The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

The Future of the Air Force May Not Include Stealth Fighters At All

The F-22 is a proud part of the fifth generation fighter jet class, and it’s no surprise that work on a sixth generation has been in the works for some time. But in April of 2016, the Air Force unveiled a different type of plan to work towards in the future, one that is distancing itself from the fighter jet all together. The idea is to maintain air superiority and to do so, the Air Force has to think out of the box and abandon some of the long-held ideas of how an air force is comprised.

The Air Superiority 2030 Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team put together what is being called the “systems of systems” approach and it’s going to take us into outer and cyberspace to defend our nation. In fiscal year 2017, the Air Force will set aside money to explore options such as hypersonic weapons, autonomy and directed energy to integrate into our “family of systems”. Noticeably absent from the list is any form of traditional fighter jet, and according to Air Superiority 2030 lead Col. Alex Grynkewich, it’s not likely to reappear.