2022 Fighter Jet - This concept art from Boeing shows a possible design for the Air Force's future fighter jet, called the Next Generation Air Dominance. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said each manned NGAD fighter could cost millions of dollars. (Boeing)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force's secretive Next Generation Air Dominance future fighter program could be the most expensive aircraft program in history, with each piloted, sixth-generation aircraft expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.
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Asked about NGAD's price tag during a Wednesday appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall did not specify how much an individual aircraft might cost, but said the cost of the service could be "a lot."
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"It's a number that's going to get your attention," Kendall said. "It's going to be an expensive airplane."
Kendall said the NGAD would be "incredibly effective," but it would have to be accompanied by a less expensive platform to extend its reach in combat, which he sees as a team of autonomous drone wingmen.
The Air Force does not have an estimate of how much NGAD's autonomous wingmen might cost. But in his keynote speech at the Air Force Association's March convention in Orlando, Florida, Kendall said the service wants those combat drones to cost no more than half as much as their human counterparts.
But if the manned component of the NGAD will cost several hundred million dollars, it suggests that the Wingman could cost as much or more than the F-35.
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Kendall said the NGAD program so far in its development phase is taking appropriate steps to keep costs down over the long term. This is done using a modular design and interface to ensure the aircraft can easily receive upgrades and maintenance.
"It's worth the time and effort to get those things right in the early stages of a program like NGAD because you're going to pay for the work done in a lot of dollars later," Kendall said. "And from what I've seen of the NGAD program so far, that approach has been taken."
Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J. In response to concerns raised by the Air Force, that the NGAD schedule could be "shifted to the right," Kendall said the Air Force is looking to deploy the NGAD in the early 2030s. The service plans to fly the upgraded F-22 jet until then.
Stephen Losey is an air war reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He went to the Middle East to cover US Air Force operations.
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