The Air Force is hoping to slash the cost of the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter from hundreds of millions per copy to less than $80 million, secretary Frank Kendall said. It might be done by disaggregating the fighter’s functions and possibly making it uncrewed.
NGAD
The Air Force’s top acquisition official said Sept. 16 that longstanding plans to replace the KC-135 Stratotanker refueling jet with a similar airframe hinge on the progress of the service’s search for a more futuristic tanker.
The congressionally appointed Commission on the National Defense Strategy (NDS), after a thorough two-year look, concludes that the strategy is deeply flawed. The bipartisan panel of experts unanimously urged revisions to address emerging threats and advised a steady increase in defense spending to meet growing ...
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 said.
New, classified sensors for the F-22 are being tested successfully, a service official said, making the Raptor's 2030 retirement increasingly less likely.
Advances in artificial intelligence and software development will be key to two of the Air Force’s top programs: the DAF Battle Network, which connects sensors and shooters around the globe, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft autonomous drones, service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter said Aug. 7
The Air Force will "pause" the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program while it evaluates whether it meets the Air Force’s needs and budgetary requirements, Secretary Frank Kendall said July 30. The advanced fighter was originally supposed to enter service around 2030.
Leaders seem to be hedging, with senior service leaders indicating concern over NGAD’s costs and raising questions about the future of U.S. air dominance.
Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, wants to keep the 32 F-22 Block 20 Raptors the Air Force has been trying to divest, saying that even without upgrades, they’d be valuable in a fight.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin didn't offer certain support for the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter at a June 13 Air & Space Forces Association event, saying the future air superiority platform is merely one choice among many the service will ...
WORLD: Modernization: Goal of 100 B-21s; 100 CCAs by 2030; and Anduril and General Atomics win CCA contracts.
NATO Allied Air Command is making moves now for its member nations’ air forces to be able to service each others’ fighters, fly them with each others’ weapons, and integrate more closely together than they have in decades, a top official said April 24—ahead of an influx ...
