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NGAD EXCLUSIVE: Air Force secretary cracks door for unmanned next-gen fighter
Breaking Defense ^ | July 22, 2024 at 4:08 AM | Michael Marrow

Posted on 07/23/2024 4:09:05 AM PDT by Fish Speaker

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW 2024 — Amid a revolution in air combat, the head of the US Air Force said Saturday he’s “reasonably confident” America’s next-generation fighter aircraft will have a pilot, leaving the door open, however slightly, for a radical departure from a fully manned system.

“I’m confident there’s going to be a sixth-generation fighter. I’m reasonably confident that it’s going to be crewed,” Kendall told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview over the weekend.

That the Air Force is seemingly unsure whether the aircraft will need a pilot, and presumably a cockpit to house them, suggests the service may need to revisit even the most basic requirements for its Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, even as it had originally planned to award a contract for the aircraft sometime this year. Speaking broadly of potential changes, Kendall said it would be “reasonable” to conclude the Air Force needs to go back to do a more substantive analysis on the NGAD’s design and capability requirements.

“We’re having conversations right now about what to do and how to move forward,” Kendall said, pushing back on recent comments by Air Combat Command boss Gen. Ken Wilsbach that a down select for NGAD was likely coming in 2024. “What [Wilsbach] said is not the last word on that.”

Kendall has recently raised the prospect of serious changes to NGAD, suggesting in previous interviews that the Air Force was working to ensure the service has the right concept — and for a reasonable price. Expanding on his thinking, Kendall said a key consideration is the overall price encompassing the air vehicle and engine, noting that the powerplant is “just a piece of it” and “not by itself a big driver.”

(Excerpt) Read more at breakingdefense.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: airforce; ngad; usaf
Kendall is concerned about the overall cost of NGAD, and an unmanned NGAD would be cheaper than a manned one. However, they may compromise and make it "optionally" manned, meaning it can be flown either way.
1 posted on 07/23/2024 4:09:05 AM PDT by Fish Speaker
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To: Fish Speaker

A big giant drone.


2 posted on 07/23/2024 4:16:26 AM PDT by Jonty30 (Trump beat Hilary in 2016. He ended her kill streak in 2024.)
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To: Fish Speaker
UAVs have pilots, just not on-board.
3 posted on 07/23/2024 4:29:57 AM PDT by nuke_road_warrior (Making the world safe for nuclear power for over 20 years)
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To: nuke_road_warrior

For now. If we ever get in a real war AI kill planes will start flying very quickly.


4 posted on 07/23/2024 5:21:20 AM PDT by Renfrew (Muscovia delenda est)
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To: Jonty30

Does it run on microsoft windows?


5 posted on 07/23/2024 6:14:36 AM PDT by armourenthusiast (I capitalize everything related to South)
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To: Renfrew

If we ever get in a real war AI kill planes will start flying very quickly.

Only if the satellites that command them remain operational.


6 posted on 07/23/2024 7:10:03 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: PIF

That’s the advantage of AI. It’s fully autonomous. The vulnerability of every drone is its external connections. No need for a satellite connection.


7 posted on 07/23/2024 7:24:34 AM PDT by Renfrew (Muscovia delenda est)
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