Agreater focus on long range strike capabilities is among the alternatives the U.S. Air Force is considering to a costly new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems. A lower-cost design focused primarily on acting as a ‘quarterback’ for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones is also still on the table, as is just continuing with the original plan, where another $20 billion would be required just to complete the development process of the highly-advanced crewed tactical jet. The service has already announced that it is leaving it up to the incoming Trump administration to make the final decision on how to proceed, or not, based on the recommendations of a deep review of the program.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall offered additional details about alternatives to the original plan for a new sixth-generation NGAD combat jet during a talk the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank hosted today. Last year, the service announced it was putting work on the NGAD aircraft on hold and initiating a deep review of the program’s core requirements and objectives. That review is understood to be close to, if not completed.
“The Air Force [originally] wrote requirements for an aircraft that is essentially an F-22 replacement. And for the last few years, that’s what we’ve been working on,” Kendall said. “We’re now at the point where we commit to going forward, to finish design, and go into production of that, or not. And this is really the most important milestone for almost any program.”
Hellbound and Down 