The Pentagon's next-generation air dominance (NGAD) effort to develop follow-on technologies to the US Air Force's (USAF's) and US Navy's (USN's) Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the USN's Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is taking shape and will include improvements to low-observable capability and aircraft range, according to the service's top scientific research and technology official.
The USAF in May released its "Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan" announcing that it would rapidly develop a programme that mates cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and even space capabilities to advance the state of the art in air-to-air and air-to-ground warfare. While the new programme is expected to harness disparate capabilities, NGAD is defined by improvements in two key areas - stealth and range - according to USAF chief scientist Greg Zacharias. more
