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Inside America’s 6th-gen arsenal: B-21, F-47, and the future of air dominance
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The race to develop 6th-generation aircraft is no longer a future vision – it’s now a defining force behind U.S. defense strategy.
With cutting-edge platforms like the B-21 Raider, the F-47 and the Navy’s F/A-XX on the horizon, the Pentagon is reshaping how the U.S. projects airpower for the next 50 years.
These aircraft promise unprecedented advances in speed, stealth and autonomy – but they’re also colliding with budget pressures, industrial capacity limits, and an increasingly uncertain global threat environment.
B-21 Raider: A stealth legacy continues
Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider is poised to become the backbone of U.S. long-range strike capability. With its next-gen stealth design, reduced maintenance burden and affordability compared to its B-2 predecessor, the B-21 is seen as critical to deterring strategic threats like China and Iran.
The urgency became clear last week when seven B-2 bombers flew an 18-hour mission to Iran, dropping bunker-busting bombs on nuclear targets. While effective, the B-2’s high cost and aging systems underscore the need for its replacement. At $692 million per aircraft — compared to $2 billion for a B-2 — the B-21 offers strategic reach at a more sustainable price.
The high-tech stealth bomber can carry nuclear and conventional weapons and is designed to be optionally manned, meaning it could fly without a crew on board.
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Flight tests are already underway at Edwards Air Force Base, with three B-21s in the air and the first units expected to achieve operational capability by 2027. The Air Force has committed to at least 100 Raiders, with internal discussions floating a potential scale-up to 200.
«What we need to consider is doubling the production capacity as rapidly as possible to bring up that inventory,» Gen. David Deptula, Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies, told Fox News Digital.
The new B-21 Raider is unveiled during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. (Frederic J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images )
F-47 and the NGAD revival
Once stalled, the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program roared back to life this spring under a new name and a new contract. Now designated the F-47, the program – awarded to Boeing – is designed to be the most advanced manned fighter in U.S. history. Its capabilities will include stealth, extended range, speeds exceeding Mach 2 and integration with a new class of AI-enabled drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The F-47 will serve as the «quarterback» for a team of 1,000 CCAs, controlling them in battle and coordinating sensor and targeting data in real time.
«It’s critically important that President Trump proceeded with the manned platform for the Air Force,» said former Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif. «This academic debate about unmanned-only platforms is aspirational – but the networks just aren’t there yet.»
The aircraft has an ambitious timeline for initial operational capacity – within the 2025-2029 range, according to a graphic posted by Air Force chief of staff David Allvin on X.
The Pentagon is going all-in on the F-47 in the 2026 budget: requesting $3.5 billion while decreasing its request for F-35s from 74 to 47. Garcia, a former Navy pilot, emphasized that human pilots are still essential for managing the complexity of 21st-century warfare.
However, others within the Pentagon argue that manned fighters may become obsolete before the F-47 is even fully fielded.
«AI technologies are evolving far more rapidly than anyone predicted,» a former senior defense official said. «If they continue to evolve in five years… you’re on exactly the wrong path.»
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Deptula decried «arbitrary» budgets that were set by Congress rather than defense officials’ determination of what they need for readiness and argued the more-expensive F-47 might be able to do far more work than less elite aircraft.
«Individually, F-47 might be costlier than a previous fighter aircraft, but if it can achieve 15, 20, 30, 40 times what it would take to accomplish the particular outcome using non-stealthy or other less expensive aircraft, which one provides the most value? So that’s where the decision calculus needs to go.»
President Donald Trump revealed a rendering of the F-47 during a White House ceremony in March. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
F/A-XX: Naval airpower, deliberately delayed
Unlike the Air Force, the Navy is moving slowly with its own 6th-gen project — the F/A-XX. Garcia sees this as intentional, noting that naval airframes must withstand far greater environmental challenges than their Air Force counterparts.
Officials are still unsure whether the Navy’s next-gen fighter jet, F/A-XX, will move forward at all, according to the FY 2026 budget proposal.
«Waiting for a decision from the secretary of the Navy, secretary of defense, and the president,» a defense official told reporters. «That’s an active conversation, whether to continue with the program or not.»
The program will proceed right now with «minimal funding» for design in the budget, the official said.
