Disconnected by Design: Fifth- and Sixth-Generation Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations

Authored by J. Michael Dahm, Senior Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies China’s informationized warfighting strategies are specifically designed to counter America’s networked approach to warfare. This includes breaking long-range kill chains and denying penetrating strikes their highly networked reach-back connectivity. Given these vulnerabilities, it is crucial that the Air Force pursue disaggregated collaborative air operations (DCAO) as an operational concept that sidesteps these adversary strategies to dominate the battlespace information environment. DCAO centers upon combat air forces that operate as locally networked formations, that can operate even when disconnected from broader networks. The concept relies upon a force of fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft, plus collaborative combat aircraft, that can penetrate adversary air defenses, independently sense, coordinate, and execute individual actions at the tactical edge of the battlespace. This builds upon the proven U.S. Air Force employment of effects-based operations (EBO) and parallel warfare. Just as precision weapons and stealth aircraft enabled effects-based operations in numerous conflicts following the Cold War, fifth-generation and beyond aircraft provide battlespace information dominance capabilities to enable new warfighting concepts that can achieve decisive effects forward in highly contested areas.