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| Lockheed Martin's NGAD variant / Top War |
International Military - The United States' Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) project is one of the rather secretive fighter jet projects. In fact, it is predicted that NGAD will take more time to be realized. This was revealed directly by the US Air Force's civilian boss, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.
On June 24, Kendall tried to cool fans' spirits during a planned meeting with Air & Space Association representatives.
Quoted from Air Force Magazine, Kendall said “Give us more time. The NGAD we're working on right now… will take longer, it's not a simple design.
Not only that, Kendall also reminisced about how expensive the program had been so far, and how expensive it would have been if it had been completed. The dynamic foreign market also cannot be sure how expensive the NGAD will be. However, apparently, this expression has been criticized by US military experts.
Quoted from the Bulgarian Military, US military experts said that Kendall's words did not indicate a program. This is because the aircraft is a construction system that involves going through various stages until it is built.
Although NGAD is currently a “mystery program”, the complexity of its implementation will make it difficult to keep tabs on the whole acquisition puzzle.
If the NGAD project is realized and implemented, observers and experts say, the US will gain air superiority over Russia and China. It will not only catch up, but will also be in front of the two countries.
The US Air Force's NGAD program is intended to replace one of the two US combat aviation flagships, the F-22 which is due to be retired soon.
According to many experts, the sixth generation aircraft is a system. This aircraft will be able to control swarms of drones, ranging from reconnaissance and attack. In such a configuration, the main role of NGAD is "quarterback", which is to help its loyal wingman to carry out electronic warfare and = block enemy anti-aircraft forces.
NGAD will also be more like a flying computer than a fighter plane. He will process the data provided by his loyal wingman and suggest strategies for action.
Quoted from Airforce Magazine, NGAD first appeared in the 2018 budget as a $295 million line item, the following year the "Air Superiority Systems Family" requested $430 million. Former USAF acquisitions executive Will Roper revealed in September 2020 that the NGAD "full-scale flight demonstrator" had flown,
Roper's concept for NGAD was to attract both traditional prime contractors and start-ups to compete; that a new airplane doesn't have to be made by the company that designed it.
Roper envisions short-term production of 50 to 100 aircraft. However, until now, it is not known whether the NGAD prototype already exists or not. Because, NGAD is really a very secret fighter jet project.