«Designing a naval variant of an Air Force aircraft on the same timeline? It’s impossible to do it correctly.»
Instead, the Navy is expected to borrow technology – like engines and sensors – from NGAD while building a unique carrier-capable fighter suited for saltwater, catapults and fight deck operations.
However, Garcia warned that the Navy has a deeper, under-reported problem: a shortfall in carrier-based strike fighters.
The Pentagon is going all-in on the F-47 in the 2026 budget: requesting $3.5 billion while decreasing its request for F-35s from 74 to 47. ( REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo)
«A gold-plated 6th-gen aircraft in low quantities isn’t the answer. Slightly less capability in higher numbers is what the Navy needs.»
However, Deptula said there’s a question of whether aircraft carriers will even continue to be viable in the future.
«The question that a lot of people in the Department of Defense are asking now is what’s the viability of an aircraft carrier in a future world proliferated by hypersonic, very precise missiles with 1,500-mile-plus ranges.»
Carriers «project power» in low-threat environments, Deptula said, but «most people recognize you’re not going to put aircraft carriers close enough to use the aircraft.»
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«The Navy wants to lean in and get trillions more for sixth generation. The people that want to watch our $2 trillion deficit ought to keep that in mind here,» another former defense official said.
INTERNACIONAL
Astronautas de la Crew-10 de SpaceX completaron su misión y regresaron a la Tierra tras cinco meses en la Estación Espacial Internacional
Cuatro astronautas regresaron este sábado a la Tierra tras casi cinco meses en la Estación Espacial Internacional (EEI), según informó el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA. La tripulación, conformada por Anne McClain y Nichole Ayers de la NASA, Takuya Onishi de la Agencia de Exploración Aeroespacial de Japón (JAXA) y Kirill Peskov de Roscosmos, amerizó a las 8:33 horas del Pacífico estadounidense (15:33 GMT) frente a la costa de California, después de desacoplarse de la estación el viernes.
La cápsula Dragon, desarrollada por SpaceX, descendió en el océano Pacífico guiada por paracaídas, completando así la expedición tras 148 días en el laboratorio orbital. El amerizaje marcó la primera vez en casi 50 años que astronautas de NASA retornaron al Pacífico, la última ocasión había sido durante la histórica misión Apollo-Soyuz en 1975, cuando astronautas estadounidenses y soviéticos se encontraron en órbita.
Además, es la primera vez que una misión del programa de vuelos tripulados comerciales aterriza frente a las costas de California, desde que SpaceX decidió cambiar el punto de retorno de Florida a la costa oeste del país para reducir el riesgo de caída de escombros sobre áreas pobladas.
Durante su estancia en la EEI, la tripulación de la Crew-10 realizó una serie de investigaciones científicas destinadas a facilitar futuras misiones fuera de la órbita baja terrestre, según informó la NASA. Parte de esos experimentos estuvo compuesto por estudios biomédicos y tecnológicos, así como investigaciones sensibles al tiempo, tantas de ellas transportadas de regreso a la Tierra para su análisis inmediato.
La misión Crew-10 tiene una relevancia especial debido a su papel en la rotación de tripulaciones en la EEI. Según la fuente, los astronautas llegaron a la estación espacial el pasado 16 de marzo tras despegar desde el Centro Espacial Kennedy en Florida, con el objetivo de reemplazar a los tripulantes asignados previamente al fallido vuelo de demostración de la cápsula Starliner de Boeing. El prolongado fallo en el sistema del nuevo vehículo mantuvo a los astronautas Butch Wilmore y Suni Williams en la estación espacial más de nueve meses, muy por encima de la semana originalmente planeada, lo que llevó a NASA a ordenar el regreso del Starliner vacío y cambiar a la pareja a un vuelo de SpaceX.
Durante su retorno, McClain hizo referencia a “tiempos tumultuosos en la Tierra”, subrayando el valor de la cooperación internacional en la exploración espacial y la capacidad de la humanidad de trabajar unida ante desafíos globales. La comandante señaló que, tras el regreso, esperaba descansar unos días en Houston, mientras que el resto de la tripulación expresó entusiasmo por disfrutar de comodidades como duchas calientes y hamburguesas frescas, tras varios meses en el ambiente cerrado de la EEI.
