![]() Advanced on-board diagnostics help vital monitoring of the aircraft’s health, accurately reporting faults as they occur, increasing overall system performance and reliability. This is a present-day example of ‘man-machine teaming’. These aircraft also feature integrated avionics, which autonomously fuse and prioritize the aircraft’s multi-spectral sensors and off board data, providing an accurate real-time operations picture for the pilot, and the ability to download data for post-mission analysis. These include, primarily, multi-spectral low observable (LO) design features (such as radar, infrared sensors, and visual situational awareness tools), along with self-protection and radar jamming capabilities that delay or deny enemy systems the ability to detect, track, and engage the aircraft. There are many characteristics of fifth generation aircraft that separate them from older aircraft. Currently fielded fifth generation aircraft include the Air Force’s F-22A Raptor and the US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II, with the USAF F-35A targeted to achieve initial operational capability later this year. A fifth generation aircraft is capable of operating effectively in highly contested combat environments, defined by the presence of the most capable current air and ground threats, and those reasonably expected to be operational in the foreseeable future. Fifth Generation Aircraft, Definedįor the purposes of this paper, we must define what a ‘fifth generation’ aircraft means in the context of modern military operations. ![]() This is an abridged version of an article published in the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Journal Ed.
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