Not necessarily.
True, it might happen, might not.
The Eurofigher will be nearing retirement so probably won’t field 2040s tech (an awkward phrase).
Dont bet on it. The first NATO “fighter” to receive an HMD (the good old Marconi Striker) coupled with the latest 180º generation AAM was called… the Jaguar, it also had an LDP and datalink, that was done years before it got canned, the first non American aircraft equiped with a Link 16 was called the Sea Harrier FA2, before it got axed, the Tornado FMK3 was upgraded right untill it got axed, the 16 “diamond standard” fleet RAF GR4 are receiving ugrades now, etc, etc… The RAF upgrades their aircrafts right untill it scraps them.
Will we field technology capable of entirely eroding RCS in that time-frame? Most firms developing fighter aircraft in the world are probably hoping that’s not the case (except perhaps for Saab). Maybe they’d develop some sort of strap-on gadget (an even more awkward phrase) nullifying stealth post-2030?
For the “strap on” kind of arguments try JSR not me.
Now is there any chances that sensor evolution and computing power erode a great big chunk of the tactical advantage that a low RCS gives to the Raptor versus an older generation of aircrafts, more than THIRTY years after it was received by USAF Sqn´s? Is it possible or not? If you say “its not possible”, i have a wonderfull Northrop Gruman video featuring F-35´s stating that agility is a bit irrelevant, something that the General Dynamics 1990 PR chaps would surely disagree.
On top of that we have this Joint Strike Fighter Tier 1 partner with an anti stealth program (reforger) led by this company called British Aerosomething wich happens to build a great big chunk of DAVE, and that partner will field something like five sqn´s of Typhoonsomething, and offcourse that they wont use these three sqn´s of “Davesomething” to model an answer to the latest Russian and Chinese low RCS aircrafts.
And the fact that the RAF was the first NATO air force to field IR seekers linked through L16 across its fleet had nothing to do with their experience with the F-117 and the Raptor and the fact that the US Navy and the USAF agressor units went right after them also doesnt say anything about exercises with the USAF Raptor fleet.
I honestly think that if the USAF didnt believe that the RCS advantage enjoyed by the likes of the Raptor or the JSF wouldnt be seriously compromised by the mid thirties, they wouldnt be looking for a new fighter by that timeframe.
Cheers
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