The US and China are hurtling into a new era of airpower defined by pairing manned fighters with drones, with recent tests showing both sides racing to fuse drones with their most advanced fighters.
This month, The War Zone reported that General Atomics disclosed that an MQ-20 Avenger drone was directed by a pilot in an F-22 Raptor during a mock combat mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, marking a milestone in the US Air Force’s push toward crewed-uncrewed teaming.
The demonstration, announced at the Dubai Airshow, was internally funded and involved Lockheed Martin and L3Harris, which integrated advanced datalinks and software-defined radios into both aircraft to enable secure, end-to-end communications.
Using a tablet-based Pilot Vehicle Interface and the F-22’s GRACE open-architecture module, the pilot commanded the drone in real time, showcasing the F-22’s role as the service’s first airborne controller for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The US Air Force has identified CCAs as a critical force multiplier to counter adversaries’ growing air defense networks, with plans to acquire between 100 and 150 drones in the program’s first phase and expand further by the end of the decade. General Atomics and Anduril are developing competing designs, both of which have recently flown.
Officials say the F-22 will serve as the threshold platform, with integration into other fighters and eventually the sixth-generation F-47. The test underscores the urgency of advancing autonomy and manned-unmanned integration to preserve US airpower dominance.
While there is no agreed-upon definition of what makes a sixth-generation fighter, the type may include the capability to control drones, an optionally manned capability, improved stealth, and the ability to use new armaments such as hypersonic and directed-energy weapons.
Previously, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China had released its first footage of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), showing a GJ-11 stealth attack drone flying in formation with a J-20 fighter in a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) video.
Latest stories
The self-defeating tariffs killing Trump’s presidency
Will Trump emulate Thailand, Cambodia by punishing lèse-majesté?
Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has made a surprise bet on Google
The GJ-11—codenamed Xuanlong 08—appears linked to the single-seat J-20 and operating ahead of both it and the J-16D electronic-warfare jet, reflecting its role as a stealthy vanguard.
Analyst Song Zhongping said the J-20 and GJ-11 likely share a datalink enabling extended strike reach and coordinated operations with the J-16D’s electromagnetic suppression. While the GJ-11 has evolved since its 2019 debut, Song cautioned that true coordinated combat capability remains in training.
MUM-T capability opens multiple tactical options for manned fighters. These “loyal wingman” drones could extend the sensor ranges of manned fighters, performing reconnaissance roles or queuing weapons while the latter launches their missiles while remaining electronically silent and out of range from enemy air defenses.
Loyal wingman drones could also act as force multipliers, providing mass to overwhelm an adversary’s air defenses by depleting limited ammunition and missile stocks, opening the way for follow-on strikes.
In a potential US-China conflict over Taiwan, “controller” F-22s controlling loyal wingman drones such as the YFQ-44A and YFQ-42A could play a critical role in defeating China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) in a possible conflict over Taiwan.
The US may employ a three-layer strategy consisting of “inner,” “middle,” and “outside” forces. Inner forces are those that can operate within China’s A2/AD bubble, such as submarines, mobile missile systems, and possibly loyal wingman drones.
These forces are designed to be survivable, mobile, and attritable – with loyal wingmen possibly providing “affordable mass” to exhaust and penetrate enemy defenses, while identifying critical air targets such as fuel tankers and airborne electronic warfare and control (AEW&C) aircraft for F-22s and F-47s.
The US rotates F-22s at Kadena Air Force Base in Japan, though the exact number isn’t clear, and has based F-22s at Clark Air Base in the Philippines during exercises. Japan has 16 possible CCA launch sites and nine in the Philippines, with 36 being the sweet spot per site.
Middle forces such as F-22s and F-47s with ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles such as AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) would fly just outside China’s A2/AD bubble, launching targets as identified by loyal wingman drones.
F-22s and F-47s would also have the ability to support inside forces if necessary, providing manned fighter capability should intense electromagnetic warfare activity hinder the use of unmanned systems. Other middle force components may include surface action groups (SAGs) armed with standoff weapons such as Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Outside forces, such as carrier battlegroups and strategic bombers, could support middle forces while providing a backstop for US and allied forces. Carrier-based fighters would defend the middle force missile truck F-22s and SAGs.
In a conventional backstop role, strategic bombers such as the B-52, B-2 and B-21 flying from US Pacific bases such as Guam or alternative locations such as Tinian could provide penetrating strike capability against targets deep in mainland China. Alongside the sea-and-air-based legs of the US nuclear triad, these bombers could provide a nuclear backstop for US and allied forces.
However, former US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin mentioned that the F-47 won’t be flying until 2028, as reported by multiple media outlets. That may already be too late, as China may have already flown two prototypes of its J-36 fighter – supposedly its take on a sixth-generation fighter.
Sign up for one of our free newsletters
- The Daily Report Start your day right with Asia Times' top stories
- AT Weekly Report A weekly roundup of Asia Times' most-read stories
But despite the considerable hype surrounding the J-36, it isn’t clear if it is actually a sixth-generation fighter, as it hasn’t demonstrated the capabilities associated with the type, such as MUM-T or optionally manned capability. China’s opacity regarding its military technology makes ascertaining the J-36’s capabilities difficult.
Although it is plausible that the J-36 could be a next-generation fighter-bomber akin to the Su-32 Fullback in Russian service. The J-36’s large size and three-engine design may imply a large weapons load and high fuel capacity – features that would make it suited for long-range strikes against US and allied forces in the Pacific.
Still, both the F-22 and J-20 are already mature designs with possibly limited room for upgrades, such as cooling systems for new electronics that would enable MUM-T or optionally manned capability.
An all-new design, such as the F-47 or the J-36, may be necessary to overcome those design parameters with such features integrated from the start, rather than integrated later as incremental upgrades.
However, the US has long discontinued F-22 production, limiting the aircraft to 187 irreplaceable planes. In contrast, China may already have 300 J-20s, with that number possibly set to increase as it continues production of the type.
Despite that, the US is working to integrate MUM-T to its F-35s, although the type is designed to perform multiple roles, rather than being optimized for air superiority like the F-22.
The US-China race to field scalable MUM-T teams is accelerating, with both sides testing how far autonomy, networking and affordable mass can stretch aging fighter inventories. The side that integrates these systems fastest will shape the Pacific battlespace—and may hold the decisive edge in any fight over Taiwan.
Sign up here to comment on Asia Times stories
Sign in with Google Or Sign up Sign in to an existing account
Thank you for registering!
An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link.
