The F-22 Raptor is the U.S. Air Force's current air superiority fighter, purpose-built to seize control of enemy airspace. It's capable of cruising faster than the speed of sound. It's an agile dogfighter. And it's considered to be so advanced that Congress passed a law making it illegal to sell the F-22 to any foreign government; it's that critical to national security.
But the Raptor fleet—which first debuted in 2005, and is currently made up of 185 aircraft—is aging. At the same time, new threats are emerging, notably from China, which has developed both surface-to-air missiles and long-range attack missiles. That means a fighter could be hit before it even takes off, and defensive missiles would prevent it from getting close enough to carry out its mission: sweeping the sky clear of enemy aircraft.
Enter Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), an Air Force program meant to build the world's first sixth-generation fighter, replace the F-22, and secure the service's power for decades to come. NGAD originated with a 2014 DARPA study, and in the ensuing decade plans crystallized for a "family of systems" with a large, crewed fighter at its heart, supported by smaller combat drones. |
The F-22 Raptor is the U.S. Air Force's current air superiority fighter, purpose-built to seize control of enemy airspace. It's capable of cruising faster than the speed of sound. It's an agile dogfighter. And it's considered to be so advanced that Congress passed a law making it illegal to sell the F-22 to any foreign government; it's that critical to national security.
But the Raptor fleet—which first debuted in 2005, and is currently made up of 185 aircraft—is aging. At the same time, new threats are emerging, notably from China, which has developed both surface-to-air missiles and long-range attack missiles. That means a fighter could be hit before it even takes off, and defensive missiles would prevent it from getting close enough to carry out its mission: sweeping the sky clear of enemy aircraft.
Enter Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), an Air Force program meant to build the world's first sixth-generation fighter, replace the F-22, and secure the service's power for decades to come. NGAD originated with a 2014 DARPA study, and in the ensuing decade plans crystallized for a "family of systems" with a large, crewed fighter at its heart, supported by smaller combat drones. |
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