China’s NGAD ‘White Emperor’ 6th Generation Fighter Summed Up in 3 Words

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Just a Mock-Up: China unveiled the White Emperor B Variant, a concept for its 6th-generation fighter jet, at the Zhuhai Air Show.

-The design emphasizes stealth, multi-role capabilities, and AI integration for improved situational awareness and Loyal Wingman drone coordination.

-Capable of carrying hypersonic nuclear weapons, it signals Beijing’s ambitions to outpace the U.S. NGAD program, which remains in the developmental phase.

-Though currently a mock-up, analysts predict a prototype could emerge by 2025, placing pressure on the U.S. to advance its fighter development.

-However, questions remain about China’s ability to move beyond flashy displays to actual operational capabilities.

China Says ‘Me Too’ on 6th Generation Fighter:

The U.S. Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter is now on a strategic “pause” as engineers and designers figure out ways to cut costs and create its technology features.

Never one to fall behind, the Chinese military has plans for its 6th generation fighter. One of China’s defense contractors showed off a mock-up of a warplane called the “White Emperor B Variant” at an aerospace expo on November 12.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China displayed the model at a key air show in Zhuhai. The idea behind this concept is super stealth and multi-role capabilities to achieve air dominance in contested threat environments.

White Emperor: Interesting Choices for a Sleek Design

Defence Blog had the following to say about the White Emperor, “The Aviation Industry Corporation of China made significant modifications to the airframe, particularly focusing on the aft section and wing configurations, likely intended to increase internal weapons bay capacity and facilitate the carriage of larger, heavier air-to-ground weapons. The modifications also appear to contribute to an overall improvement in stealth capabilities and maneuverability.”

Could It Fly More Sorties Than Other Fifth Generation Jets?

White Emperor is expected to have low maintenance requirements and could be cheaper to fly than other stealth airplanes in the Chinese fleet. This means it may someday complete more missions per month than the stealthy J-20 and the planned J-35A.

Loyal Wingman Capability Is Planned

The new variant will use artificial intelligence to improve flight and weapons control giving the situational awareness systems a boost in identifying and destroying enemy airplanes. The AI could also allow White Emperor to be a mother ship for tethered “Loyal Wingman” drones that could fly out ahead to launch missiles, collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and conduct electronic warfare to jam and spoof enemy radar systems. The White Emperor will likely fire nuclear-tipped hypersonic weapons.

If the White Emperor progresses beyond mock-up status and begins flying later in the decade, it likely will not enter serial production until the 2030s. This gives U.S. and allied intelligence analysts and defense acquisition experts time to figure out more of its capabilities.

USA, You Are on Notice

However, the Chinese like to brag and overstate the development of new weapons systems. This is usually done to send the United States and its allies a message that China is forging ahead with new airplanes, ships, submarines, and other big-ticket items. For example, this mock-up will likely appear in Chinese military parades as engineers and designers are honored for their work in various propaganda media organs.

What You Can Do, I Can Do Better

It seems not a month goes by without China coming up with a “me too” major end item. The U.S. works on the NGAD 6th generation fighter and Beijing rolls out a mock-up. This time the Chinese defense industry has forged past the NGAD which is still in its conceptual and aspirational phase.

This is another testament to Chinese military designers and engineers who efficiently fuse goals and objectives with new technology. It sends a message to the Americans that the defense industrial base in the Middle Kingdom is productive and strong.

China’s Supreme Leader Brimming With Pride

Xi Jinping is probably pleased with these developments as the White Emperor leaps ahead of the U.S. Air Force in next-generation stealth design. He is betting that his military will become the best in the world by 2049 – the hundred year anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Xi wants to go down in history as the premier who has revolutionized the Chinese military with new major end items galore that may be better in some instances than what the Americans are planning or building.

China could work overtime on the White Emperor and create a flying prototype for this air show in 2025. That would mean it is far ahead of the NGAD. That is exactly what Xi expects from defense contractors who toiled in obscurity 20 years ago but who are now world-class.

The Chinese are rightfully proud of the White Emperor. The design is sleek and streamlined. It will surely carry hypersonic nuclear weapons. The stealth attributes will be improved, and the drone tethering can be a force multiplier.

19FortyFive will keep an eye on these developments as NGAD advances on the American side. Look for the White Emperor to be featured again at the next Zhuhai Air Show in 2025.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.