Arlington, VA | August 29, 2025 — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is pleased to announce a new entry in its Policy Paper series, Disconnected by Design: 5th- & 6th-Gen Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations by J. Michael Dahm, Senior Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
U.S. Air Force force design and operational concepts must compete with and overcome near-peer adversaries like the People’s Republic of China (PRC). However, existing Air Force operational concepts for long-range kill chains and penetrating strikes into contested areas assume forces will have highly networked connectivity and reach-back to data and command centers. The PRC’s informationized warfighting strategies are specifically designed to counter the networked U.S. approach.
Given the vulnerabilities inherent in beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) datalinks and other long-range communications, disaggregated collaborative air operations (DCAO) is an operational concept that sidesteps these adversary strategies to dominate the battlespace information environment. DCAO combat air forces are locally networked formations that can operate even when disconnected from broader networks. The concept relies upon a force of fifth- and next-generation aircraft that can penetrate adversary air defenses, independently sensing, coordinating, and executing individual actions at the tactical edge of the battlespace.
DCAO, in the near-term, should combine fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft as well as collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to offer a range of force employment options. In the long term, fifth-generation aircraft currently in production should be supplemented by next-generation aircraft like the B-21 bomber and the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance penetrating counter-air (NGAD PCA) aircraft. The U.S. Air Force should aggressively field these newer aircraft to bring even more advanced capabilities to the DCAO concept.
The Mitchell Institute Policy Papers is a series presenting new thinking and policy proposals to respond to the emerging security and aerospace power challenges of the 21st century. These papers are written for lawmakers and their staffs, policy professionals, business and industry, academics, journalists, and the informed public.
For media inquiries, email our publications team at publications.mitchellaerospacepower@afa.org
Copies of Policy Papers can be downloaded at https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/category/publications/