Saudi Arabia Wants To Buy Into The UK-Italy-Japan 6th-Gen Fighter Jet Project

An illustration of the future Tempest sixth-generation fighter jet, released in December 2020. British Royal Air Force  

Business Insider: Saudi Arabia wants to buy its way into a major 6th-gen fighter jet project, but not all its potential partners are welcoming 

* The UK, Italy, and Japan are working together to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet. 

* Saudi Arabia reportedly wants to join the effort, but Japan is said to be wary of letting Riyadh in. 

* The UK-Italy-Japan program is one of several launched in recent years to build next-gen jets. 

Saudi Arabia wants to joint the UK, Japan, and Italy as a partner in the Global Combat Air Program, which aims to build the six-generation Tempest stealth fighter jet and other advanced technologies by 2035. 

While funding from the Arab kingdom could ease the financial burden on the consortium, other considerations have made Tokyo reluctant to assent to Riyadh's admission. 

As first reported by The Financial Times, the Saudis hope to win admission into the GCAP in return for "a potentially significant financial contribution."  

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WNU Editor: Money talks, and the Saudis have a lot of it.

U.S. Air Force Opens Bidding To Develop And Build Its 1st New Fighter Jet In Decades

A screen capture from a Northrop Grumman promotional video showing a rendering of an advanced combat jet concept, at left, among other aircraft. Northrop Grumman capture  

Defense One: USAF Opens Bidding to Build Its 1st New Fighter in Decades 

An engineering and manufacturing development contract is to be awarded in 2024 for the secretive Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft. 

The U.S. Air Force has formally launched a competition to build its new fighter jet, the Pentagon’s first in two decades, with the winner to be selected next year.

The acquisition strategy for the Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, aircraft “incorporates lessons learned from recent Air Force acquisition programs and will leverage open architecture standards,” the Air Force said in a statement released Thursday. “This approach will enable the government to maximize competition throughout the life cycle, provide a larger, more responsive industry base, and drastically reduce maintenance and sustainment costs.”  

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WNU Editor: China is the excuse on why the US Air Force says it needs a new fighter jet .... US-China air supremacy race hits a higher gear (Asia Times). 

U.S. Air Force Opens Bidding To Develop And Build Its 1st New Fighter Jet In Decades  

U.S. Air Force to Award Sixth-Generation Fighter Contract in 2024 -- Reuters 

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Competition Has Begun -- Warzone/The Drive  

US Air Force plans to award Next Generation Air Dominance deal in 2024 -- Defense News  

Air Force Starts Multibillion-Dollar Contest for New Fighter Jet -- Bloomberg  

Air Force seeking designer for next-gen fighter to replace F-22 Raptor -- Insider 

US Air Force Begins Sixth-Gen Fighter Aircraft Competition -- Defense Post 

‘Wrapping Up’ F-22 Raptors, US Air Force Eyes Missions 2024 To Award Contract For Sixth-Gen NGAD Fighters -- EurAsian Times  

USAF Sends "Classified Solicitation" For Sixth-Gen Fighters To Military-Industrial Complex -- Zero Hedge

China’s Mysterious ‘6th-Generation Stealth Fighter’ Spotted On Simulator Screen At AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)

File Image: China’s Tailless Fighter  

EurAsian Times: Rival Or Copy Of NGAD? China’s Mysterious ‘Stealth Fighter’ Spotted On Screen That Looks Quite Similar To US 6th-Gen Design 

Once again, a very interesting image that points towards China developing a fixed-wing, sixth-generation fighter jet has gone viral on social media. 

Earlier this week, a mysterious stealth fighter was spotted on the computer screen at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). 

The photo was taken by an anonymous user and initially posted to the Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo with little to no additional details. 

From the look, the fighter-sized aircraft concept appears to be a tailless, twin-engine, flying wing design similar to the sixth-generation fighter concepts like the American NGAD or the British Tempest sixth-generation fighter jet. 

Even though the photo’s veracity could not be independently established, it is in line with the assumption and the evidence that suggests China is indeed focusing on a tailless configuration for its sixth-generation fighter jet.  

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Update: China’s 6th generation fighter concept appears in AVIC simulator (Air Data News)  

WNU Editor: China did unveil their 6th generation fighter jet concept 2 months ago .... China Unveils Rival Sixth-Gen Fighter Concept (Defense Post), and US officials have been issuing warnings that China is developing such a fighter since the summer .... China ‘on track’ for 6th-gen fighter, US Air Force needs to get there first: ACC chief (Breaking Defense). More here .... China racing for 6th-gen fighter edge over US (Asia Times).

Germany And France Try To Resolve Their Differences Over The Development Of A Joint Fighter Jet

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron and others attend the unveiling of the French-German-Spanish new generation fighter model during a visit to the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool/File Photo 

Reuters: Berlin and Paris in crisis talks to bring fighter jet project back on track 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and France have launched a new effort to resolve an impasse over the development of a joint fighter jet, Europe’s biggest defence project that has sparked tensions between Berlin and Paris, security and industry sources said on Wednesday. 

Costing more than 100 billion euros ($120.4 billion), the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) brings together Germany, France and Spain to forge an array of weapons amid deepening European defence cooperation.

Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra are involved in the scheme to start replacing France’s Rafale and German and Spanish Eurofighters from 2040. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the ambitious venture in 2017, when the EU was rattled by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and deeply divided over other issues such as the migrant crisis. 

But it has become mired in mistrust and differing visions between Berlin and Paris as well as corporate infighting over workshare, the sources told Reuters. None of the parties has provided comment. 

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WNU editor: You can never accomplish anything when there is .... mistrust and differing visions between Berlin and Paris as well as corporate infighting over workshare.

Is Lockheed Building The Air Force’s Secret Fighter?

Defense One: Is Lockheed Building the Air Force’s Secret Fighter? 

Executives drop some not-so-subtle clues. 

Is Lockheed Martin building a secret new fighter jet that U.S. Air Force officials revealed last month? 

Company executives dropped some not-so-subtle hints about the company’s growing backlog of classified military work, including one project that requires erecting a new building at its secretive Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. They also pointed to revenue growth within the company’s Aeronautics division, which includes the Advanced Development Programs shop that created the fabled U-2 and SR-71 spy planes and F-117 stealth attack jet. 

“We do anticipate seeing strong double-digit growth at our Skunk Works — our classified Advanced Development Programs,” Lockheed CFO Ken Possenriede said during the company’s quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts. “We continue to execute on...recent awards.” 

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WNU Editor: It looks like they are building the Air Force's next fighter.