Secretary Hegseth then made allegations about how the Biden Administration handled this program, including a pause. As Biden Administration Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall shared with the Mitchell Institute last December:
"I don't want to make a decision that's going to be disrupted and reversed, potentially by the new team, and whatever we decided to do about that mix of programs, the new team is going to want to be able to support it and take it forward for the next four years. So I felt it was really smart in this case, to delay a decision. The analysis is mostly done... I want them to own this decision. "
The United States Air Force posted a lengthy statement about today's NGAD decision. Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin said at the White House announcement:
"Air dominance is not a birthright, but it's become synonymous with American air power. . . And with this F-47 as the crown jewel in the next generation air dominance family of systems, we're going to be able to keep that promise well into the future. "
General Allvin further explained:
"This provides more options for the President... It's more deterrence, more capability. It's what peace through strength looks like into the future, Mr. President. "
The official United States Air Force statement read:
"The Next Generation Air Dominance Platform (the F-47) contract is a monumental leap forward in securing America’s air superiority for decades to come... With t he F-47 , we are not just building another fighter – we are shaping t he future of warfare . . . "
Boeing also released its statement on winning t he F -4 contract:
< p >"Next -Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform will usher in a new generation o f United States fighter jets ... " said Steve Parker , interim president an d chief executive officer , Boeing Defense , Space & Security . p >< p >Other defense firms responded as well . Lockheed Martin stated : p >< p >"Lockheed Martin continues t o work t o advance critical technologies ... While disappointed wit h this outcome , we ar e confident w e delivered a competitive solution ... " p >< p >More updates will follow on this historic day for military aviation . p >
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