Latest news with #NextGenerationAirDominance
Axios
13 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Trump administration shelves Navy's F/A-XX, citing industry strain
The Trump administration is icing the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX futuristic fighter in favor of the Air Force counterpart, the F-47, amid concerns U.S. defense contractors can't handle both. Why it matters: The highly secretive project has for months been in limbo. An F/A-XX contract announcement was supposed to quickly follow F-47 news, according to Reuters, but never materialized. Driving the news: Officials at the Pentagon told reporters the fiscal 2026 budget blueprint includes $74 million to finish design of the Navy warplane. They also said there is debate at the highest levels about its future. "We did make a strategic decision to go all-in on F-47, with a $3.4 billion request for that program, due to our belief that the industrial base can only handle going fast on one program at this time and the presidential priority [is] to go all-in on that F-47 and get that program right," one official said. Catch up quick: Boeing and Northrop Grumman are in the running for F/A-XX. The former bested Lockheed Martin in March for the multibillion-dollar F-47 contract, via the Next Generation Air Dominance effort. Friction point: Boeing executives pushed back on the narrative that it — and others — can't juggle. "From day one, capital investment was for both programs. We've done the same with our technology. We've done the same with our staffing," Steve Parker, the CEO of Boeing's defense business, told reporters at the Paris Air Show. "Absolutely, we can do it. And so can the industrial base. And so can the engine manufacturers. I don't really see that as being an issue." What we're watching: The Navy could end up with a tailored version of the F-47 instead.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Air Force sets up new Experimental Operations Unit for Collaborative Combat Aircraft
The U.S. Air Force's 53rd Wing officially elevated its Collaborative Combat Aircraft unit to a fully operational squadron. The new Experimental Operations Unit was formally activated on Thursday, June 5 at Nellis Air Force Base. The unit had previously operated as a detachment under the 53rd Wing, based in Nevada, since 2023. This week's activation as a fully operational squadron comes as the Air Force steps up testing of the first phase of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (or CCA) program. 'The EOU embodies our commitment to rapid innovation and ensuring our warfighters have the most advanced tools to dominate the future battlespace,' Col. Daniel Lehoski, commander of the 53rd Wing, said in the announcement from the Air Force. 'They are ready to reduce risk in concurrency and deliver capability faster.' CCA development is a part of the sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet program, which itself started as a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (or DARPA) project in 2015. The idea is to create remote controlled aircraft to be essentially uncrewed wingmen for pilots, with each crewed fighter jet able to give commands to the drones. While other branches of the armed forces are working on a greater integration of drones and other uncrewed systems, the Air Force's CCA program is unique in that it would act as an uncrewed force multiplier for crewed aircraft. The program is being developed in two stages, or increments as the Air Force refers to it. Increment 1 is currently testing some of the new aircraft, which were designated the YFQ-42A and the YFQ-44A in March, and made by General Atomics and Anduril, respectively. The new experimental operations unit at Nellis will start with running simulations out of the base's Virtual Warfare Center and the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center. The Air Force's stated plan is to eventually carry out actual flight tests based on those simulations. Lt. Col. Matthew Jensen, head of the Experimental Operations Unit, said that the new squadron's mission is to deliver 'combat-ready capabilities' to the force. 'Our vision is to create a collaborative combat ecosystem that is more agile, adaptable and lethal,' Jensen said. 'This will enable our forces to dominate the future battlespace and achieve decisive advantages in complex, contested environments.' The activation of the experimental operations unit comes only a few weeks after the Air Force began ground testing of CCA systems at Beale Air Force Base in California. Beale was selected as the home for the Air Force's first CCA Aircraft Readiness Unit. Navy SEAL Team 6 operator will be the military's new top enlisted leader Veterans receiving disability payments might have been underpaid, IG finds Guam barracks conditions are 'baffling,' Navy admiral says in email Navy fires admiral in charge of unmanned systems office after investigation The Pentagon wants troops to change duty stations less often
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What We Just Learned A More Advanced 'Ferrari' F-35 Could Include
