US military engineers and designers from private companies are developing a sixth-generation fighter, according to the NGAD project, which is a priority for the US Department of Defense. So said US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, a civilian-“acting” official, reporting exclusively to the head of the Pentagon and responsible for the day-to-day life of the Air Force, the procurement, audits, finance and public relations.
According to him, a promising model of aviation equipment is designed to achieve air supremacy and should replace the fifth-generation multirole fighter F-22 Raptor, which took off in September 1994 (in December 2011, the last 195th account copy) . The sixth-generation fighter will be able to carry more payloads than the F-22, which should not reduce its great maneuverability. It will also have the ability to refuel in flight using a future tanker aircraft.
At the same time, Lockheed Martin Corporation keeps everything related to the characteristics of the LMXT aerial tanker concept and a promising fighter under strict confidentiality. It is known that in the NGAD project, experts will study five technologies for the construction of the fuselage of the aircraft, which will not only preserve its stealth, but also improve speed, while reducing heat. In addition, the US Air Force intends to use a new drone to escort aircraft piloted according to the military concept of Collaborative Combat Aircraft – a joint air fleet based on artificial intelligence (hired by Lockheed Martin).
We remind you that Lockheed Martin is also talking about the flight tests of the Speed ​​​​Racer unmanned aerial vehicle (Carrera program) – a disposable modular multipurpose drone that will fly in tandem with the F-35 fighter and is designed, among other things , to break through the Russian air defense / missile defense system.
It should be noted that US Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro spoke before that, who spoke to the audience about the state of US shipbuilding and the rivalry with China.
