A Halt to Crewed Fighter Development May Save USAF From Ill-Timed Next-Gen Fighter on Eve of UAV Gold Rush
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said that the project to develop a suitable replacement for the F-15 and F-22 fighter systems has been paused due to concerns about the 'high costs' of the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter. The industry has heard no shortage of water-cooler whispers regarding the death of NGAD, which were only put to rest when Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall spoke on the issue at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Industry Day. His take on it was optimistic, in a purely bureaucratic sense: Avoiding development now could ultimately create a much better aircraft, both in terms of cost and mission.