The US Air Force is on the cusp of a revolution in air combat with its highly classified program known as Next Generation Air Dominance. It’s an extremely ambitious undertaking because, for the very first time, air superiority will be guaranteed by a system of systems rather than just a single platform. This would be a program centered around the sixth-generation fighter aircraft but embedded within a network of manned aircraft, loyal wingman-style UAVs, and high-level command, control, and communications.
In September 2020, the USAF carried out a flight of a full-scale flight demonstrator under the NGAD program. The modern sixth-generation fighter jet is scheduled for entry into service, replacing the F-22 Raptor, from 2030 onwards. The USAF plans to purchase an initial lot of 200 NGAD fighters and 1,000 CCAs, with each NGAD fighter operating with multiple CCAs.
Pratt & Whitney, a part of RTX, has been making some great strides with the NGAP solution: completed a key milestone review in February 2024. The current effort by the team stands concentrated upon NGAP prototype ground testing, internally named XA103, while additional testing is to be scheduled for the latter part of the 2020s.
The NGAD program was born out of the Air Dominance Initiative study conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which was completed in 2014. In May of that same year, the USAF published its Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan, articulating a requirement for multi-domain solution sets delivered via a more agile acquisition process. This evolved into the NGAD program, placing a focus on a system-of-systems approach.
In June 2022, USAF Secretary Frank Kendall announced that the NGAD program was ready to transition into the Engineering and Manufacturing design phase. The Department of the Air Force, through a source selection process, issued an industry solicitation in May 2023 for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract for the combat jet platform NGAD; it is expected to be awarded in 2024.
The NGAD fighter jet will be powered by advanced engines developed in the process of the NGAP program. In August 2022, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman received a contract each for a ten-year, $975 million NGAP program. The said contracts preclude activities about technology maturation, risk reduction related to design, analyses, testing of prototype engines, rig testing, and integration of weapon systems.
NGAD fighter aircraft will conduct the counter-air mission through air-to-air strikes, with an attack capability of ground-based targets, and provide air superiority to the joint force. Survivability, adaptability, persistence, and interoperability features are to be provided in the air domain by the aircraft. Since the program is highly classified, a detailed design and specification of the aircraft have not been disclosed as of now.
The program has considerable benefits from digital engineering-which can accelerate both development and production while reducing the cost. The USAF has invested in variable-cycle engines for higher electrical power generation and better cooling. The acquisition strategy of the NGAD program will expand the industrial base to bring innovative warfighting capabilities to the forces more quickly. Among the key objectives is to avoid some of the challenges found in recent acquisition programs through open architecture standards that will enable upgrades in the future.
With a price ticket of approximately $300 million for every next-generation manned aircraft, the USAF also plans to fly more affordable CCAs. The unmanned aircraft would be able to operate in concert with manned NGAD fighters or alone while providing inexpensive mass in combat. The CCAs will most likely feature advanced sensors, electronic warfare packages, or additional munitions that will assist and support the fighter jet in various shooter, jammer, or sensor roles.
The NGAD program is estimated to require $16 billion in the coming five years over 2028 for studies, development, testing, and evaluation. The USAF requested $2.3 billion for the program in the budget proposal for FY24, investment is also intended to continue developing the fighter aircraft and NGAP power plant. In one request for an FY23 budget, the USAF included about $1.7 billion for the NGAD program for technology maturation and risk reduction activities, plus further research and development in advanced sensors, resilient communications, and air vehicle technology.
While tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to ratchet up, so does the arms race to develop the world’s first next-generation fighters. The NGAD program, along with the Navy’s F/A-XX and the B-21 Raider, represents the quantum leap ahead the U.S. military needs to continue to guarantee American air superiority in a world filled with evolving threats.