U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stated that the future of the new stealthy sixth-generation fighter being developed under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative is partly influenced by “affordability issues.” This concept includes nearly a doubling of the cost of the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, which currently stands at just over $141 billion. The Air Force is currently analyzing what exactly it wants from the NGAD aircraft.
Frank Kendall drew a parallel between the plans for the NGAD fighter and the need to fund the Sentinel program. The Secretary of the Air Force also discussed a review of the service’s requirements for the sixth-generation stealth fighter.
“We will take a close look at NGAD,” he said. “But the family of systems, which includes the crewed platform and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), as well as weapon systems, communication, and off-board support… [including from space], remains the concept we are developing.”
The main issue is that the Air Force is facing significant financial challenges.
“We haven’t yet discussed Sentinel, but there is anticipated to be a very large increase in costs for them… We also have some other priority programs that we need to fund,” the Secretary added. “We will face some significant budget challenges in the coming years.”
Recently, the Pentagon decided to continue the Sentinel program, despite a legal challenge to cancel it due to the expected 81% increase in costs. However, new intercontinental ballistic missiles are essential for U.S. national security, and Frank Kendall does not dispute this.
Currently, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are competing for the NGAD program contract. Experts believe that the NGAD fighter will likely be crewed and could become the last manned tactical combat aircraft purchased by the Air Force.
“Before we commit, which we are close to [regarding the NGAD fighter], we want to ensure that we have the right design concept,” Frank Kendall said recently. “NGAD was conceived before a series of events, before the threat became so serious, before Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) were introduced into the equation, and before we encountered some affordability issues.”
The “threat” likely refers to the expansion and capabilities of Chinese military forces and assets, which are currently major factors in American defense planning and procurement. Earlier comments from the Secretary indicated a willingness to sacrifice certain capabilities of the NGAD fighters to help reduce their cost. Currently, it is projected that each NGAD aircraft will cost three times more than an F-35.
The Sentinel issues, which may impact the future of the NGAD aircraft, and the Air Force’s budget problems over the next five years raise questions about where further cuts might be made. Additionally, the Air Force is unlikely to be the only service facing these budgetary realities in the coming years. The Navy is also considering significant reductions to its sixth-generation fighter program, known as Next Generation Fighter or F/A-XX. The Navy has already decided to suspend the program for the next fiscal year to help address other budgetary needs.
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Source: twz
