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The head of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs (ADP) \u2013 commonly known as Skunk Works \u2013 has hinted at the direction scientists and engineers are focusing their efforts for the next generation of military aircraft.<\/p>\nEl jefe de los Programas de Desarrollo Avanzado (ADP) de Lockheed Martin, conocido com\u00fanmente como Skunk Works, ha insinuado la direcci\u00f3n en que los cient\u00edficos e ingenieros est\u00e1n enfocando sus esfuerzos para la pr\u00f3xima generaci\u00f3n de aviones militares.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The head of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs (ADP) \u2013 commonly known as Skunk Works \u2013 has hinted at the direction scientists and engineers are focusing their efforts for the next generation of military aircraft.<\/p>\n
The division, which is famed for its work in developing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the US Air Force\u2019s SR-71 Blackbird, has already begun work on the revolutionary\u00a0fighter jet<\/a>\u00a0intended to be used by the US and its allies in 15-20 years.<\/p>\n Rob Weiss, ADP\u2019s executive vice president and general manager, told financial research company\u00a0Investor\u2019s Business Daily<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that early development of the stealth capability for the sixth-generation fighter is centred in \u201cone technology we think will make a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n SEE ALSO:<\/strong>\u00a0Fighter aircraft developments for USAF Air Combat Command<\/a><\/p>\n While declining to elaborate further, Weiss did reveal that Skunk Works is taking \u201ca broader approach to the aircraft that includes electronic warfare and improved situational awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n Artificial Intelligence<\/a>\u00a0will have a role to play in this futuristic jet \u2013 as it does now in the\u00a0F-35<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 but the \u201clevel of autonomy in the new fighter is yet to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n This statement suggests that a decision on whether the fighter is to be manned or unmanned has yet to be reached, a possibility that will alarm many who believe the concept of a manned fighter is already on the cusp of obsolescence.<\/p>\n However, there is also the possibility that the aircraft could be optionally manned or remotely-piloted \u2013 requiring an engineering precedent to be set in both cases.<\/p>\n Weiss also stated that hypersonic technology \u2013 that which achieves speeds of above Mach 5 \u2013 may be integrated into the fighter\u2019s weapons but that \u201cthe aircraft itself would not be hypersonic\u201d.<\/p>\n Skunk Works is instead working on a separate aircraft for hypersonic speed. The SR-72 \u2013 the proposed successor to the SR-71 \u2013 was officially announced as being in development in 2013.<\/p>\nHypersonics<\/h3>\n
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