That was fun--I hope everyone enjoyed it! Thanks Mooch!

I've avoided any video about 6th gen because it's 99.99% BS. However when Ward talks about it I know it's going to be legit and I'm happy to finally get to learn what 6th gen might be like.

Mooch, you and Paco have a knack for taking complex subjects, boiling them down to something easily digestible. This episode really clarified the concepts for me. Thanks a bunch. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt !!!

Growing up in the late 80’s as a kid in VA Beach it was very common to see a two-ship of Tomcats. I remember how at high bank angles at altitude they would appear as elongated triangles in the sky when the wings were swept. These 6th gen fighters will probably look very similar with their triangular profiles.

A brilliant, informative and fun conversation…thanks Mooch and Pako. 🍻

Thanks Ward. Can not get enough of Pako and his insights.

Concerning your remarks on the Nation mix for the GCAP: the only „New kid on the block“ there is Japan. UK and Italy have already built the Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon together (both with Germany and in the latter case as well Spain). Moreover they have both been development partners for the F-35 with wich both have replaced their Tornado fleets…

Man, your channel has really come quite a long way. It started out as a once in a while niche type deal to a must watch for me. Bravo sir!

Always informative and interesting! Keep them coming!

I flew Vampire 1st gen, Avon Sabre 30mm cannon and sidewinders 2nd gen - great, and Mirage 3rd gen - fabulous. Then downgraded to Airbus A310 and B777.

Great episode as always, love the interactions and different viewpoints between you and Pako

Although I’m not a military biased individual, I enjoy these videos and the honest delivery.. I will say. I would like to say “thank you” to everyone in current and passed history that stood for their countrymen in both uniform and facilities with the aim to make the world a better place for mankind. 😊

Thank you gentlemen for sharing your firsthand knowledge on a complex subject.

The Mooch and Merge newsletters so great, I love when I get those drops in my inbox I really do enjoy this guest "Pako" Benitez so much, It makes me so happy we get him on the pod so much!

Thanks Ward, that was very interesting. You always deliver the best shows.

Japan and the UK had Verrrrry close Military ties from the late 1860s to well past 1918. Japan basically started its Navy on the British Model particularly in Military Science, Command Structure and even some British "class culture". Japan sent promising officers to train on British ships and attend military academies. They copied the UK's Blue Water success and engineering prowess Additionally, Japan had a Monarchical system similar to Great Britain. Japan's first Capital Ship was built in Britain. One example still survives as a Museum Ship near a Modern Japanese Navy Base.

Awesome content and expertise as always, really enjoy watching this channel.

Always very interesting to hear Pako discuss these topics. Such a competent fella.

I remember requesting this episode a few months ago… this was so awesome 😎…. I wish it would have gone longer! I could nerd out all day on the interesting features on all these projects

Great stuff! It's funny how the YF-23 was a 6th gen fighter before it was cool.

Hiya Mooch & pakko excellent video with loads to educate us all, it was really interesting to hear about how fast & how far the 5th gen aircraft can travel nowadays plus excellent narration & picture's to help along the way so job good job so please keep them coming, thankyou guy's for your service in keeping us all safe & alive I salute u both GL&HF coming from Dulwich London England(✌peace✌) ✈⚓✈💪💪

Tyvm, I love learning. I still feel that the F-15 should be updated with the most up-to-date adaptive cycle engines, to act as a fast missile truck. And the stealthy assets should be the tip of the spear feeding data back to the f-15s, who can dash forward launch Beyond visual range missiles and dash away at Mach two point whatever. Allowing the stealthy, and much more expensive, assets to remain hidden.

12:44 That look on Mooch's face when he was visualizing the difference of an extra 200 to 300 miles of range in the Pacific theater! PRICELESS !

Deep Intel is definitely my favorite! Thanks!

Fun stuff. I like the calm cool instructor approach we get from Mooch. Great stuff.

Mooch and Pako, you are both scholars and gentlemen. Thanks for all the engaging information. I found this entire conversation highly interesting. Keep up the good works and thank you for your service! God bless

The forward fuselage chine on the Tempest is a fundamental low observability shape. You see it prominently on the SR-71 and also the Tacit Blue technology demonstrator. It’s one way of making a basically tubular shape less reflective.

Good stuff...great summary/explanation of "gens" of fighters. Thx, Mooch. -Korey

Great show as always.

Love the Merge! Thanks Mooch & Pako!

I really like the U.S. Navy NGAD concept. That is one good looking plane.

This was the NGAD video I was looking for. Thanks!

excellent update on future planning.

Thanks Mooch I always enjoy your channel. When you team up with Paco it really gets good.

Whenever I see the words Deep Intel in the title, I’m drawn to it like a magnet. And anything in 6th Gen, I’m excited. That was lots of fun

NEED MORE PACO!!! LOVE YA MOOCH Seriously though I could listen to you and Paco talk all day long. Can't get enough

Great vid. As an FYI, Perun has a good video on gen 6, with an emphasis on econ and industrial aspects.

