The F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor fighters were created by the United States in the face of opposition with the USSR, while the aircraft of the Next-Generation Air Dominance program (NGAD) is being developed to confront both Russia and China, General of the United States Air Force (Air Force) Mark Kelly told Defense News.
According to him, the NGAD project, which involves the creation of a sixth-generation fighter, faces three problems: secrecy, cost and COVID-19. "High secrecy for the most part makes it impossible to discuss on an open platform. COVID-19 makes it difficult to place really important people in small enclosed spaces. And everything related to high technologies is not cheap, " the general explained.
In June, The Drive publication reported that the sixth-generation fighter developed under the NGAD program for the US Air Force will receive expensive "Chinese" and cheap "Russian" versions. According to the publication, in the first case, we are talking about a long-range aircraft designed for operations in the Pacific Ocean. In the second — about a shorter-range fighter for Europe.
In September 2020, will Roper, occupying the post of procurement assistant Minister of the U.S. air force, said that the Pentagon in secrecy in the framework of the NGAD designed, built and at least once flew the prototype X-plane, which implies, in particular, unmanned or manned aircraft of the new generation, including a sixth-generation fighter jet.
Ivan Potapov
