The difference between this picture, and a picture of a futuristic fighter jet (or space fighter!) out of a video game or movie, is that this concept comes from Northrop Grumman, and it may show the next generation of long-range strike aircraft. In other words, it could be real.
As you might expect, there is basically zero information available about this aircraft. It may be a concept for a high-speed, long range bomber, and that's the extent of what Northrop seems to be ready to publicly admit to. I have to say, though, that it does bear a striking resemblance to the spacecraft from Asteroids. I'm of course not saying that this concept is intended to be a space fighter, but on the other hand, we don't have definitive proof that it isn't a space fighter either. Make of that what you will.
Also making an appearance at the Air Force Association's annual convention at National Harbor, MD was what could be a sixth-gen fighter concept from Northrop:
And this updated design for Boeing's gen six fighter aircraft:
While it's not likely that you'd see any of these aircraft before 2030 or thereabouts, it's entirely possible that aircraft like these are currently undergoing active development. It's also remotely possible that they're flying right now, and we just don't know about it. Watch the skies, and be suspicious of any streetlights that seem to be moving at Mach 5. LINK
Via Flightglobal and Defense Tech
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