The sixth-generation fighter, being developed as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program for the US Air Force, is disruptive to the business models of a number of American aircraft companies, former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Breaking Defense.
According to her, the work within the NGAD is important, but it is not done in such a way that “Congress feels comfortable with it.” According to the current president of the University of Texas at El Paso, “a new way of doing business can be killed in the cradle,” because “there are powerful companies that are satisfied with the current business model.”
Wilson noted that the new approach to fighter aircraft development is destructive, as it involves unconventional work with finance, production and design. “And it is very threatening to the current business models of companies with many shareholders, jobs in constituencies and armies of lobbyists,” said the former Air Force minister.
In November, Breaking Defense named the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II fighters as one of the threats that could reduce funding for the NGAD program.
In September, US Air Force Secretary of State's Procurement Assistant Will Roper said that the Pentagon, in secrecy under the NGAD program, designed, built and at least once flew a prototype X-plane, which means, in particular, an unmanned or manned aircraft. new generation, including the sixth generation fighter. According to him, the creation of the X-plane involved more than just the use of agile development methodology, open architecture and digital engineering, as was the case with the US-Swedish eT-7 Red Hawk jet trainer, but something more.
