Air Force Officials: Budget, New Technologies Impact Next Generation Stealth Fighter Requirement Revamp

U.S. Air Force leaders said that several factors are affecting the decision to revamp the requirements for the Next-Generation Air Dominance, a new stealth fighter aircraft platform. 

Incorporating the latest technologies is a factor behind the decision to reexamine the requirements. Mark Gunzinger, director of future aerospace concepts and capabilities assessments at the Mitchell Institute, said that NGA needs to improve its stealth, long range and weapons capabilities. Funding is another issue, with Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, a 2024 Wash100 winner and a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, expressing concerns over its future, DefenseScoop reported.

A concept study that started in 2014 with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the NGAD aims to develop a long-range crewed fighter jet with advanced sensors and a weapons payload ideal for operating in highly contested environments.

Besides modernizing its fleet of fighter jets, the Air Force is also ensuring its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are up to par with those of its aircraft. In a Mitchell Institute webinar, Lt. Gen. Leah Lauderback, deputy chief of staff for ISR and cyber effects operations at the Air Force, shared that the military branch will be prioritizing ISR digital modernization and data gathering after securing the needed funding.