Future Fighter Design Philosophies: Air Dominance in the System-of-Systems Era

The provided text discusses the evolution of fighter aircraft design philosophies for the period beyond 2035, emphasizing a fundamental shift from individual platforms to a "system-of-systems" approach. It explains how future air dominance will rely on crewed command nodes managing a network of uncrewed effectors, or drones, to achieve affordable mass and overwhelm adversaries. Furthermore, the text explores the crucial role of space-based pervasive sensing and connectivity through proliferated Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations, while also addressing the disruptive potential of quantum technologies like quantum radar that could challenge traditional stealth. Finally, it theorizes the physical manifestations of these changes, detailing how airframe design, propulsion, and armaments will adapt to support these new multi-domain operational imperatives.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.