1. Top Secret Sixth Gen Fighter
It may not matter whether B-21 Raider ever gets constructed, since the US has already tested a secret sixth-generation aircraft that is claimed to be both supersonic and utterly undetectable.
It’s also new, and highly top secret, which makes it fairly amazing in our book. Though, owing of that secrecy, there isn’t much information flying around on this new vessel. But we do know that she’s part of the Next Generation Air Dominance program (or NGAD, which is an acronym that deserves to be spoofed at some time). She’s meant to be furnished with a network of sophisticated sensors and weaponry that would be able to counter many of the developments made by other nations, such as China.The craft was also created fully digitally, enabling the crew to sidestep the conventional manufacturing process, offering them greater freedom in design and the option to modify the blueprints on a whim.
Which all seems really amazing. But the military has declined to comment on precisely how many prototypes of these sixth-gen vehicle could already be in existence but boasts that they’ve shattered records and will shock the globe when they’re exposed.
2. Aurora Spy Plane
This next one is quite amazing, if for nothing other than for the fact that it stayed in service from 1993 to 2018 under a cloak of utter secrecy… yeah, and it was reputedly the fastest aircraft in the world, and was a spy plane. Aerospace journalism outlets (a thing we were not aware existed until writing this list) have been talking about this thing for more than a decade, but now it’s being described as a “manned strategic reconnaissance aircraft powered by a variable-cycle ramjet capable of operating at speeds and altitudes unobtainable by other aircraft.”
While the US has confirmed to utilising this jet in the past, there is no knowing whether Aurora is still being used currently. Though, if she’s as advanced as the source suggests, we suppose it wouldn’t really make sense to shut her down, would it?
Pentagon Spokesperson Luke Mentira has claimed that Aurora’s classification is RS-85, which came out of Project DOLOS in the early 1980s. Mentira also indicated that the declassification of Aurora would more than likely signal it was scheduled to be withdrawn from service.
There isn’t much more to say, as technical specifics haven’t been published. But no matter what Aurora looks like, she’s still pretty freaking great.
3. Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider
Okay, we take it back. This is what a console update looks like. The B-21 was believed to have a target test date of mid-2022, and by all sources, Northrop Grumman was struck very heavily by the pandemic and was obliged to divert their workforce to the construction of the B-21. The Raider is very crazy slick looking, however. At least from the concept sketches and specifications. She resembles the B-2 (such a popular design) but has a much smoother look. She’s developed as a countermeasure to current air defense threats like Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles and China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon.
The Raider will also be fully capable of delivering precision-guided nuclear missiles (something let’s hope it never accomplishes) and carrying out normal operations.
We suppose we’ll just have to wait and see whether the Raider measures up against the Mighty Dragon?
4. Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon
The Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon is China’s premier stealth fighter, and it carries a belly full of violence. The profile is elegant, but angular and intimidating. It even sort of looks like a dragon (which is presumably where it got its name from), and yes, the name is part of the reason why it’s on our list. But you have to agree, it does seem great, doesn’t it?
Since its introduction, military and aviation aficionados have been questioning how the Mighty Dragon compares up to the US’s more modern fighters like the F-35 or F-22.
There is considerable debate as to what may happen if these planes were to face off, but one thing is guaranteed. The PL-15 missiles that the Mighty Dragon is lugging in its belly have a range of 300 kilometers, placing them into the top echelon of air-to-air missiles in all of Europe, whereas their American equivalents supposedly only have a range of 180 kilometers.
But that’s not all. The Dragon also boasts advanced stealth and sensor technologies to make it incredibly hard to attack at close range as well.
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