The U.S. Air Force is planning to award a contract covering engineering and manufacturing development activities for its Next Generation Air Dominance platform in 2024.
The service branch said Thursday it has released a classified solicitation to select a contractor to develop the next-generation fighter platform that will replace its fleet of F-22 Raptor aircraft.
“The NGAD Platform is a vital element of the Air Dominance family of systems which represents a generational leap in technology over the F-22, which it will replace,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a 2023 Wash100 awardee.
Technical and programmatic details on the program remain classified to maintain operational and technological advantages, but the Air Force noted that the solicitation outlines the program’s expected requirements.
The solicitation does not cover the Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft initiative.
NGAD is expected to perform counter-air missions and be able to strike ground-based and airborne threats.
In June 2022, Kendall said he envisions NGAD and its associated systems to be ready by the end of the decade.
