Crisis Brewing Over Air Force’s Future Air Dominance Plans Which It Cannot Afford
There is worrisome uncertainty about the Air Force's ability to pay for next-gen fighters, stealth tankers, and drones.
Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Nov 5, 2024 8:38 PM EST
The future outlook for the U.S. Air Force's top modernization efforts is even more uncertain after the service's civilian boss openly questioned the affordability of buying any combination of new stealth 'fighters,' advanced aerial refueling tankers, and highly autonomous drones.
The future outlook for the U.S. Air Force’s top modernization efforts is even more uncertain after the service’s civilian boss openly questioned the affordability of buying any combination of new stealth fighters, advanced aerial refueling tankers, and highly autonomous drones. A deep review of plans to acquire a new sixth-generation crewed stealth combat jet is already underway, the results of which are set to have much broader ramifications.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall made deeply concerning pronouncements about the state of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, as well as the Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) effort, at the Airlift/Tanker Association’s (ATA) annual symposium last Friday. The Air Force’s sixth-generation combat jet program, also referred to as the NGAD or Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) ‘platform,’ and its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone program, sit under the larger NGAD umbrella.
https://www.twz.com/air/crisis-brewing-over-air-forces-future-air-dominance-plans-which-it-cannot-afford