Pilot-optional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be coming in the future as Lockheed Martin looks for ways to ensure the jets remain relevant for decades to come. Technology from the company's unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter competition, along with new coatings and other modifications, could also go into what it has previously called a 'Ferrari' or 'NASCAR upgrade' to the F-35's core 'chassis.' The feasibility of this proposal, as well as the huge claim that it could produce a jet with 80 percent of the capability of a sixth-generation design at 50 percent of the cost, remains very much in question. In the meantime, Lockheed Martin says overall demand for the F-35 remains strong and that new customers, potentially including Saudi Arabia and India, could be on the horizon. Speaking at Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference yesterday, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said he thinks that, in the space of two to three years, 'we could have a meaningful increase in capability for the F-35' by porting some of the NGAD technologies over. In March, the Air Force announced that Boeing had won the NGAD combat jet competition with a design now designated the F-47. The two-to-three-year timeline relates to 'first flight and integration,' Taiclet added, noting that any upgrades would have to be phased into production gradually 'because you cannot introduce too much new equipment or too much new software at once, necessarily without interrupting the production flow.' As for the kinds of technologies being considered, Taiclet specifically mentioned new infrared and radar coatings applied on the surface of the aircraft. The implication here is that sixth-generation stealth coatings developed under the NGAD program could be applied to the existing F-35 airframe for an improvement in its low-observable qualities, and likely also its maintainability. The U.S. military has also been observed conducting secretive tests of new mirror-like coatings on F-35s, as well as F-22 Raptor and F-117 Nighthawk stealth jets, in recent years. Taiclet also raised the possibility of more invasive design changes that would address parts of the F-35's core structure. 'There have been some adjustments or learnings, I'll say, on outer mold line, which is the actual shape of the aircraft itself, especially with regard to engine inlets and outflow nozzles that we might be able to again improve on the F-35 without redesigning it,' the Lockheed Martin CEO explained. Engine intakes and exhausts are some of the most sensitive areas for low-observable (stealthy) aircraft. The F-35's rear aspect radar signature is a known weak spot of the design, and improvements here would clearly be welcome, especially as enemy air defenses become more potent. 'There's also electronic warfare improvements, networking improvements, and autonomy,' Taiclet added. Of these, autonomy is judged as being 'really critical' and would be the factor that could make the F-35 pilot optional. Since a lot of the work on autonomy has already been done, Taiclet thinks that a pilot-optional version of the F-35 could become a reality 'over a relatively modest timeframe.' Lockheed Martin's chief executive did not elaborate on what might be required, technically, to add pilot-optional capability to the F-35, but it does seem readily feasible given the aircraft's digitized, open architecture avionics and communications suite. At the same time, the benefits that a pilot-optional F-35 might offer would seem to be of debatable value. The F-35 is also already set to get major electronic warfare enhancements and more as part of the forthcoming Block 4 upgrade package, which we will come back to later on. Finally, in terms of bringing NGAD technologies into the F-35, Taiclet mentioned the possibility of introducing unspecified weapons that have been developed, or which are in development, for the sixth-generation fighter. With some or all of these new technologies, Lockheed Martin sees the opportunity to transform the F-35 into what Taiclet described as 'a more capable fifth-gen-plus version' of the Joint Strike Fighter. The idea of a reworked F-35 is something that Taiclet had raised back in April, soon after Boeing was selected as the winner of the NGAD crewed fighter competition, with its F-47. At the time, he had discussed a 'Ferrari' or 'NASCAR upgrade' for the F-35, but did not provide concrete details of what that might entail. He did, however, note a goal of offering 80-percent of the capability of the NGAD crewed fighter capability at just half the cost. Yesterday, Taiclet reiterated the 80 percent/50 percent target, which remains highly ambitious. 'That's a set of targets that we're going after as a company,' he said. 'We're recommending consideration of some of those ideas to the U.S. government right now.' Absent from Taiclet's conversation yesterday was the so-called F-55, a purported development of the F-35 that U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned while talking to the press earlier this month. Trump described the F-55 as a twin-engined F-35 and also discussed an 'F-22 Super' that would be an upgraded version of the Raptor. At yesterday's Strategic Decisions Conference, Lockheed Martin's Taiclet did say that a similarly ambitious upgrade effort to the one described for the F-35 could be applied to the F-22. The F-22 fleet is already set to receive a number of important upgrades in the coming years, including a new Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), additional sensor improvements, and stealthy drop tanks. Work to modernize the Raptors had already been feeding into the NGAD program. It's also worth noting that President Trump had raised the prospect of an F-55 while on a trip to the Persian Gulf region, raising the question about whether it might have been tied to interest from the countries in the region. