Summary

  • USAF explores cost-efficient NGAD concepts amid budget constraints.
  • NGAD fighter costs estimated at $300 million per unit, prompting redesign considerations.
  • Boeing and Lockheed Martin are top candidates for next-gen platform development.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is considering significant concept and design changes for its planned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter in a move to cut down costs. The program’s future has recently come into question as the Air Force grapples with budget constraints.

USAF aiming to reduce NGAD costs

As per a Defense News report, USAF Secretary Frank Kendall iterated that the Air Force will not scrap plans to develop the new sixth-generation fighter jet and will instead explore more cost-efficient concepts. With the USAF facing soaring costs on other programs, most notably the B-21 Raider and Sentinel ICBM, it has some hard decisions to make about an aircraft envisioned as the future of its fleet. Kendall told Defense News,

“I can tell you that we are looking at the NGAD platform design concept to see if it’s the right concept or not. We’re looking at whether we can do something that’s less expensive and do some trade-offs there.”

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The USAF’s NGAD development and outlook is still hazy.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said last month that there were “a lot of very difficult options” to mull over regarding the NGAD. This could include a redesign of its Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) engines which, while retaining the adaptive concept, would be less powerful. The Air Force has already shifted towards fielding less-expensive Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), the unmanned drones supporting each central NGAD platform.

$300 million per unit estimate

With each NGAD fighter expected to cost upwards of $300 million, it is priced at more than three times the unit cost of each F-22 Raptor, the jet it will start phasing out next decade. The USAF stated earlier this year that it plans to acquire 200 fighters and 1,000 CCA’s with a view to entering service in the early 2030s.

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United States Air Force To Spend $28 Billion On Next-Generation Fighter Jet

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The USAF’s budget request for 2025 allocates over $2.7 billion towards development costs for the NGAD, on top of another $577 million for the platform’s CCA support drones, amounting to over $3.3 billion. This will go up to almost $7.3 billion in 2028 and $8.3 billion in 2029 ahead of the platform’s entry-to-service.

Two-horse production race

The USAF was expected to award a contract for the program this year, but may delay this decision pending future conceptual changes. With Northrup Grumman bowing out of the race to be a primary contractor, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are believed to be the two top candidates to develop the next-generation platform.

As Simple Flying explored earlier this week, Boeing could face a major headache if the US Department of Justice (DOJ) pursues criminal charges of fraud over the company’s misleading of authorities during the 737 MAX’s certification. Should it be found guilty of a felony, Boeing’s ability to win future defense contracts could be in jeopardy – although the US Government can authorize waivers to get around this, it could create complications with foreign customers.

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