timeframe.

F-47 is heavily dependent on what US politicians will say about it's export, the F/A-XX may be equally sensitive and certainly much delayed. FCAS crashed and burned and it's currently uncertain how feasible it is for Dassault and Airbus to pursue their own programs and what the realistic timeline will be. KAI and potentially TAI are also going to be late to the party, with KAI only just now starting a next generation program, I dunno what Turkey is currently up to
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So as of now it's GCAP or bust and maaaaaaaaaaybe a dumbed down 'F-47E' (borrowing Russian and Chinese terminology here for *dramatic effect*).
 
If we can get Virginias (still remains to be seen) via AUKUS, there’s no reason to think F-47 or FA/XX wouldn’t be at least a possibility too.

AUKUS obviously did not exist during F-22 production
 
Black Dog said:
If we can get Virginias (still remains to be seen) via AUKUS, there’s no reason to think F-47 or FA/XX wouldn’t be at least a possibility too.

AUKUS obviously did not exist during F-22 production
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I'll be honest, I never thought I'd see the US sell/lease any nuclear subs. EVER.

So yes, I think the odds of F-47 and/or FAXX being allowed to export is pretty good.

For that matter, the odds of USAF getting told to suck it up and deal with another Navy plane are not zero.
 
Black Dog said:
If we can get Virginias (still remains to be seen) via AUKUS, there’s no reason to think F-47 or FA/XX wouldn’t be at least a possibility too.

AUKUS obviously did not exist during F-22 production
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Valid point, BUT keep in mind that Virginia is growing old and SSN(X) is already in the works. So unlike F-47, it's not "the hot new stuff". But a downgraded export version of the F-47 may alleviate that.
 
On the other hand, president Trump specifically said (if I recall correctly when the F-47 was announced) that a slightly downgraded version of the F-47 would be exported. It picked my attention, because it wasn't in response to a question and he has spilled the beans in the past on important information.

In my opinion approving the export of F-47 to trusted allies would be the right choice and reflects lessons learned from the F-22.

There was significant interest internationally for the F-22 and if they had approved it for export they could have kept the production lines for much longer and achieved lower overall cost per airframe due to economy of scale. Then once the China threat became more pressing the USAF could have ordered additional batches of F-22s. Then having higher numbers of F-22s in service could have justified much more comprehensive modernization.

On the other hand, prohibiting the export of cutting edge aircraft stimulates other nations to develop indigenous solutions and there is a growing number of nations who now have sufficient economic output to gradually develop such technologies independently, which in the long run would put US technological supremacy at risk. It seems much better to allow export to allies, while keeping control over the technology and reinvesting the profits into further technological advancements.
 
EmoBirb said:
Valid point, BUT keep in mind that Virginia is growing old and SSN(X) is already in the works. So unlike F-47, it's not "the hot new stuff". But a downgraded export version of the F-47 may alleviate that.
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The nuclear propulsion in a Virginia is almost certainly more sensitive than anything even in a 6th gen fighter
 

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