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabian officials had again met with their American counterparts about the possibility of purchasing F-35s. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar have reportedly sought to buy Joint Strike Fighters in the past, as well. Concerns about the erosion of Israel's so-called 'qualitative military edge' and operational security issues are reported to have hampered progress on such sales in the past. The Israeli Air Force is currently the only F-35 operator in the Middle East. It's also interesting to note here that Qatar and Saudi Arabia both played significant roles in Boeing's development of versions of the Advanced Eagle, which the U.S. Air Force is now benefiting from with its F-15EX Eagle II. Now, 'in air superiority, there's a discussion about a path to fifth generation in Saudi Arabia,' Taiclet said yesterday. 'There'll be multiple steps in that. It could take some time, but I think if we can work with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE on really bolstering their air superiority capabilities and their integrated air and defense capabilities … there will be really significant opportunity for the company along those lines, and a few others too.' It's not entirely clear from Taiclet's remarks here if he means there might also be a pathway emerging for potential 'fifth-generation' fighter sales to Qatar and the UAE, as well as Saudi Arabia. New 'air superiority capabilities and their integrated air and defense capabilities' could include sales of advanced F-16s, which are already heading to the region for the Royal Bahraini Air Force, as well as ground-based air and missile defense systems that Lockheed Martin produces. Lockheed Martin has already found significant export opportunities in the Middle East for its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system and the PAC-3 series of interceptors for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. Taiclet also talked about the potential for F-35 sales to India and re-raised the possibility of selling that country a particularly advanced F-16 derivative called the F-21. Though hard details remain elusive, the Indian Air Force looks to have lost at least some number of fourth-generation fighters in the course of a brief, but intense conflict with Pakistan earlier this month that also put the spotlight on Chinese fighter exports. 'I think the F-16 also has strong legs, if you will, and more [and] increasing interest as we go forward from a number of countries that aren't quite ready for F-35,' Taiclet said. There are 'some countries that could see F-21 or F-16, for India, for example, as a stepping stone to F-35.' 'We've already started with the wing section. So, F-16 wings are co-produced in India for export to other nations,' the Lockheed Martin CEO added. 'We've made commitments to literally the highest level of the Indian government, that should they choose F-21, which is the modernized version of the F-16, that we would initiate production as feasible in India for final assembly of the aircraft, as well as the wings.' Circling back to the F-35, in general, Taiclet also talked yesterday about the ongoing issues with that program. Work on the aforementioned Block 4 package, and the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) improvements that the jets have to receive first, continues to face delays. Taiclet blamed issues tied to an upgrade to the Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which is one part of Block 4, as being a major factor. You can read more about the existing DAS, and the threat warning and general situational awareness capabilities it offers, here. 'TR-3 is a technology refreshment, a technology upgrade, from the prior F-35 core processor, which is basically the onboard server computer; a data storage unit, which is much more robust and can hold and process a lot more information; and then a pilot display generator that is the next generation, is more sophisticated, more capable,' Taiclet explained. Then there is 'a software package, or firmware package, really, that integrates the core processor server, the data storage unit and the display, display generator, into the aircraft itself.' 'The hardware is complete. It's being produced at scale at L3Harris. The software integration with the aircraft is also complete, and so TR-3 has met its completion milestones. What's going on now is that aircraft are being run through the factory with TR-3, plus the first hardware component, or one of the initial hardware components, of the Block 4 upgrade to the aircraft hardware,' he continued. 'That piece of equipment is called a Distributed Aperture System, which is six apertures or antennas located around the aircraft that provide lots of sensing capabilities.' 'The holdup now is that the sensor set — a new piece of hardware and its own software and its own firmware — has to now integrate with the TR-3 aircraft, and that is a little bit behind schedule,' he added. 