US vs China vs Europe: the race to build the fighter jet of the future

This episode goes straight to the jugular of modern air power and asks a brutally simple question: has the last great manned fighter already been born?

Roland is joined by Tom Withington of Royal United Services Institute and Sophy Antrobus from King’s College London, two people who actually know what they’re talking about when it comes to fighter jets. They unpack the mystery and the hype surrounding the sixth generation fighters. These are not just faster jets with shinier wings. They are flying data centres, designed to hoover up information, evade the most lethal air defences on the planet, and command swarms of drones doing the truly dangerous work.

We cut through the fog of acronyms to explain what sixth generation really means, how it differs from the F-35, and why programmes in the US, Britain, Europe and Asia are racing ahead despite eye watering costs. This is air dominance, power politics and future war rolled into one. 

Picture credit: United States Air Force

Producer: Peter Shevlin

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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