Chinese "Sixth Generation" for Servants or Fools?

(To Andrea Cucco)
09/01/25

In recent weeks, images and statements from China have been making the rounds around the world, showing an alleged prototype of a “sixth-generation fighter.”

According to Chinese sources, the aircraft would represent the pinnacle of military aeronautical engineering, integrating cutting-edge technologies such as advanced stealth, artificial intelligence, and even hypersonic capabilities. However, a critical analysis suggests that these claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

First of all, it is essential to clarify that the "sixth generation" is still an open definition even in Western countries, historical leaders in the development of aeronautical technologies..

In the United States, the program Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), aimed at realizing a sixth-generation aircraft, is still in the development phase (although preliminary studies on the seventh generation have been underway for some time). In Europe, initiatives such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and the Tempest I am in a conceptual or preliminary design stage.

The absence of a universally accepted standard therefore makes it difficult to evaluate what actually qualifies an aircraft as belonging to the sixth generation.

China, despite its technological progress, has already shown difficulties in reaching the standards of the fifth generation.

Its J-20 fighter (pictured below, left), often described as a advanced stealth aircraft, has significant limitations:

  • Radar analysis has shown that the J-20 does not match the stealth of the F-22 Raptor or the F-35, considered the references of the fifth generation;
  • China has historically struggled to develop advanced jet engines, often relying on technologies copied or imported from Russia (the country has only recently begun producing indigenous engines, but their reliability remains somewhat uncertain);
  • The J-20's data fusion capabilities are also inferior to advanced systems used by Western fighters.

Anyone who watches certain videos that are widely disseminated should ask themselves: If China has not yet mastered the fifth generation, is it realistic to think that it is ready for the sixth?

Sure, images of China's alleged sixth-generation fighter show futuristic elements, such as a finless design and a flying wing configuration. However, it is essential to distinguish between a "showcase" prototype and an operational aircraft. History teaches us that Chinese military programs are often accompanied by strong propaganda, aimed more at demonstrating technological supremacy to the layman than at reflecting real capabilities.

While Western aircraft they already have online technologies such as collaborative artificial intelligence and advanced electronic warfare, China still seems focused on the race to parity with the fifth generation. The ability to design an autonomous aircraft, with integrated sensors and a global operational network, requires technological infrastructure and know-how which Beijing has not yet demonstrated it possesses.

Claims of a "sixth-generation fighter" seem, at the moment, more a resource for propagandists or fools than reality.

The real showdown will be in the skies. And China, at least for now, is chasing.

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