USAF Warns New Aircraft Might Cost Too Much

The online military information source The War Zone published a detailed report this week focused on  U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall addressing financial “uncertainty” involving current modernization efforts. In his keynote address at the Airlift/Tanker Association’s annual symposium last Friday (Nov. 1), Kendall discussed the affordability of new stealth fighters, advanced aerial refueling tankers and highly autonomous drones. He said the USAF’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, the Next Generation Air Refueling System efforts, and the sixth-generation combat jet program (also known as the Penetrating Counter-Air [PCA] platform) with its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone program are assembled under the wider NGAD umbrella, and that affordability is a problem.

Kendall told attendees they might have heard that the Department of the Air Force is reconsidering the sixth-generation fighter. “This isn’t entirely accurate,” he said, “or at least it is incomplete. We are actually looking hard at the combination of the Next Generation Air Dominance platform, the Increment Two uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and the Next Generation Aerial Refueling System, all in an Agile Combat Employment context.”

“These three potential new designs and platforms are all tied together,” he continued, “both operationally and from an affordability perspective. We are working through a sprint of about four months of effort to determine the best combination of capabilities to pursue at various investment levels. Right now, given our commitments, our resources, and strategic priorities, it’s hard for me to see how we can afford any combination of those new designs.”