Este décimo viaje operativo de SpaceX a la EEI destaca por el uso continuado de la cápsula Dragon como medio seguro de traslado entre la órbita y la superficie terrestre. La elección del Pacífico como zona de amerizaje responde a criterios de seguridad, asegurando tanto la integridad de la tripulación como la protección de las muestras científicas, muchas de ellas sumamente sensibles al tiempo y requeridas para experimentos en la Tierra apenas horas después del aterrizaje.
A esta tripulación la ha reemplazado ya la misión Crew-11, que permanecerá durante los próximos meses a bordo del laboratorio orbital, continuando con el programa de investigación de la NASA y sus socios internacionales.
(Con información de AP y EFE)
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Volodimir Zelenski rechaza ceder territorio ucraniano y exige que Kiev participe en las negociaciones para el fin de la guerra
La cumbre entre Putin y Trump
Fuego y humo tras un ataque de Rusia en la región de Donetsk, en Ucrania, este sábado. Foto. REUTERS Reacciones en Ucrania
Ultimátum y sanciones
Un vehículo militar de Ucrania patrulla una zona de combate, cerca de la localidad de Chasiv Yar, en la región de Donetsk. Foto: REUTERS Más ataques con drones
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Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to stop Texas lawmakers’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, but critics, including one prominent member of their own party, say they don’t exactly hold the moral high ground.
Democrat legislators have fled the state to avoid votes on redistricting, which is expected to add more Republican seats to Congress for the Lone Star State. They’re getting the rock-star treatment as they visit blue states, where several governors have vowed to gerrymander Republicans out of their own Congressional delegations in retaliation for the Texas effort.
CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO ‘NULLIFY’ TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATS
Texas state lawmakers board a bus following a press conference at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters on August 03, 2025 in Carol Stream, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
However, Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told «Fox News Live» on Saturday that his party is not immune from criticism, as many blue states have already gerrymandered in a way that limits Republican congressional representation.
«No, I think they don’t have the moral authority, and there’s a lot of pearl-clutching going on,» he said.
Several blue states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Mexico, have no Republicans in their House delegations. And many feature oddly-drawn districts, seemingly crafted to limit GOP representation.
«The Democrats don’t have clean hands here. You look at states like Massachusetts, New Jersey[…] Illinois, California, and Democrats have effectively gerrymandered Republicans out of existence,» Epstein added.
NETWORKS POUNCE ON REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING. THEY DIDN’T CARE WHEN DEMOCRATS DID IT
J.B. Pritzker, governor of Illinois, left, and State Representative Gene Wu, a Democrat from Texas, during a news conference at the Democratic Party of DuPage County office in Carol Stream, Illinois, US, on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025.
Epstein cautioned that the nationwide redistricting battle could create a «race to the bottom,» and that leaving Republicans and Democrats in states led by the opposite parties could lead to people feeling left out of the democratic process. Epstein cited New Jersey, in which Trump garnered 46% of the vote in 2024, but Republicans only have three out of the 12 congressional seats.
Meanwhile, Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, told Fox News Digital on Saturday that Democrats are guilty of «total hypocrisy and faux outrage.»
«The dirty little secret is Democrats have no problem whatsoever with states redrawing their congressional maps to maximize partisan political advantage. They’re just furious that Republican states are starting to redraw their maps,» Harrison said.
TEXAS DEMOCRATS FLEE STATE TO BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING VOTE IN DRAMATIC LEGISLATIVE MOVE
California Gov. Gavin Newsom attends a press conference, July 2, 2025 in Burbank, California. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
«It’s because Democrat state after Democrat state, for a decade, has been gerrymandering the hell out of their congressional maps,» he said.
«Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, all of these states have zero. If you’re a Republican in those Democrat states, you don’t have any voice in Congress,» he added. «And [there are] many, many more that have given you just one seat, Oregon, I think Maine and Maryland.»
In California, a special election is likely to occur in November to counteract the Texas redistricting plan.
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«We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,» California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Friday with some Texas state lawmakers.
«We’ll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking,» Newsom added. «We’re doing it on a temporary basis. We’re doing it in a fully transparent way and we’re doing it by asking the people of the state of California for their consent and support.»
Harrison explained that Texas’s redistricting push has numerous reasons behind it, including the population growth in the Lone Star state since the last census.
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