The US Air Force quietly designs, builds and flies a prototype next-generation fighter jet within a year.
While nearly all details of the aircraft will not be revealed due to safety concerns, the Air Force says it is part of its efforts to develop air warfare systems - including drones, fighter jets, and space and cyber warfare.
"We have built and flown full-scale flight demonstrators in the real world, and we are breaking records for doing so," Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, told Defense News in an interview.
"We are ready to go and build the next generation of aircraft in an unprecedented way."
The Air Force developed a virtual version of the jet, before building a full-scale prototype and flying it.
The US Air Force quietly designs, builds and flies a prototype next-generation fighter jet within a year.
While nearly all details of the aircraft will not be revealed due to safety concerns, the Air Force says it is part of its efforts to develop air warfare systems - including drones, fighter jets, and space and cyber warfare.
"We have built and flown full-scale flight demonstrators in the real world, and we are breaking records for doing so," Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, told Defense News in an interview.
"We are ready to go and build the next generation of aircraft in an unprecedented way."
The Air Force developed a virtual version of the jet, before building a full-scale prototype and flying it.
The first F-35 fighter flew in 2006. As Popular Mechanics put it, this means the Air Force only takes one year to reach one point in a program that would take 10 years to reach the F-35.
Other aircraft, such as China's Chengdu J-20 fighter took a decade to develop; Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 "Felon" fighter aircraft is also still waiting to be announced since it was first sighted in 2010.
Additionally, as manufacturing techniques are used by the commercial sector, Defense News suggests it could open the door to other contractors such as SpaceX.
“I have to imagine there will be many engineers - perhaps well-known household names with billions of dollars to invest - who will decide to start the world's largest aircraft company to build the world's largest aircraft with the Air Force - exactly the inspirational thing they want to do as a hobby. or even the main show, "said Roper.
It's not clear which defense contractor designed the jet, but it is likely one of the larger aerospace giants such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman or Boeing.
This is because the United States industry has experienced a decline over the past 50 years. President Trump promised to increase spending on defense in 2017.
The Air Force will also not disclose where the aircraft flew, where it is located, how many prototypes it is or what its capabilities are.
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