From 2024 onward, the U.S. Air Force has suspended the implementation of the NGF (Next Generation Fighter) 6th-gen fighter jet project, developed under broader NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) program. The decision was made to step back and scrutinize whether the concept is still viable. After speaking with several U.S. military officials, The War Zone has learned the results of this evaluation, particularly, if achieving air superiority will be critically important in future warfare.
In short: yes, it will. During a discussion at a symposium held by the Air and Space Forces Association, the U.S. Air Force reached the conclusion that it needs a sixth-generation manned stealth aircraft that would dominate the airspace in a tentative war of the future.
According to Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, practically all panel discussions around the new aircraft revolved around air dominance. The military analyzed what exactly air superiority would look like in the future and whether it was an essential part of mission success. The answer, again, was unequivocal: air dominance was, still remains, and will be important in military operations.
“We tried a whole bunch of different options, and there was no more viable option than NGAD to achieve air superiority in this highly contested environment,” Kunkel noted.
Among the alternatives to the NGF fighter considered were such options as a cheaper aircraft that would primarily play the role of a loyal wingman commander, i.e. the crewed shepherd of unmanned combat aircraft. Another idea was to shift focus from fighters to bomber aircraft in general, where the latest B-21 Raider aircraft would simply destroy the enemy by launching long-range attacks.
Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, believes that air superiority is “the first building block of any other military operation,” in spite of rumors that it’s not so relevant in the modern era.
He stressed that without air dominance, any other military action becomes many times more difficult, and in some cases even impossible: it applies to everything from intelligence gathering to casualty evacuation and precision strikes, etc.
Wilsbach also draws attention to the fact China quite unexpectedly unveiled two new aircraft in late 2024, and this is a clear indication that air dominance is by no means dead as a concept.
Nevertheless, the NGAD fighter program won’t be cheap, neither will be the fighter aircraft it will produce. Earlier, the U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek admitted at a briefing that the fate of this project now largely depends on decisions by President Donald Trump. So it might be culled eventually alongside other expensive developments.
