In these times, it could be said that we are witnessing an arms race between China and the United States to achieve the construction of the next sixth-generation fighter. It is even possible to confirm that Beijing might surpass Washington in developing these advanced aircraft. This view is shared by Andrew Hunter, the U.S. Air Force’s Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.
In a recent interview with Breaking Defense, Hunter stated that “there is no guarantee that the U.S. will cross the finish line first” in this bilateral challenge to develop sixth-generation fighters between the Asian and American giants. The official noted that while the Air Force’s “technical advantages” are significant, China could “beat them to the punch,” despite the United States closely monitoring “what the Chinese are doing.”
It is worth noting that in late December 2024, two Chinese aircraft were sighted. The first instance showed a possible sixth-generation stealth fighter-bomber from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), which flew over Chengdu Aircraft Corporation facilities. The second aircraft conducted tests on December 30 at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s facilities.
In this context, Hunter believes that China is advancing at an “incredibly fast pace” in these developments, although the released images did not catch the United States off guard. At the time, U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III declared that these advancements had not disrupted the United States’ plans regarding the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, aimed at developing a new sixth-generation fighter.
However, Hunter sees this as a critical moment to push the NGAD program forward, which was temporarily suspended last October due to various concerns over its high cost and potential project reforms under a new Trump administration. “Our system is producing good material, though not always as quickly as desired. So, they might beat us in that. I think we will have the best capability, but we certainly don’t have time to waste,” he emphasized.
For now, the United States is closely monitoring China’s advancements. If this is indeed a competition, Washington may be losing. It is not possible to confirm this yet, mainly because China keeps all its programs under tight secrecy. Nevertheless, as the U.S. debates viable alternatives for its NGAD platform, China seems to be taking the lead.
You may also like: The unveiling of new Chinese stealth fighters has not altered the U.S. Air Force’s plans regarding the future of the NGAD
