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Air Force ‘taking a pause’ on NGAD next-gen fighter - July 30, 2024

July 30, 2024


The Air Force is "taking a few months right now to figure out whether we've got the right design and make sure we're on the right course," said Secretary Frank Kendall, while other NGAD elements move forward.



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DAYTON, Ohio — After months of hinting at a disruption in the program, the US Air Force has formally decided to “pause” its effort to field a new stealth fighter, according to Secretary Frank Kendall.


“We’re taking a pause there,” Kendall said today at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference here. “With the platform itself, we’re taking a pause. With the rest of the elements of the air dominance family of systems, we’re moving forward as fast as we can.”

Kendall did not precisely specify how long the service’s plans to field the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)  fighter may be pushed out, casting the pause as consistent with previous comments on taking a “hard look” at the jet’s design. But he did share that officials are “taking a few months right now to figure out whether we’ve got the right design and make sure we’re on the right course.”


And though the service’s seeming cold feet have prompted some to fear an outright cancellation, Kendall batted down those concerns. “I’m absolutely confident we’re still going to do a sixth-generation crewed aircraft,” he said. Even a slight pause could be unwelcome news to aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the primes believed to be competing for the lucrative NGAD contract. A separate effort involving manufacturers GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney is also underway to develop the fighter’s engine, though Kendall did not discuss any delays with the parallel engine program.



 
 
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