Challenges faced by US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance program

Policy

Simple Flying | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Dec 24, 2024

The United States Air Force is advancing its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, aiming to develop the first sixth-generation fighter jet. This initiative seeks to ensure American air superiority on future battlefields. However, the program faces several challenges.

One major concern is affordability. The NGAD program is projected to be one of the most expensive fighter jet initiatives in US history, with costs per unit expected to exceed $200 million. This has raised questions about balancing NGAD funding with other modernization priorities like unmanned aerial systems and hypersonic weapons.

The integration of emerging technologies is another challenge. The Air Force aims to incorporate unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) with NGAD for enhanced operational flexibility. "Threat changes; because of financial constraints; because of the development of technology, including the introduction of CCAs [autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft]," said Air Force Secretary Kendall. "It would be imprudent to commit to a single design before reconsidering all available options."

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Industrial constraints also pose difficulties. The demands on the US defense-industrial base highlight the complexity of modern weapons manufacturing, requiring specialized components and materials. Supply chain bottlenecks have been exacerbated by global events, potentially slowing production timelines and increasing costs.

A dual approach combining manned and unmanned systems marks a significant shift in air combat strategy. The Washington Times reports that the Air Force plans for "200 NGAD fighters and 1,000 unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), assuming the use of two CCA platforms for each NGAD fighter and another two for each of the 300 F-35 fifth-generation fighters." Ensuring effective human-machine collaboration will require rigorous testing.

Policy risks further threaten the NGAD timeline. Delays have raised doubts about delivering the platform on time. Vice Chief of Staff James C. Slife commented on reassessing priorities: “From a requirements perspective, what I would say is we’re going back and starting at the beginning with ‘What is the thing we’re trying to do?’”

The NGAD program's success depends on overcoming these challenges while integrating innovative features such as stealth capabilities, modular airframe design, high-speed propulsion, advanced networking, AI-driven autonomy, electronic warfare capabilities, and increased payload capacity.