The F-35 will do this too. Not sure who wrote the title. Interesting- the 6th Gen fighter will have a larger long range variant for use in the Pacific.

Air Force 6th-Gen Aircraft Will Control Multiple Drones - Warrior Maven: Center for Military Modernization

The Air Force may wind up building several manned variants of the emerging 6th-Generation Next-Generation Air Dominance stealth fighter jet and a small family of wingman-type support drones as the cutting edge, yet largely secret aircraft program surges into the future.


Delivery Timelines and milestones are still likely in flux, yet one can likely expect accelerated development of the new aircraft, a demonstrator of which has already taken to the skies.


Described as a “family of systems,” NGAD will consist of a manned stealth fighter platform and a small number of multimission drones operated called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) which will test enemy air defenses, blanket high-risk areas with forward surveillance and deliver weapons, with humans in a manned aircraft performing command and control.


Air Force Acquisition Executive Andrew Hunter said that the manned NGAD platform itself will likely emerge by the end of the decade and the CCAs will emerge much more quickly as nearer term items. Industry is already significantly invested with their R&D and preparing for a competition to build the new family of drones.


The ability for manned-fighter aircraft such as 5th-generation stealth fighters to control the flight path and sensor payload of multiple drones is fast–emerging if not already here, and the concept is to operate a paradigm-changing next-generation stealth fighter with unprecedented speed, stealth, maneuverability and lethality which is able to extend and expand its combat functionality by controlling multiple drones.


Hunter explained that the NGAD program will adapt and evolve in coming years depending upon requirements development and changing threats.


“Will there be manned platforms in two variants? We definitely want to think that through. The first task is to deliver a manned platform. We will evaluate along the way as there is an incremental approach to the possibility of variants,” Hunter said.