Given the progress the leading nations of the world have made toward global dominance, the future of militarization is shaping up to be quite fascinating.
Imagine if a time traveler from 2050 makes their way to the current world. What do you expect them to say? Apart from being shocked at our ‘archaic’ level of technology, what tales do you think we would hear about 2050 technology?
Probably much would not have changed with the way we do things, but one field of endeavor we are sure would have seen a massive transformation is the transportation industry.
With our short-term trips currently threatened by the environment-friendly electric cars, will we see the trend move into our trains, ships, and airplanes too? Would supersonic and hypersonic speeds be the norm? What environmental issues will we be facing due to changes in technological tastes? These and many more are questions we would need our time traveler to answer.
See me as your time traveler and, let’s look at what our military aircraft would look like in 2050.
History Of Military Aircraft
Wars used to be fought and won on land and water until the late 1700s. The battle of Fleurus saw France use lighter-than-air balloons to track Austrian troops. The strategy was so successful that lighter-than-air balloons became prominent in the American civil war.
However, it was not until the Second World War when heavy aircraft became the norm. Though they were plagued with flaws and glitches, it was evident the country that would command the most respect wouldn’t be the country that discards them, but rather, it would be the nation that is first to improve upon them dramatically.
The Wright Model A was the first aircraft purchased by the U.S. army in 1909, and from there, things picked up. In the Italo-Turkish war, the Italians used aircraft extensively in their bid for dominance. Reconnaissance and dropping bombs were some of the roles aircraft played in this war, and since the Turks didn’t have anti-aircraft machines, they suffered dearly for their lesser technological advancement.
The First World War saw shift in the way aircraft were being deployed as they fit into spotting artilleries, bombings, ground attacks, and anti-submarine patrols. It was evident after the war that aircraft were here to stay.
Different countries moved fast into the research and development of different areas of aircraft. Tweaks were made on aerodynamics, structure, weaponry, and speed.
After many years of development, one thing remains sure for the future of aircraft, and it’s none other than artificial intelligence.
With billions spent each year on defense and security, let’s look at what’s possible with regards to future military aircraft, taking cues from our present-day technology.
The Future Of Military Aircraft
Here are some future concept aircraft that may lead the way in shaping military planes by the year 2050.
Future Combat Air System
The Future Combat Air System is a joint program between some of Europe’s superpowers; Germany, France, and Spain. It features a manned-unmanned system primarily for assault and reconnaissance.
With the use of artificial intelligence, the airforce can control the Future Combat Air System to carry out military assaults while they stay far from a safe distance. Some things we like about the aircraft are higher speed, more range, and increased firepower using novel effectors. Dassault Aviation and Airbus are the major contractors on this project.
The Tempest
The Tempest is another militarized aircraft proposed by another set of European countries; Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It looks like the aircraft used in sci-fi movies and features a rare architecture. Believed to be functional from 2035, the aircraft is posed to operate for 60 years.
Some of the technology it may employ include augmented reality, swarming technologies for drone control, optional manning, hypersonic weapons, and a radio frequency system capable of delivering over 10,000 times the amount of information our current aircraft can deliver. The development team includes BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, MBDA, and Leonardo.
MiG interceptor
The MiG is in a class of Russia’s sixth-generation aircraft. It is mainly an interceptor aircraft, and it will be made to target hypersonic weapons. It will have advanced detection systems, long-range weapons, and can remain stealthy. We expect to see the MiG starting from 2030.
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)
The Next Generation Air Dominance is a United States-sponsored project aimed at fielding a system of aircraft. These aircraft will be controlled by a fighter aircraft and the remaining will be unmanned.
Much is not known about the nature of the aircraft, but there are hints it would come in two variants; one for long-range assaults and the other for short-range assaults. We may see the Next Generation Air Dominance replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 aircraft starting from the early 2030s.
Final Thoughts
With the world’s top countries making strides in their pursuit of world dominance, we are in for a very interesting militarized future. Unsurprisingly, most of the military aircraft we are bound to see would be more developed and complex than what we know of so far. What we can be sure of is that more money will be pumped into defense, and more sophisticated weapons will be developed.