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Description
It’s the year 2028: the YF-43 is climbing to it service ceiling of 25,000 m (82,000 ft) during a demonstration flight for the United States Air Force (USAF).

The YF-43 is the largest of all contestants for the manned long-range fighter competition that is part of the United States Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The aimed successor to the F-22A Raptor, it is considerably larger than its predecessor, with a length of 78 ft 2 in (23.82 m) and a wingspan of 63 ft (19 m).

Like its contestant from Lockheed, this large, wedge-shaped fighter is optimized for speed, long-range and all-aspect stealth, with large wings in a diamond shape (swept back at an angle of about 50°), extensive use of advanced composites coated with a fiber mat skin that absorbs radar waves, and various measures to reduce infrared signature, including specially shaped engine exhausts lined with heat-ablating tiles, and top-mounted air intakes that are positioned over the aircraft's wing, trailing to the left and right of the cockpit, to shield the intakes from radar from below, and further minimize its infrared signature. But unlike its competitor from Lockheed, the YF-43 lacks the ability to fold its vertical stabilisers for increased stealth and instead its designers choose for a fixed V-tail configuration, in order to save development time and money. Another benefit of the fixed V-tails is that the YF-43 doesn't need additional mechanisms to fold the vertical stabilizers, meaning less weight and more space to carry more fuel. Because the YF-43 is also the largest of all competitors, it offers the largest (weapons) payload capacity

Like the other contestants, the YF-43 is fitted with the GE X100 adaptive cycle engine, and its advanced avionics- and sensor suite includes the latest Northrop Grumman AN/APG-85v2 AESA radar. It would be composed of around 2,256 transmit/receive modules based on GaN (Gallium Nitride) materials and has a detection range greater than 120 mi (222 km).

The YF-43 carries all its payload in internal compartments: the YF-43 has two smaller lateral weapon bays on each side of the fuselage for up to three air-to-air missiles per bay (two AIM-260 JATM BVRAAMs and one short-range AIM-9XE Sidewinder NG AAM), and two central main internal weapon bays in tandem for air-to-ground, anti-ship and potentially anti-space munition, with 7 hardpoint (4 in the front main internal weapon bay and 3 in the aft main internal weapon bay) with a total capacity of max. 25,500 lb (11,567 kg). When stealth is less required, 8 under-wing hardpoints can be attached, doubling its capacity.

The cockpit design will be based around a large-area multi-function panoramic touch display, with other advanced elements such as 3D radar displays, haptics (a technology that stimulates the senses of touch and motion to provide the pilot with immediate feedback) and voice recognition, a superimposed virtual cockpit assistant and six functions in the virtual mission team, with only safety systems fitted. The intent is to place as much capability in an augmented reality helmet projected on a high-definition helmet visor. When the pilot looks out of the cockpit, he will see the real world while target information will be visible, and when he looks down he will have (virtual) displays. The traditional control sticks and throttles of today, will be replaced with a single HOTAS (Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick) stick, designed to allow the pilot to use finger control on the stick to interface with the system and a scratch pad or virtual tablet. The control of the weapons will be made through HOTAS command and voice commands, and the cockpit design will ensure an extensive visibility of escort jammer functions and electronic combat tasks. The new pilot helmet will have new functions, that include tracking the pilot’s physiological measures, such as pulse rate, eye tracking and brain processing.

Because the YF-43 uses as much existing technology and components as possible with an open-architecture design enabling quick and easy upgrades, its also the ‘cheapest’ of all NGAD manned long-range fighter contestants.

The USAF is expected to take a final decision for its NGAD manned long-range fighter before the end of next year.

Description
It’s the year 2028: the YF-43 is climbing to it service ceiling of 25,000 m (82,000 ft) during a demonstration flight for the United States Air Force (USAF).

The YF-43 is the largest of all contestants for the manned long-range fighter competition that is part of the United States Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The aimed successor to the F-22A Raptor, it is considerably larger than its predecessor, with a length of 78 ft 2 in (23.82 m) and a wingspan of 63 ft (19 m).

Like its contestant from Lockheed, this large, wedge-shaped fighter is optimized for speed, long-range and all-aspect stealth, with large wings in a diamond shape (swept back at an angle of about 50°), extensive use of advanced composites coated with a fiber mat skin that absorbs radar waves, and various measures to reduce infrared signature, including specially shaped engine exhausts lined with heat-ablating tiles, and top-mounted air intakes that are positioned over the aircraft's wing, trailing to the left and right of the cockpit, to shield the intakes from radar from below, and further minimize its infrared signature. But unlike its competitor from Lockheed, the YF-43 lacks the ability to fold its vertical stabilisers for increased stealth and instead its designers choose for a fixed V-tail configuration, in order to save development time and money. Another benefit of the fixed V-tails is that the YF-43 doesn't need additional mechanisms to fold the vertical stabilizers, meaning less weight and more space to carry more fuel. Because the YF-43 is also the largest of all competitors, it offers the largest (weapons) payload capacity

Like the other contestants, the YF-43 is fitted with the GE X100 adaptive cycle engine, and its advanced avionics- and sensor suite includes the latest Northrop Grumman AN/APG-85v2 AESA radar. It would be composed of around 2,256 transmit/receive modules based on GaN (Gallium Nitride) materials and has a detection range greater than 120 mi (222 km).

The YF-43 carries all its payload in internal compartments: the YF-43 has two smaller lateral weapon bays on each side of the fuselage for up to three air-to-air missiles per bay (two AIM-260 JATM BVRAAMs and one short-range AIM-9XE Sidewinder NG AAM), and two central main internal weapon bays in tandem for air-to-ground, anti-ship and potentially anti-space munition, with 7 hardpoint (4 in the front main internal weapon bay and 3 in the aft main internal weapon bay) with a total capacity of max. 25,500 lb (11,567 kg). When stealth is less required, 8 under-wing hardpoints can be attached, doubling its capacity.

The cockpit design will be based around a large-area multi-function panoramic touch display, with other advanced elements such as 3D radar displays, haptics (a technology that stimulates the senses of touch and motion to provide the pilot with immediate feedback) and voice recognition, a superimposed virtual cockpit assistant and six functions in the virtual mission team, with only safety systems fitted. The intent is to place as much capability in an augmented reality helmet projected on a high-definition helmet visor. When the pilot looks out of the cockpit, he will see the real world while target information will be visible, and when he looks down he will have (virtual) displays. The traditional control sticks and throttles of today, will be replaced with a single HOTAS (Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick) stick, designed to allow the pilot to use finger control on the stick to interface with the system and a scratch pad or virtual tablet. The control of the weapons will be made through HOTAS command and voice commands, and the cockpit design will ensure an extensive visibility of escort jammer functions and electronic combat tasks. The new pilot helmet will have new functions, that include tracking the pilot’s physiological measures, such as pulse rate, eye tracking and brain processing.

Because the YF-43 uses as much existing technology and components as possible with an open-architecture design enabling quick and easy upgrades, its also the ‘cheapest’ of all NGAD manned long-range fighter contestants.

The USAF is expected to take a final decision for its NGAD manned long-range fighter before the end of next year.