I want to thank both Mooch and Pako for setting this old man's gray matter on fire! I have so little to use in the first place (after all I am USAF Ret,)

Love the channel! When can we expect the A-12 episode? My Dad was at McDonnell Douglas working on that project and subsequently laid off. Eagerly awaiting that episode! Keep up the great work on the channel! Thank you.

Aces again!! Very interesting as always. Thanks!! 👍💪👋

Great job, Mooch and Pako! The air scoop on the SU-75 reminds me of the air intake on the F8U-3 CRUSADER III too.

Great episode, thanks for sharing 👍

Just an old auto mechanic here, loved the comparison of VVTi and the new jet engines.

Great insight! Thanks a lot!

Always a treat to get a look at how original and innovative the Chinese can be!

Well done Mooch and Paco!

12:45 LOL ward 'mooch' I love this head nod so much, when someone is talking at work and i instinctively agree, I do the same time of head nod, people call it theatrics sometimes, but its like I'm in such agreement and the person said it so well I can't help but nod YESSS!!!! haha I just found that super endearing -- Thats being said great point by Pako on the Range for Pacific P2P missions

A note about the Chinese 6th gen mock-up @ 24:26. It's a prop from a company that builds flight control surfaces, not from an airframe manufacturer. So that prop is really just a prop and nothing more. Their actual 6th gen craft likely won't be anything like that. They're still in the airframe exploration phase at the moment from what I can see. Trying to figure out what shapes make sense. I'd guess they're aiming for a 2035 IOC. Also, from what I can tell, the most important subsystem in a 6th gen fighter will be the propulsion/power system and the relevant thermal management subsystems. That will allow for not only next level kinematic performance, but more importantly, powering and cooling powerful electronics, sensors, jammers, and directed energy weaponry. Having those will be such a game-changer.

Great as always! Thx!

GREAT JOB GUYS! ENJOYED IT.

21:00 Great point, Reminds me some points about our shipyard industry, Once its gone, its extremely hard to recessitate it without rebuilding it, Thanks again Pako for the amazing insights

Enjoyed that show, thanks!

Very interesting, thank you. Also, sunburst is the best looking color.

there are some similarities between Italy, GB, and Japan : all are geographically similar. Italy is almost an island nation being a long peninsula, ie all are near the same size, have much coastline and are concerned mainly with defense of their interior space rather than projection, in terms of this strange bed-fellows project anyway .

Thanks Mooch for your excellent content. The UK and Italy are no strangers to one another in the Military aircraft arena. We were partners in the Tornado programme dating back to the 60's; Italy and Saudi Arabia both operated Tornado F3s in the interceptor role. Italian company Leonardo took over both the former UK helicopter manufacturer Westland Helicopters and military radar manufacturer Ferranti. Japan is a much more recent ally in the development of military aircraft. However, long before BREXIT, the UK has not always seen eye to eye with the French and Germans. Since the 1960's, they have been our traditional partners in developing military aircraft.

I guess I'd better get my taxes paid on time so we can afford to stay ahead of the game. 😉 Thanks for the great run-down, Gentlemen! Always fun stuff here, Mooch.

Fabulous. Always a joy, Mooch, especially the last couple videos. I would enjoy more analysis of aircraft engine building and why China struggles with it. Also, it would be good to get some history in there and include Ukraine's old engine building capabilities.

Great discussion Ward!

Good stuff. Thanks!

I like that the "Mig-41" has a throw back to the Mig-21 with the intake being the nosecone.

WoW! What an amazing interview crammed full of information done in plain language which EVERYONE can understand! Gr8 job guys, keep it up! ❤

8:35 wow another great image! Thanks mooch what a comparison!

_Great_ live stream, Ward & Pako...👍

I had an opportunity years ago to get an upclose look at the Northrop YF-23 when it was parked in front of the Air Force Museum restoration shop. It had a very 6th Gen look to it with a tail that was almost co-planar with the wings. I wouldn't be surprised if the 6th Gen looks like a -23 on steroids.

I’m a Merge subscriber at your suggestion but these interviews are invaluable for me.

Fun segment ❤️👍🏾

Great video! I can only imagine ACM with an air superiority drone. Seems like without intense jamming and ECM it would be unbeatable

1 of the best aviation channel in the world. Teacher Ward the best. Carolina Reaper is addictive

Awesome video thanks

Great podcast! Is this the only podcast that has ever discussed propulsion requirements to the level you and Pako go to Mooch? Unlikely! The Air Force has made an impressive level of funding available for fighter propulsion system development. Good on Pako for highlighting the history of the F135 on the F-35! If you want to do a fighter program correctly, start developing the engine first.

Great discussion...

The Horten Brothers should be watching this!

