Life cycle costs could encourage military to replace F-35 with Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program
WASHINGTON – The exorbitant life-cycle costs of the F-35 jet fighter means the Air Force cannot afford to buy as many aircraft as it needs, which makes the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program all the more important, says outgoing Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper. Breaking Defense reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
1 Feb. 2021 -- “I think the F-35 program is a long way from being at a sustainment point that we need. I think it’s a long way from being an affordable fighter that we can buy in bulk,” Roper said shortly before leaving office.
“That’s the reason why Next-Generation Air Dominance is so important to the Air Force,” he said. “It doesn’t just represent a next-generation fighter with bells and whistles that we will need in warfighting. It doesn’t just represent a completely different acquisition paradigm. It also represents a chance to design an airplane that is more sustainable than the F-35 if, in fact, the F-35 cannot get its cost-per-flying-hour down.”
He seemed to suggest that, all things considered, perhaps the answer is to turn to NGAD to build a wartime-fit fighter fleet more rapidly.
Related: Lockheed Martin gets $7.2 billion order for 90 F-35 fighter-bomber jet aircraft
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics