The United States and its NATO allies are already looking to the next generation of fighter planes to ensure air superiority, according to the Wall Street Journal. The article cites new fifth-generation Russian and Chinese fighters as the impetus to develop a new round of combat aircraft due in the 2030s.
When we say fifth-gen warplanes, we're talking about aircraft designed to be stealthy, incorporate the latest active electronic scanning array radars, and cruise at supersonic speeds without the use of an afterburner. China's forthcoming Chengdu J-20 and the Russian T-50 (also known as PAK-FA) are expected to be formidable aerial adversaries for the United States and NATO.
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