The Strake on the Tempest nose is to ionise the hull making a ion sheath that removes alot of drag and make it stealthy.

I get that Japan is an odd mix with Italy and the UK. But the UK and Italy have worked on joint projects together for decades such as Eurofighter and tornado

3rd Gen fighters had refined, low-bypass turbojets ideal for high altitude, supersonic speeds and relatively low AOA. They also had pulse doppler Radars with fault-prone mechanically-scanned arrays with no real look-down/shoot-down capability to filter through ground or sea clutter. 4th Gen introduced turbofans with higher bypass ratios that also allowed higher AOA at low-speed regime. Radar Look-down/shoot-down capability with processing power to filter ground or sea clutter was fundamental to the avionics, using solid state and digital electronics. F-16 & F/A-18 also brought in electronic flight control systems and higher use of composites in the airframes. Within the 4th Gen, we introduced DFLCS, DEEC, and FADEC for flight control and engine control. We also introduced Electronically-Steered Arrays with non-moving antennae. 5th Gen introduced VLO airframes, integrated fused sensor suites, internal weapons, DFLCS integrated with FADEC, fly-by-light fiber optic DFLCS, multi-bank CPU/CNI, and LPI LoS multi-layer data links for closed, net-centric warfare. AESA Radars have become Multi-Function Arrays that passively or actively detect, PID, ground-map, and jam threat aircraft and ground-based systems. The gap between 4.5 Gen and 5th Gen is huge.

Great show!

Thanx Ward...good tech follow..

Great episode Mooch! I would like to see you do a Deep Intel episode on the state of radars today. All of these designs still have a major focus on stealth, but with radar tech today and cyber capabilities, will stealth still be relevant by the time we build the 6th gen fighter? I am curious. Keep up the great work!

I subsribed to the Mooch report, It is nice and concise.

Holy shmoly - just a couple of seconds into the video and I can't wait for the video with you and Nasty and him flying the 14 in VR.

The SU-75 and F-31 got their reverse intake cant from Vought, when they were designing the F-8U3 Super Crusader. The same reverse cant was also on the F-105.

Just to add on the 4th Gen - HUD, Fly by wire, 0/0 ejection seats, Link 16 data links and comms, first laser and IR targeting (pods). And on the 5th Generation - super cruise, color lcd and touch screens w/ digital battlefield management, digital document, maintenance and flight management systems, thrust vectoring, aesa radar (digitally controlled radar elements which no longer need the movable radar domes). Full and integrated spectrum broad spectrum targeting, helmet mounted targeting and displays.

Good job Paco. Really enjoyed it

Awesome shows Ward

Good stuff. Super fun vid.

That’s a solid video, thanks! I know this was produced about a month ago but I was wondering “when’s he going to talk about the A-12?”

That was great!

Cool vid. While I doubt it'll fly as-is, if at all, that MiG-41 looks like a beast. An old school sci-fi future fighter.

Remember to tell Nasty to keep his eyes straight & move his head to look around in VR. The Reverb G2 V2 has a very small sweet spot & trying to look side to side with your eyeballs will cause motion sickness symptoms. Because the eye is trying to focus through the lens which is itself blurry. Also Ginger Ale helps with motion sickness. Also make sure the IPD is correct for Nasty. Il-2 Flying Circus is great for teaching "SKY EYES" because of the slow & close combat.

Not sure if you were referencing the A-12 "Avenger", but in any case that was a McDonnell Douglas design. Great vid as always.

Write another book, Mooch. Those were great! My favorite was the 3rd one.

The lockheed martin art made me remember the F/A-32 "what if" images, it looked so cool

I learned a lot from this.

That was great! Just joined, 71 YO aviator, guitar player/collector/musician. Thanks!! --gary (BFG)

Excellent again

The SU 75 intake reminds me of the A7 Crusader which was always a workhorse that was under favored for what it would do and what it did.

Excellent content. I've got nothing to say. There's no improvements to be made. You guys are the best.

Hey, Mooch. I got a question. I served from 95 to 10. USMC,USA and USAF. Enlisted, but mostly a Grunt. I’ve been to the museum at Ft. Sill. I saw a few things I used, that were Top Secret in the museum. I instantly felt OLD! How do you feel knowing that the Tomcat is totally out of service?

Always enjoy these vids. Maybe give the Swedes credit for the first 4th gen with the Viggen? Design went back to high maneuverability and alpha capability and greatly influenced 4th gen design in europe. Definitely a departure from the phantom and other 3rd gen aircraft.

Last month I saw a what I believe was a 6th gen on the back of a semi just west of the VLA New Mexico ....huge security leading and following heading east. Being an aircraft fan....as it was coming towards me(I had pulled off to the road edge) one could see the outline under the cover....NOTHING I had ever seen before. As it went by me ..weird inlets, no vert stab, wings attached, could not make out any tail parts.