America Just Scrapped Plans for Its Secret Stealth Fighter — But Has Something Even More Fearsome in the Works.
The U.S. Air Force is hitting the reset button on one of its most crucial future weapons: the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Intended to replace the legendary F-22A Raptor, the NGAD was envisioned to be the world’s first sixth-generation fighter. However, after years of development, the program is being sent back to the drawing board. Why? The Air Force needs to figure out exactly what it wants from its next air superiority fighter for the 2030s and beyond — and how to bring that vision to life.
The F-22A, designed in the late 1980s, is still one of the most formidable aircraft in the world But with rapidly advancing Russian and Chinese fighters, the Air Force believes it’s time for something new. According to General Jim Slife, the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, the service is rethinking the purpose of the NGAD. Two key questions now shape the program: how do we achieve air superiority in the increasingly contested airspaces of the future, and how do we design a manned, sixth-generation fighter that can lead that charge? These are two very different challenges, and they both need answers.
This rethink highlights a fundamental problem with modern fighter jet development: by the time a new plane rolls off the production line, the technology it was based on might already be outdated. That’s why, in July, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hit pause on the NGAD to review the data and ensure it’s heading in the right direction. The Air Force now wants to incorporate new technologies that have emerged since the aircraft was first envisioned in the mid-2010s.
As part of this process, the Air Force is consulting with major defense contractors — referred to as “primes” — like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as engine makers General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. These companies will compete for the contract to build NGAD, and their expertise will help shape the future of the program.
The story of NGAD goes back to 2016, when the Air Force determined it needed a replacement for the F-22A, initially calling it Penetrating Counter Air (PCA). By the late 2010s, PCA had evolved into NGAD. Then, in 2020, Wil Roper, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force at the time, shocked the world by revealing that a prototype of the new fighter had already been designed, built, and flown — all in just one year. However, the plane was never shown to the public, and little information has come out since.
What we do know is intriguing. The NGAD fighter is expected to have revolutionary features, including an AI co-pilot — akin to R2D2 from Star Wars — to assist human pilots in complex combat situations. It’s also expected to come with a hefty price tag: between $250 million and $300 million per jet. The Air Force plans to buy at least 200 NGAD fighters, each accompanied by several drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
This is where things get really interesting. NGAD isn’t just about building a new fighter; it’s about creating a “family of systems” where manned fighters and AI-powered drones work together. These drones will carry sensors, jammers, and weapons, allowing the NGAD fighter to see and strike farther, all while keeping pilots out of harm’s way.
Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, a director at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, points out that NGAD will be more than just another fighter jet. It’s being designed to operate in some of the most contested environments on the planet. These drones, or CCAs, will act as force multipliers, giving pilots the ability to engage more targets while minimizing the risk to human lives.
As the Air Force reconsiders NGAD’s path forward, it’s also looking to bake in emerging technologies that weren’t around when the program started. These could include advancements in AI, stealth, and possibly classified tech like onboard lasers. By integrating these capabilities from the get-go, the Air Force hopes to avoid the need for costly upgrades later.
But there’s another big challenge: cost. With a price tag of $250 million to $300 million per jet, NGAD is not going to come cheap. And with the Air Force also needing to fund other programs, like the F-35, new jet trainers, and next-generation bombers like the B-21 Raider, something might have to give. The Air Force is hoping to keep costs in check by improving the efficiency of the development and manufacturing process, but it might have to reduce NGAD’s capabilities or delay some features until later.
Despite these hurdles, NGAD could be the most important weapons program of the 21st century. If the Air Force gets it right, it will create a fleet of fighters and drones that not only dominate the skies but also act as a powerful deterrent to America’s adversaries. And if conflict does arise, NGAD could help win wars swiftly and decisively — perhaps even preventing a catastrophic escalation into nuclear warfare.
But first, the Air Force needs to make sure it gets NGAD right this time. There’s a lot riding on this program, and the world is watching.
