NGAD Assessment to be Concluded by Year's End, According to Allvin
Unleashing the Next Generation: Air Force's F-47 and the Rise of Semi-Autonomous Combat Aircraft
By the year's end, the Air Force's next-gen combat jet’s fate will be sealed, according to Gen. David W. Allvin, the Air Force Chief of Staff. Speaking at the Military Reporters and Editors Conference in Washington D.C., he emphasized the importance of making an informed decision that could impact the Department's Presidential Budget Submission in February.
As conceived, the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat aircraft is a pricey, capable manned platform, currently paused as the Air Force weighs competing design options to replace the F-22 Raptor. The halt allows for careful consideration to avoid investing heavily in a capability that could be achieved at a lower cost with modified requirements.
Meanwhile, the Air Force's research into semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) is picking up pace. These unmanned aircraft, sans life-support systems, could potentially be developed at a fraction of the cost of manned fighters, leading to intriguing questions regarding the ideal mix of unmanned and manned aircraft.
Addressing these queries, Allvin stated, "NGAD is a family of systems...It includes Collaborative Combat Aircraft, which are uncrewed. But those are already underway." The Air Force aims to have over 150 CCAs in service within the next five years.
In today's rapidly changing defense landscape, driven by China's formidable military and its anti-access/area denial strategy in the South China Sea, the focus is no longer on just the manned NGAD platform's ability to breach defenses. The threat has grown significantly since the platform's design.
"We aren't as certain as we once were that this platform, when delivered, will meet the threat," Allvin admitted. As costs mount, the Air Force must decide whether this expensive program is the best choice under the given circumstances.
Defense Secretary Frank Kendall, on the other hand, is eying a far less costly alternative, aiming for NGAD capability at a price no more than today's F-35. This switch in perspective is largely due to the potential of CCAs, designed to work closely with F-35s and B-21 Raider bombers, potentially reducing the need for a penetrating combat jet and making additional B-21s more attractive.
Despite the pause, developing and deploying crewed NGAD aircraft remains an option, Allvin confirmed. "We’re not walked away from it," he assured. A blue-ribbon panel, including prestigious ex-Air Force officers, will review the evidence and propose a course of action by December.
Balancing cost, capability, and our evolving threats, the Air Force is striving to secure air superiority. As we analyze our choices, we'll determine if the currently envisioned NGAD platform, with its price tag of hundreds of millions, is the best fit for the anticipated threats and our budget.
A Glimpse into the Future: F-47, CCA, and the Evolving Air Combat Force
In the coming years, the Air Force will invest significantly in the F-47 NGAD fighter (with a projected budget of $3.5 billion for FY 2025) and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), understanding that both manned and unmanned aircraft will play pivotal roles in the future air combat force. While the advanced, stealthy F-47 will offer cutting-edge capabilities and air dominance, CCAs, with their cost-effective, semi-autonomous nature, will augment and complement the manned aircraft, contributing to a balanced, mixed-force architecture that ensures technological superiority and operational versatility in response to changing threats.
In the coming years, the Air Force will invest significantly in the F-47 NGAD fighter and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), understanding that both manned and unmanned aircraft will play pivotal roles in the future air combat force. The Air Force aims to have over 150 CCAs in service within the next five years, with the potential to work closely with F-35s and B-21 Raider bombers. While the advanced, stealthy F-47 will offer cutting-edge capabilities and air dominance, the cost-effective, semi-autonomous CCAs will augment and complement the manned aircraft, contributing to a balanced, mixed-force architecture that ensures technological superiority and operational versatility in response to changing threats. The Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. David W. Allvin, has stated that the NGAD platform's ability to breach defenses is no longer the sole focus due to the growing threat landscape, driven by advancements in China's military and its anti-access/area denial strategy in the South China Sea. As costs mount, the Air Force must decide whether the currently envisioned NGAD platform, with its price tag of hundreds of millions, is the best fit for the anticipated threats and the budget. The Air Force research into semi-autonomous CCAs is picking up pace, potentially being developed at a fraction of the cost of manned fighters, leading to intriguing questions regarding the ideal mix of unmanned and manned aircraft.
