Future of US airpower in turbulent disarray

The US Navy and Air Force have become a tale of two sixth-generation fighter programs, with the former service pressing ahead with its F/A-XX and the latter holding fire on its NGAD. The divergent directions raise questions about the services’ future interoperability and the ability of the US to maintain air superiority in a future conflict with China.

US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti recently announced that the Navy plans to award an F/A-XX contract soon, with defense contractors Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman all in the running to build the carrier-based combat jet, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported.

The F/A-XX aims to transcend and replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet and E/A-18 Growler with advanced sensors, lethality, range and integration with unmanned systems. According to the Air & Space Forces Magazine report, the fighter is expected to enter service in the 2030s.

At the same time, the Air Force’s highly anticipated sixth-generation NGAD, designed to replace the F-22 Raptor, faces potential budget cuts, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall reportedly seeking a more affordable design, the same news report said.

The Air & Space Forces Magazine report notes both services aim to align their future aircraft plans to ensure complementary capabilities. But while the US Air Force’s NGAD and US Navy’s F/A-XX advance unmanned integration and new technologies, they each face distinct challenges due to different priorities.

In a December 2023article for The National Interest, Maya Carlin notes that the US Air Force’s NGAD project, rooted in 2014 DARPA studies, aims to replace the F-22 Raptor with a fleet of 200 stealth jets and 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed as “loyal