'Once that catches up, we think by the end of this year, then all those aircraft that have been delivered will be combat-capable.' The ongoing struggles with Block 4 and TR-3 do raise further questions about the fifth-generation-plus F-35 proposal, which involves relatively drastic changes to the aircraft beyond what is being worked on now, as well as the 80 percent/50 percent claim. There are also ongoing supply chain and other sustainment problems that present serious cost growth concerns for current and future operators, something TWZ has explored in detail in the past. 'Our first priority is the health of the F-35 program. What we suggested is longer-term production and sustainment agreements … where we could stabilize the supply chain, get some costs down, and make sure that we can deliver on time and on schedule more reliably,' according to Taiclet. It remains to be seen whether a fifth-generation-plus variant or derivative of the F-35 ultimately materializes. At the same time, Lockheed Martin at least working toward that end could provide the U.S. military a hedge against delays or other issues in the continued development of the F-47. The future outlook for the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation stealth fighter is currently murky, as well. The F-35 presents is an in-production design that can be leveraged, potentially even just in name. As a comparative example, the Navy first fielded the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a significantly different aircraft from preceding F/A-18 Hornet variants, after the cancellation of far more advanced, expensive, and entirely new designs. Regardless, Lockheed Martin looks committed to seeing how far it can push the bounds of the design, including possibly removing the pilot from the equation, as it pursues new export opportunities. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Allvin: Air Force owns more tech on F-47, dodging F-35 mistake
The Air Force's acquisition strategy shift on the F-47 sixth-generation fighter will give the service greater ownership of the jet's technology and allow quicker and easier future upgrades, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Tuesday. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Allvin confirmed to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., that the service is taking a markedly different acquisition approach to the Boeing-made F-47, previously referred to as Next Generation Air Dominance, than it did on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. 'The primary difference is that we now have more control over the [F-47] project as it moves forward,' Allvin said. 'We have in-sourced more. We have more ownership of the tech base. We guided a government reference architecture, so we own the mission systems. And so others can come in and play, but we own the development, the upgrade.' A government reference architecture, or GRA, is a road map provided by the government that guides a program's design, development, production and sustainment processes. Top Air Force officials, particularly former Secretary Frank Kendall, have publicly expressed regret for how the military's F-35 deal with Lockheed Martin was structured. In a May 2023 roundtable with reporters, Kendall lamented the Pentagon did not obtain rights to the F-35's sustainment data from Lockheed Martin when the original deal was signed. This stemmed from the acquisition philosophy of the time, called Total System Performance, which meant the contractor on a program would own it for the system's entire life cycle. The Government Accountability Office also highlighted in a September 2023 report the consequences of failing to obtain rights to F-35 technical data, which have hindered the military's ability to sustain the jet on its own and slowed down repairs. Kendall felt so strongly that this was a major misstep that in the May 2023 discussion, he referred to it as 'acquisition malpractice,' and said such an approach creates 'a perpetual monopoly' for the contractor. He pledged the Air Force would not make that 'serious mistake' on the NGAD program and said the service would have access to the intellectual property it needs. Kendall also said the NGAD aircraft would use a modular open system design that would allow the Air Force to bring in new suppliers as it upgrades parts of the system. Allvin's comments Tuesday seem to confirm that approach was used in finalizing Boeing's deal with the Air Force to create the F-47. And he said this will allow rapid software-based upgrades that aren't reliant on the original contractor. 'The upgrades can come at the speed of software, not hardware. [Upgrades] can come at the speed of our engineers understanding how fast to advance, versus dealing with the contractor and paying the extra cost,' Allvin said. Future technology upgrades will also be more easily added to the service's nascent collaborative combat aircraft, the YFQ-42 and YFQ-44, which are being designed by General Atomics and Anduril Industries, Allvin said. 'They're all going to be under the same mission systems architecture,' Allvin said. 'So we won't just be upgrading one platform, we'll be upgrading a system, and so the American taxpayer will get more combat capability out of their money.' Allvin also said the service was learning from the F-35 program's mistakes on the F-47. 'We're going to have some conversations about F-35 and how we don't want to repeat that,' he said.
