The Manned “Command Fighter” as the Backbone of European Air Power

Entering unseen, seeing through networks, acting decisively – that is the Future Fighter!

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) consistently provides important impetus in its contributions to future strategic direction, particularly regarding the need for increased networking, the role and relevance of unmanned systems, and system-of-systems approaches within the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This article will focus on the perspective of the manned combat aircraft as.

The days when combat aircraft were merely a carrier of effectors are over. Especially in the context of national and collective defence, the role of the future combat aircraft must be more clearly defined: as an offensively capable, command-and-control aircraft, deeply integrated into NATO structures.

The manned combat aircraft as a
central element of offensive combat operations.

The discussion about the future of air warfare is currently often dominated by terms such as “remote carrier,” “unmanned systems,” or “autonomy.” In doing so, it is often overlooked that the ability to deliver offensive effects in combat continues to be largely carried by manned combat aircraft.

A future air-to-air fighter must therefore be more than a platform node within a networked system – it is and remains the decisive carrier of effect in achieving air superiority. This capability is the basic prerequisite for all further military operations.

Particularly in high-intensity conflict, which is once again becoming a realistic possibility in Europe, offensive combat operations are not an option, but a necessity.

Anyone who wants to prevail in a high-end fight must first survive. This is not a new insight, but the consequences are more radical than ever. A future fighter that is detected early within an adversary’s IADS is essentially already out of the fight. Therefore, low observability is not a feature, but a fundamental requirement. Signature management across all spectrums – radar, infrared, electromagnetic – determines whether one can even enter the fight or is intercepted on its way in.

At the same time, combat is increasingly shifting into the electromagnetic spectrum. Anyone who communicates today as  in the past will not survive tomorrow. However, real-time information has always been, and remains, the foundation of operational command. LPI/LPD communication is therefore not just a technical addition, but vital for survival. Data must flow – but in such a way that the adversary can neither intercept nor locate it. This applies equally to exchanges with other platforms and to command and control of unmanned systems.

Together with countermeasures in the electromagnetic spectrum and integrated self-protection, this results in what must today be considered true survivability: not only being difficult to detect, but also remaining capable of action even when the adversary actively attempts to neutralise you. A future combat aircraft must therefore be agile and assertive in air combat, equipped with kinetic and non-kinetic means, and at the same time capable of actively disrupting and dominating adversary systems.

Unmanned systems can support, extend, and relieve – but they do not replace the pilot’s ability to make decisions and take responsibility in complex, dynamic combat situations.

“Command Fighter”: from sensor platform
to full kill chain

The decisive step in development lies not only in the platform itself, but in its role as a command and decision node. The future fighter must be designed as a “Command Fighter”.

This means: it is no longer a “shooter” in the traditional sense. It not only controls unmanned accompanying systems, but, through its superior sensors and data processing, represents the complete kill chain:

• Find: Own sensors and networked data sources detect targets.
• Fix: Target tracking and prioritisation take place in real time.
• Track & Target: Fused data enables precise target assignment across multiple platforms. • Engage: Own or external effectors are employed.
• Assess: Effects are evaluated and fed back into the decision- making process already at the edge.

Modern systems such as the F-35 already demonstrate how data fusion, sensor superiority, and networking enable the pilot to act as the central decision-maker in the battlespace.

The future European fighter must consistently develop this approach further. It must act as a platform for information superiority, as a command element within the air combat network, and as a decision-capable human–machine system. Sensor fusion ensures that individual tracks become a reliable situational picture. Own sensors, network data, inputs from F-35, AWACS, or remote carriers – everything converges in the cockpit. The pilot no longer fights for information, but creates decision superiority based on this picture.

The integration of systems – such as 4th- and 5thgeneration  fighter jets – creates European air power. [Photo © Stefan Petersen]And this is precisely the difference. The future fighter is the command element and decides which target is engaged, when, how, and with what means. Whether it fires itself or uses an effector from the network is secondary. What matters is that it orchestrates the effect.

