F-35 Should Worry: A U.S. Ally Is Building Their Own Laser-Armed 6th-Generation Fighter

South Korea is Readying a Sixth-Generation Fighter: South Korea does everything it can to improve its national security posture.

North Korea is a constant threat. South Korea trains its military to make it the most realistic ritual on earth.

The North also has nuclear weapons, which makes the high-stakes security endeavor even more risky.

That’s why it is not surprising that South Korea is beginning to play the sixth-generation fighter game. Its military needs air dominance on Day One of any conflict, and that means ultra-stealth flight and other advantages from such an advanced warbird.

The Engine Is Getting an Early Green Light

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace is wasting no time. On April 29, the company released a hype video with an animation concept for a new stealth jet. This jet is the sixth-generation fighter that South Korea desperately needs. Hanwha Aerospace believes it already has an advantage. The next-generation fighter will use the same F414-GE-400K engine as the KF-21 Boramae Block 3 fighter. Using an existing engine boosts the program before it even starts its research and development phase.

Manned-Unmanned Teaming and Advanced Radar Is Likely Onboard

The engine will be for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. If the new sixth-generation fighter will control a “Loyal Wingman” flight of drones, the South Koreans will already have an engine to power those valuable unmanned craft. The new fighter will also have the active electronically scanned array (AESA) like the KF-21. This system means that Hanwha is already trying to incorporate efficiencies and economies of scale into the production of the sixth-generation fighter.

Design of the Airplane Is Ultra-stealthy

The airplane’s concept is intriguing. It will feature a “delta-wing configuration with no vertical stabilizers,” indicating a design focused on reducing radar cross-section. According to ArmyRecognition.com, the fuselage is integrated with the wing structure, which is a characteristic of airframes developed to minimize radar observability.

That means a high degree of stealth that could allow the fighter to sneak through North Korea’s air defenses or help in a U.S. war with China. The airplane will have a supercruise for extended missions. No weapon hardpoints are visible as munitions fit internally, a significant part of high-level stealth characteristics. There is a cockpit revealed in the animated concept art, which shows that it will be manned or have an unmanned option. If the aircraft is crewed, there will probably only be one pilot, as artificial intelligence can be the basis of a “digital cockpit” co-pilot.

Lasers and Hypersonic Missiles On Board Potentially

South Korean engineers and designers have been looking to improve the features of the 4.5-generation KF-21 for years. These efforts will make the sixth-generation fighter much more advanced. The new airplane will likely have a laser system and could carry hypersonic weapons someday. The AI discussed previously will allow the pilot to fly the airplane while radar and munitions duties can fall back on the virtual co-pilot. There will be more survivability in this configuration, too.

The directed energy plan for fighters is not some sort of science fiction fantasy. The South Koreans already tested an airborne laser in 2020. The test showed that directed energy could burn through a small steel target several miles away. The onboard laser could shoot down ballistic missiles and drones that the North Koreans would launch toward Seoul. They could eliminate these bogeys in their initial flight phase. Furthermore, in 2021, a defense contractor evaluated the manned-unmanned teaming or “drone quarterbacking” concept.

Incorporating Better AI Systems in the Coming Years

Artificial intelligence by 2035, when the South Koreans will be able to field the sixth-generation fighter, is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. The benefit of AI is that it increases the survivability of the airplane and outclass any fighter the North Koreans can produce. Enemy air defenses will be rendered ineffective, and South Korean pilots will have a field day conducting strike missions that can destroy North Korean nuclear infrastructure if needed – especially if the new fighter can launch hypersonic weapons.

Navigation conducted by AI systems could make GPS unnecessary. The warbird could navigate autonomously, making tracking the bird with advanced stealth coatings difficult for Kim Jong Un’s forces. By then, North Korea’s radar and ground sensors will be outdated, and the sixth-generation fighter will have success penetrating the shield around Pyongyang. The new fighter could also use quantum computing to control a swarm of explosive drones, allowing the warbird to stay out of harm’s way but still have the firepower necessary to dominate aerial combat.

The new jet’s top speed could be as high as MACH 3, allowing the pilot to reach targets in North Korea in minutes. Improvements to the engines by 2035 will enable high thrust and rate of climb, plus super maneuverability for dog fighting.

South Korea’s candidate looks good for this concept so far. The engine is already designed. Lasers have previously been tested. Manned-unmanned flight is a feature that South Koreans will work on diligently, and artificial intelligence will continue to make breakthroughs. This is an exciting time to be an aerospace engineer who gets to work on this new airplane. The Republic of Korea Air Force is ready to make these leaps into the future, and sixth-generation fighters are sure to put fear in the heart of Kim Jong Un since the North Koreans will not be able to stop the progress of the new warbird.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.