America's 6th generation fighter jets will probably be the real game changer over its predecessor, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), that in spite of repeated setbacks (often referred to as a "nightmare" with its unsavory "bug" list) stands as a strong portend for offensive and defensive platforms.

Just a handful of countries have 6th generation fighter jet concepts. Fighters jets, just a single generation from now, will be hypersonic attacks aircraft, nuclear capable, able to achieve Mach 6, have stealth technology, heightened autonomous characteristics, prepared for advanced "electronic/cyber warfare," and be coated in "smart skin." According to some conceptual designs, features like super cruise technology means afterburner would not be needed to achieve supersonic speeds.

The US in addition to it potential military adversaries like Russia and China poised to accelerate fighter jet evolution, combining application with ideas that appear to be right out of a Sci-Fi film. The US' Boeing F/A-XX (not to mention Lockheed Martin's spy/strike design known as the SR-72) diamond-shaped, tailless super stealth 6th generation fighter jet is the answer to Russia's progressive moves in aerial technology, and China's current endeavors with its Chengdu J-20 "Mighty Dragon" and Shenyang J-31.

Although the US' current 5th generation fighters retain superiority in multiple ways over anything that its potential enemies could put into the air, efforts to introduce the next generation fighter by 2035 are underway. While these fighters are still in their conceptual development phases, much of what developers have witnessed in the F-22 and F-35 have served as critical stepping-stones for future development.

A number of aircraft are slowly being phased-out with the view to new generation jets replacing them. Even though they boast impressive platforms, they lack the ability to completely replace the capabilities of aged designs.

With a view to replace existing fighters and leap-frogging the 5th generation F-35 JSF, the US also has a view to replacing its B-52 with a new strategic long-range strike bomber that could enter into service in the next 20 years. Development of a new long range and heavy strategic bomber raises questions about the necessity of extensive and expensive research and development (R and D) particularly when the modern battlefield has shown little sign of necessitating such a military instrument.

The US Navy (USN) wants to upgrade its fleet of aircraft in the next 25 years with new versions of existing 5th generation fighter aircraft and sophisticated variants of older models with jamming capabilities not unlike Russia's Sukhoi SU-35S Flanker-E.

The 5th generation fighter has made great strides in commanding the battlespace, however 6th generation fighter jets will build on existing technology and integrate them to capitalize on unique combinations and applications of sophisticated technology for flight, stealth/detection, and engagement/defense.

While the 6th generation models could also feature laser weapons and fly entirely on their own, they represent an entirely new generation of technological thinking. Major increases in communications technology means if the unit were not unmanned, connection with satellites in real-time would be possible. The new aircraft would be the first to demonstrate full battlefield dominance, conducting operations from the air while maintaining complete connectivity with other military platforms - creating a new hyper-dimensional approach to warfighting.

With 6th generation fighters, the US will not only be able to ensure air superiority but also ground superiority. They will be the intricate pieces of achieving full spectrum dominance of the battlezone. However, debates have begun over the necessity of an entirely new generation of technology and of a 6th generation fighter when Russia' Sukhoi has yet to deliver its PAK-FAs to the Russian Air Force.

With aging F/A-18E/F platforms and Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor incapable of replacing the US Air Forces' (USAF) F-15C Eagle legacy aircraft, concepts for 6th generation jets will be the type of program to keep the US moving forward, beyond its current F-22 and F-35 - already described as legacy systems by the high-level defense officials in the US.

Scott N. Romaniuk is a Doctoral Researcher in International Studies (University of Trento). His research focuses on asymmetric warfare, counterterrorism, international security, and the use of force. He is the editor of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Modern War (2015), The Future of US Warfare (2017), and The Palgrave Handbook of Global Countererrorism Policy (2017).