The role of the human is of particular importance in this regard. The human in the cockpit remains indispensable – not despite, but precisely because of the increasing complexity of the battlespace.

When we speak of fighting power, it is no longer just about range or the number of missiles. It is about the ability to apply effects flexibly, in graduated form, and across domains.

The future fighter must be able to cover the entire spectrum: from classic BVR combat, to stand-off effects against heavily defended targets, to non-kinetic effects in the electromagnetic domain. Jamming, deception, disruption of adversary sensors – these are not add-ons, but integral components of modern air warfare. In addition, there is the capability for cooperative effects. Remote carriers, networked effectors, possibly even swarms – all of this hugely expands reach and effectiveness. But here too, without a clear command element in combat, individual components remain fragmented. And this command element sits in the manned fighter.

“The Command Fighter is in the battlespace, recognising the situation, assessing it, and delivering effects. It is not somewhere in the backend, but at the front edge, in contested airspace.”

Networking in NATO: interoperability and growth potential as the key to Europe’s striking power

The future of the Luftwaffe is inseparably linked to NATO. No system will operate in isolation – military strength arises from integration into a multinational combat network.

Alongside emerging European ambitions such as GCAP, the F-35 plays a key role here. It is increasingly becoming NATO’s standard combat aircraft and serves as a reference system for networking, data fusion, and interoperability.

For the future European fighter, this means seamless integration into existing F-35 networks, the make use of common data standards and communication architectures, and the ability to operate as a complementary partner to the F-35.

The strength lies not in competition, but in complementary effects – with the F-35, for example, as a “sensor and stealth first mover”, and the future fighter as a high-performance air-to-air and command fighter. Together, they form the backbone of European air power. A European-developed “combat cloud” compatible with NATO standards, based on an open reference architecture, is the essential central enabler of future multinational air warfare. It provides the decisive capability advantage over fifth-generation combat aircraft. Only through this close integration can credible, scalable, and effective striking power be achieved in Europe.

The future fighter will therefore not only replace the Eurofighter as an aircraft, but transform the way air warfare is conducted – from platform- based thinking to a networked, command-capable system of effects, with the manned combat aircraft at its centre.

“European air power only emerges in cooperation – not through national efforts alone.”

The fighter we design today will face an adversary in 20 years that we do not yet fully know. Therefore, growth potential is not a luxury, but essential for survival.

The system must be designed from the outset to grow. Open architectures, software-defined capabilities, modular systems – these are the levers for enabling rapid further development.

This applies to avionics as well as to effectors – and especially to the engine. Adaptive, modular propulsion systems will determine not only performance and efficiency, but also signature and operational spectrum.

The key point is: the future fighter must not be a finished product. It must be a platform capable of development, adaptable over decades to new threats – quickly, incrementally, and without having to rebuild the entire system each time.

“The fighter of tomorrow will not be delivered finished – it will grow with the fight.”

Conclusion

The future of the Luftwaffe will not be decided between manned and unmanned systems, but in a proper balance – with a clear focus. The manned combat aircraft will remain the central element of offensive combat power and, as a Command Fighter, forms the heart of the kill chain. In close networking with NATO systems, particularly the F-35, European striking power emerges. Only if these three aspects are consistently considered together can a future fighter not only replace the Eurofighter, but lead the Luftwaffe into a new dimension of operational capability. The fighter must be suitably invisible to operate within the adversary’s threat environment. It must be sufficiently networked to have all decision- relevant information available “at the edge.” It must be sufficiently capable to win the fight. And it must be sufficiently open to remain operationally and technologically relevant in future conflicts. Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Möhle is the Representative of the Air Chief of the German Luftwaffe for the NGWS/FCAS Project, German Air Force Command (GAF HQ).

Mirko Möhle

Lieutenant Colonel Mirko Möhle is the Representative of the Air Chief of the German Luftwaffe for the NGWS/FCAS Project, German Air Force Command (GAF HQ).

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