Timothy Murphy
In recent months, Iranian drone and missile attacks have pushed U.S. and allied aircrews to operate at the edge of their range and survivability. The next crisis, whether in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, or over Taiwan, will demand fighters that can fly farther, stay on station longer, and power more advanced defenses than today’s engines allow.
We have already seen how quickly these threats can escalate. In March 2025, Lt. Col William “Skate” Parks, commander of the 480th Fighter Squadron, narrowly survived a deadly salvo of enemy surface-to-air missiles during an undisclosed operation in the Middle East. He successfully deployed defensive countermeasures and skillfully maneuvered his F-16 through violent threat reactions. Parks’ heroic efforts have been rare over the last three decades due to the United States’ dominance in the air domain. In the years ahead, these harrowing scenarios will become far more common, and success in defeating these future threats will rely heavily on the engine powering the aircraft.
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