Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Forget China or Russia: America Is the Stealth Fighter King
National Security Journal ^ | 9/10/2025 | Reuben F. Johnson

Posted on 09/10/2025 8:52:00 AM PDT by whyilovetexas111

This 6th-generation aircraft, now designated the F-47, will be the first stealthy aircraft designed by Boeing and is intended to move far beyond the F-35, into territory where, literally, “no man has gone before.”

It will be bereft of any vertical control surfaces and will, according to one person close to the program who spoke to National Security Journal, “Be based on concepts of stealth that go beyond just the shaping of an aircraft fuselage and the techniques we know as the keys to low RCS today,” he said.

“I cannot be specific about these newer technologies, which have not been part of the basic properties of a stealthy aircraft up to now. What I can say is that the ‘seams’ of where different sections of aircraft, like the F-47 or the Navy’s F/A-XX, are joined will take on an entirely new significance. They will have to be ultra precise for reasons other than just not creating a reflective surface,” he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalsecurityjournal.org ...


TOPICS: Government; History; Military/Veterans; Politics
KEYWORDS: 0blogpimp; bankruptnation; blogpimp; china; endlessdebt; ibtz; russia; stealth; usairforce; useless; vikingkitties; wearebankrupt; whyiloveblogpimps111; whyuhatetexas111; zot
But, as I like to remind everyone, can America afford it?
1 posted on 09/10/2025 8:52:00 AM PDT by whyilovetexas111
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

You keep reminding us what a spammer you are


2 posted on 09/10/2025 9:00:53 AM PDT by Dartoid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

Russia is not even in the conversation. It is US vs China. Russia has a very advanced 4.5++, at best, but not true 5th gen and definitely nothing close to 6th.

Which is what the Su-57 really is …the most advanced of the legacy fighters, with the RCS of a clean F-18, very credible super cruise, really good maneuverability, some effective weapons (the SU-57 and, interestingly, the MiG-31 have had some long range shots against Ukrainian planes), a powerful radar, and such.

Basically, take a Su-35 (also a good legacy plane), make it somewhat stealthy-ish, give it better avionics and engines, and you get the SU-57 at the other end of the pipe. The SU-57 could be the best legacy fighter that would be a nightmare against other legacy jets …

… however, it is NOT proper stealth.

That race is between the US and China, and even there the US is well advanced. Sure, China has some interesting designs, and the USAF will still be fielding better fighters.

As long as America has the will, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for other countries to fly something qualitatively better.

The Europeans have some nice designs, but that’s what they are likely to remain as. Most European economies are in disarray.


3 posted on 09/10/2025 9:08:36 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

Dear FRiends, Our FReepathon is our next concern. We still need to raise approximately $33k before the end of the month to meet our goal! Thank you very much and God bless you.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4339548/posts

https://freerepublic.com/donate/


4 posted on 09/10/2025 9:08:46 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111
But, as I like to remind everyone, can America afford it?

What is the cost of losing a war? Not one we can just walk away from, like Afghanistan or Vietnam, but a real war with a World power like China?

5 posted on 09/10/2025 9:24:22 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

Maybe this will be when they unveil some of that secret alien technology they’ve been sitting on.


6 posted on 09/10/2025 9:30:56 AM PDT by ComputerGuy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111
Dunking on Elon by actually tracking Stealth fighters using cheap webcameras without AI.
7 posted on 09/10/2025 9:38:41 AM PDT by glorgau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: spetznaz

China is catching up to the United States in military aircraft

They have stolen a lot of American technology including the Crown Jewels of Lockheed Skunk Works design technology under the Obama administration.

Plus they have an amazing manufacturing base due to offshoring to China and a generation of engineers educated in America’s best universities

They are still in a steep learning curve but they are making some good stuff

I recently inspected some aerospace components made in China and the quality was outstanding and the price was so low I still cannot figure out how they can build for that price


8 posted on 09/10/2025 9:50:55 AM PDT by rdcbn1 (..when poets buy guns, tourist season is over................Walter R. Mead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

To hide itself visually, the stealth plane would have to be flying through clouds.

We can send a bunch of far cheaper drones and then a missile scheduled to arrive shortly afterward to hit a target the drones identify. If the drones don’t find a target, the missile can fly to a preprogrammed default target.

A pilot in a manned plane can see out the cockpit and what the plane’s radar and other sensors [IR, etc.] see. One or two drones can have radar. A few other drones could have IR and visual sensors. AI could pick out what is interesting.

Interesting radar and sensor scans could be relayed by el cheapo expendable parachute/glider transmitters and relay drones back to a command center, which could have an attack order relayed back.


9 posted on 09/10/2025 10:00:39 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

Radar drones don’t have to come near the target.

They can look for a clearing they could duck into and only then transmit. If they are targeted, they can use the forest or woods for protection.

Their effective range would be their airborne range plus the range of their radar.


10 posted on 09/10/2025 10:21:18 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whyilovetexas111

via DuckDuckGo:

https://payloadspace.com › underutilized-capacity-on-dedicated-customer-falcon-9-rides-payload-research

“Underutilized Capacity on Dedicated Customer Falcon 9 Rides: Payload ...
Jan 8, 2025
SpaceX has pushed up average payload mass for Falcon 9 Starlink-dedicated launches to roughly 16,850 kg, or 96% of max capacity of 17.5 tons to LEO in a reusable configuration, maximizing every meter and kilogram offered by the rocket.”

That’s about a Mother of All Bomb’s worth.

Musk will get his newest ‘baby’ to work.

As for the F-47, build a two-engine stealth airframe and use F-35 engines, avionics and cockpit design. Only the airframe need be a development item.


11 posted on 09/10/2025 10:22:48 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson