No official Raptor replacement

edpop · by **edpop** » 11 Jul 2024, 22:33

Air Force Now Says It Has No Official F-22 Raptor Replacement

A sixth-generation fighter being developed under the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance program was supposed to supplant the Raptor but its future is increasingly uncertain.

Full article: https://www.twz.com/air/air-force-now-s ... eplacement

optimist · by **optimist** » 12 Jul 2024, 00:35

"Still, Wilsbach said he expects the NGAD aircraft downselect will happen this year. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are in the running for the contract award."

weasel1962 · by **weasel1962** » 12 Jul 2024, 02:19

Next budget might be a Trump one with both houses in support. Funding issues might not be as dire.

Might be a good idea for AF/Pentagon to punt this to next year.

daswp · by **daswp** » 12 Jul 2024, 03:41

weasel1962 wrote:Next budget might be a Trump one with both houses in support. Funding issues might not be as dire.

Might be a good idea for AF/Pentagon to punt this to next year.

Republicans are not as "Defense Friendly" as they want people to think.

sharon_11 · by **sharon_11** » 12 Jul 2024, 08:44

This talk will persist until the Chinese get around to testing a 6th gen fighter. At that point everyone will be scrambling trying to figure out how we let the Chinese catch up with us. There will be congressional hearings and such. headline "the generation that gave up U.S. sir superiority". Even if you are long retired from the pentagon, the decisions makers will be hounded. I think this is a cry for funding. I can't see anyone stupid enough to go down this path unless they have some real game changing black program.

botsing · by **botsing** » 12 Jul 2024, 09:31

sharon_11 wrote:This talk will persist until the Chinese get around to testing a 6th gen fighter.

It is more likely that a news outlet will create a sensational non-story about how another state 'suddenly has a 6th generation fighter,' while in the real world the experts are still debating what aspects would make a fighter a true 6th gen anyway.

I that regards we already have the Gripen as a 6th gen according to Bill Sweetman.

Corsair1963 · by **Corsair1963** » 16 Jul 2024, 03:51

optimist wrote:"Still, Wilsbach said he expects the NGAD aircraft downselect will happen this year. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are in the running for the contract award."

Honestly, we are still very much in the early stages of development of such stealth fighters as the J-20 and F-35. Let alone newer types of ones like the J-31, KAAN, and KF-21...

In short, the current designs are still far from mature. So, are we really capable of making a big leap to something like a 6th Generation Fighter. My guess is the development time of the latter is greatly underestimated.

mor10 · by **mor10** » 19 Jul 2024, 17:12

New U.S. Air Force Leaders Recast F-22 Retirement Plans

With no replacement in sight and a $14 billion pipeline of upgrades in progress, the U.S. Air Force’s niche fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors is suddenly enjoying a long, bright future. After being marked three years ago for retirement by the end of this decade by a former Air Force chief of...

The rest is behind a paywall

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/new-us-air-force-leaders-recast-f-22-retirement-plans