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Incredible details of ‘world's most lethal weapon' emerge…Trump's F47 fighter jet boasts huge range & ‘double X' stealth
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) INCREDIBLE new details about the US jet touted as the "world's most lethal weapon" have emerged, setting out Trump's plan to rule the skies. The chief of the US airforce dropped bombshell new stats about the F-47 - designed to destroy anything China can fly. 6 The state-of-the-art weapons will slice through the air at twice the speed of sound Credit: instagram 6 General David Allvin, US airforce chief, released this graphic Credit: US Air Force 6 The lethal jet is named after Trump - though he insists it wasn't his idea Credit: EPA 6 General David Allvin posted a new graphic showing off America's "next generation of air dominance". He revealed that the incoming F-47 - named after Trump, the 47th president - will be operational in the period 2025-2029. There are two keys stats that mark out the F-47 as the most advanced US jet ever. First is the stealth rating; the next gen fighter is the first to be stamped with "Stealth++" - meaning it will be the most covert yet. And the combat radius was revealed to be at least 1000 nautical miles - much further than the next-highest figure of 690nm from the F-15E(X)E. The general defined the top speed as Mach 2+, which means it will fly at more than twice the speed of sound. We also learned that at least 185 of the F-47s are on order - matching the size of the F-22 fleet. General Alvin vowed that, with the next generation of airborne gadgets, the US air force would "continue to be the world's best example of speed, agility and lethality". He added: "Modernization means fielding a collection of assets that provide unique dilemmas for adversaries - matching capabilities to threats - while keeping us on the right side of the cost curve." The spanking-new jet was first announced back in March by Trump, alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office. US military stages biggest EVER 'elephant walk' with supersonic jets, helicopters & drones in show of force to China At its launched, another key feature was flaunted. Embracing the development of new warfare technology, the F-47 will be accompanied by its own drone swarm. Program coordinators plan to use sophisticated robotic wingmen designed by Anduril Industries and General Atomics in the drones, according to Axios. Trump didn't confirm how much the project would cost, but a source close to the Next Generation Air Dominance pegged it at upwards of $20billion. A huge cash wad has been set aside to fund the programme and ensure America's air defences remain dominant. 6 The F-47 has been stamped with the highest stealth rating ever Credit: instagram 6 Trump proudly unveiled the new-gen jet in March Credit: EPA Two months ago, Trump hailed these jets as 'the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built'. He added: "The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technologies, virtually unseeable and unprecedented power," and called the title a "beautiful name". "There's never been anything like it," he concluded. It's no wonder Trump approves of the name - as it comes from his own position as 47th president. However, he insisted that it was not his own work, but devised by his generals. The contract for the deadly new military aircraft was awarded to the struggling American company Boeing - replacing Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. This marked a major improvement in the company's fortune. Boeing will eventually receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract's multi-decade lifetime.
