The Air Force is reconsidering how it gains air superiority—and whether it needs a manned sixth-generation fighter to achieve it, acquisition boss Andrew P. Hunter and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife said.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in July the Air Force would take a “pause” on its Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter program, rather than commit to the program as planned. But amid mounting speculation over the program’s future he expressed confidence that “we’re still going to do a sixth-generation, crewed aircraft.”
On Sept. 4, however, Hunter and Slife suggested at a Defense News conference that USAF will use the pause to revisit fundamental questions about NGAD.
“From a requirements perspective, what I would say is we’re going back and starting at the beginning with ‘What is the thing we’re trying to do?’” Slife said. “‘How do we achieve air superiority in a contested environment?’ would be one way to frame the question. A different way to frame the question would be, ‘How do we build a sixth-gen manned fighter platform?’ I mean, those are not necessarily the same question.”
Given the levels of funding required to keep the F-22 fleet operational and Lockheed Martin's undertaking of production of the F-35, the USAF seems to have calculated that committing itself the NGAD program may have to wait one or two years before either Boeing or Lockheed Martin is declared the winner of the NGAD competition. The USAF has already flown a number of tech demonstrators for the NGAD program, and Northrop Grumman's withdrawal from the NGAD competition last year was a wise decision on Northrop Grumman's part given the company's workload regarding the B-21 and also the need to maintain the "RQ-180" fleet.
If Boeing wins the NGAD competition, it could bolster the company's fortunes with respect to developing naval aircraft, especially as Boeing prepares for production of the MQ-25 Stingray aerial tanker unmanned combat air vehicle. A Boeing victory in the NGAD competition also may allow Lockheed Martin to continue focus on F-35 production and development of the AIM-260 long-range air-to-air missile.
Posts: 55
By: Vahe.D - 14th September 2024 at 01:29
From the Air & Space Forces Magazine:
Given the levels of funding required to keep the F-22 fleet operational and Lockheed Martin's undertaking of production of the F-35, the USAF seems to have calculated that committing itself the NGAD program may have to wait one or two years before either Boeing or Lockheed Martin is declared the winner of the NGAD competition. The USAF has already flown a number of tech demonstrators for the NGAD program, and Northrop Grumman's withdrawal from the NGAD competition last year was a wise decision on Northrop Grumman's part given the company's workload regarding the B-21 and also the need to maintain the "RQ-180" fleet.
If Boeing wins the NGAD competition, it could bolster the company's fortunes with respect to developing naval aircraft, especially as Boeing prepares for production of the MQ-25 Stingray aerial tanker unmanned combat air vehicle. A Boeing victory in the NGAD competition also may allow Lockheed Martin to continue focus on F-35 production and development of the AIM-260 long-range air-to-air missile.