US Air Force pushes NGAD decision to Trump administration

The US Air Force (USAF) has said that the decision on what direction the US government will take on the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter will be deferred to the Trump administration.

Department of the USAF spokesperson, Anne Stefanek, said: “The Secretary of the Air Force will defer the Next Generation Air Dominance way ahead decision to the next administration, while the Department of the Air Force continues its analysis and executes the necessary actions to ensure decision space remains intact for the NGAD program.”

While a USAF source said that the demise of NGAD was “grossly exaggerated” in November, the selection process for the project still remains on hold since an announcement from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in July 2024.

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Furthermore, a contract award for the NGAD platform was supposed to have been announced by the end of 2024, following a statement by US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin.

The Air Force also said in the newly released statement that it intends to extend its current contracts for technology maturation on the programme to further mature designs/systems while ensuring the industry teams remain intact”. It also asked industry partners to update its proposals, considering the programme’s paused state.

The two companies vying for the bid are thought to be Lockheed Martin and Boeing, following Northrop Grumman’s exit in 2023.

Described as a ‘family of systems’, NGAD comprises a crewed 6^thgeneration combat aircraft, supported by Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The jet would replace the F-22 Raptor.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USAF]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

F-22A Raptor