Sixth-gen jet selection likely in ‘24, Air Combat Command chief says

The head of Air Combat Command on Wednesday said he expects the Air Force to choose which company will develop its sixth-generation fighter jet later this year.

The fate of the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems has been in question recently, as looming budget crunches have called its affordability into question . In an interview with Defense News in June, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall declined to comment about potential changes when asked if NGAD’s contract remained on track for 2024.

But when asked about plans for a selection on NGAD in a virtual forum hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, ACC commander Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said, “I do expect it to be this year.”

The Air Force last year released a solicitation for NGAD, a family of systems that is expected to include an advanced piloted aircraft, drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft, a cutting-edge engine, and more, and said that contract would be awarded in 2024.

Looming budget crunches have called into question whether the Air Force can afford NGAD, at least as it has so far been envisioned. In a June 28 interview with Defense News, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall reiterated the service’s commitment to fielding a next-generation family of systems, but said it is looking for ways to bring its costs down.

NGAD, in its current planned form, is likely to be “a very expensive platform,” Kendall said in Defense News interview, which would limit the size of its potential fleet.

“It’s three times, roughly, the cost of an F-35, and we can only afford it in small numbers,” Kendall said. An F-35 costs roughly $80 million to $100 million, depending on which version.

Kendall also declined to comment to Defense News when asked if the NGAD contract will still be awarded this year.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing are expected to be the contenders for NGAD. Northrop Grumman said in 2023 it decided not to bid on the program as a prime contractor.

The Air Force plans to use NGAD to replace its F-22 Raptor fighter fleet sometime in the 2030s.

And to help free up funds to pay for developing NGAD, the Air Force has repeatedly proposed retiring about 32 F-22s – older block 20 versions that are now not able to fly in combat, and that the service says would cost too much to make combat-ready.

On Wednesday, Wilsbach differed from the Air Force on those F-22s, particularly if NGAD gets delayed.

“I’m in favor of keeping the Block 20s,” Wilsbach said. “They give us a lot of training value, and even if we had to, in an emergency, use the Block 20s in a combat situation, they’re very capable.”

And Wilsbach hinted that an end to the year-long F-35 delivery halt that has piled up new jets at Lockheed’s factory in Fort Worth, Texas, may be near.

Last July, the Defense Department stopped accepting new F-35s intended to have a series of hardware and software upgrades known as Technology Refresh 3. But software integration problems, as well as delays in some hardware, has stalled the TR-3 effort, and the military refused to accept those planes.

TR-3 includes improved computer memory, processing power, and upgraded cockpit displays for the F-35. It is needed to allow a more expansive upgrade known as Block 4 , which will allow the jet to carry more weapons, better recognize targets, and conduct better electronic warfare operations.

TR-3 is not yet complete, but Lockheed and the F-35 program have focused on getting an interim version of the software into the plane that would allow jets to undergo the test flights needed for acceptance, and then be delivered. Those jets would not be able to fly in combat until next year, Lockheed said earlier this year, and would first be used for training flights.