The United States Air Force has submitted its budget request for fiscal year 2024. The USAF wants $215 billion, a slight increase over last year’s figure.
If approved, the Air Force wants to invest the extra funding in developing and buying the technology it said America needs to maintain air dominance over countries like China–specifically 200 sixth-generation stealth fighter jets and 1000 drones designed to be a pilot’s wingmen.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall reveals that the USAF Plans to buy 200 NGAD Fighter Jets and 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft https://t.co/WevmXOyB17 via @TAGC17
— Christopher Calubaquib (@ChrisAstro) March 14, 2023
The Air Force is developing its new fighter jet as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance program. The NGAD fighter has yet to be revealed, but the Air Force said the plane was designed, built and tested in under a year.
The NGAD fighter was specifically designed to fight China in the Pacific. It can fly thousands of miles to the engagement zone and deal with modern war zone factors.
The NGAD program is leveraging several military research projects in the design of its new aircraft. Eventually, the NGAD jet will come in manned and unmanned versions. The planes will likely have lasers to deal with missiles and other threats like drones.
The NGAD program also envisions each fighter pilot controlling at least two, and possibly up to five, drones which the Air Force is calling Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
Like the NGAD fighter, the final design of the CCA is still being worked out, but the Air Force wants it to be a high-performance aircraft capable of autonomous action. CCAs would be outfitted with radar and infrared sensors to extend the pilot’s range of detection. The CCAs will also be able to carry additional missiles for the pilot, of which you can never have too many in battle.
The Air Force wants 1000 CCAs initially, with more orders likely in the near future. NGAD and F-35 fighter jet pilots would be paired with the drones.
The Air Force said the price of each CCA should be a fraction of what it’s spending on the NGAD fighter jet, which is currently in the hundreds of millions of dollars per plane range.
US Air Force pursues major aircraft retirements in 2024https://t.co/9AkcXDfzlh pic.twitter.com/CU7zHMlGzb
— Defense News (@defense_news) March 13, 2023
The Air Force is divesting 32 F-22 Raptors to offset some of the costs the NGAD program is incurring.
When Congress asked him last year if spending so much on air defense is worth it, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall responded, “Can the U.S. afford to not have air superiority?”
Judging by the recent actions of the United States and its allies in the Pacific, it would seem Congress and Kendall agreed. The answer was, “No.”
