Next Generation Air Dominance - Contract Award Today

[TonyO]

Worth keeping an eye on today will be the contract award for the USAF's next fighter, to be produced under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme. Will it be Boeing, Lockheed Martin or Sukhoi?

[Thunder]

So has Boeing and LM already manufactured secret demonstrators, or is it now a case of AI and computer simulation to determine the winner?

[jonnewell]

Will they even need to have a pilot?
Seems like AI and drone technology will make humans an unnecessary extravagance.

[MFoster]

Contract awarded to Boeing - will be known as the F-47 - and according to the POTUS in his address, will be built and begin flying during his administration

[Pauld339]

So has Boeing and LM already manufactured secret demonstrators, or is it now a case of AI and computer simulation to determine the winner?

Read some of the War Zone articles, they’re really interesting. Apparently numerous demonstrators have flown.

[Alf]

So has Boeing and LM already manufactured secret demonstrators, or is it now a case of AI and computer simulation to determine the winner?

There were a few reports in 2020 that the NGAD demonstartors had been flown in secret tests but not surprising nothing has ever appeared since to confirm this.

[Red-Eye-Knight]

Contract awarded to Boeing - will be known as the F-47 - and according to the POTUS in his address, will be built and begin flying during his administration

Is it being called F-47 as Trump is 47th President?

[NorvilleRogers]

So has Boeing and LM already manufactured secret demonstrators, or is it now a case of AI and computer simulation to determine the winner?

There were a few reports in 2020 that the NGAD demonstartors had been flown in secret tests but not surprising nothing has ever appeared since to confirm this.

Quote from the Donald's Oval Office announcement on the NGAD confirms its already flying in some form.

@POTUS
: "The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built. An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost 5 years and we're confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation."

[Hurn]

Will they even need to have a pilot?
Seems like AI and drone technology will make humans an unnecessary extravagance.

Good question. The human is the limiting factor when designing a new aircraft, so there's going to be a limit to what it can do with a human pilot on board.
That is, unless you've got some new tech that can effectively protect a pilot from being rendered useless when pulling excessive G.

[Harkins]

Where would these demonstrators have been flown? And would they have been flown only at night? I just find it a little surprising these days that anything can go unnoticed. When the F-117s reappeared, there was no shortage of people photographing and filming them.

[raameagle]

Groom Lake and likely at night. There’s been the occasional reported sighting high level but unconfirmed.
If they did fly from Groom and at night then nobody will have seen anything. The same applies to other assets that fly from Groom and Tonopah. If they don’t want it in the public eye, it won’t be.
Regards
Mark

Where would these demonstrators have been flown? And would they have been flown only at night? I just find it a little surprising these days that anything can go unnoticed. When the F-117s reappeared, there was no shortage of people photographing and filming them.

[RubyRoo]

Where would these demonstrators have been flown? And would they have been flown only at night? I just find it a little surprising these days that anything can go unnoticed. When the F-117s reappeared, there was no shortage of people photographing and filming them.

Highly likely from Groom Lake, but other locations possible. Not always flown at night.

https://theaviationist.com/2014/04/23/t ... -projects/

These may or may not be related to NGAD but certainly shows some projects being flown in the day time.

[KevinJ]

https://www.twz.com/44057/mysterious-ai ... qhOIhGXG7Q

This sighting from a couple of years ago looks very much like a NGAD demonstrator.

[Supra]

Contract awarded to Boeing - will be known as the F-47 - and according to the POTUS in his address, will be built and begin flying during his administration

Is it being called F-47 as Trump is 47th President?

Surely then, it will become the "F-47 Fighting Felon" in Trump's honour ??
Even I think the 'F-69 Stormy Star' is unlikely!

[NorvilleRogers]

Contract awarded to Boeing - will be known as the F-47 - and according to the POTUS in his address, will be built and begin flying during his administration

Is it being called F-47 as Trump is 47th President?

Surely then, it will become the "F-47 Fighting Felon" in Trump's honour ??
Even I think the 'F-69 Stormy Star' is unlikely!

F-47 Thunderbolt III seems to be favourite on some forums (not as fun as other suggestions though).

[Jaydawg73]

Isn't it a single engined airframe, to make it lighter but has dual or triple redundancy to keep the single engine running? Basically in essence a twin engined aircraft with advanced technology to have the power and safety and redundancy shrunk down into one power plant.

I say 'powerplant' as who knows what they will have powering this thing!!

But the above I do believe is a key part of the new aircraft's development.

Jay

[Agent K]

Where would these demonstrators have been flown? And would they have been flown only at night? I just find it a little surprising these days that anything can go unnoticed. When the F-117s reappeared, there was no shortage of people photographing and filming them.

Having driven through and around the Nevada desert, near Tonopah and Rachel a good few times including just last week it is clear there is a massive amount of restricted land and airspace that could quite easily hide test aircraft.

[C24]

FYI

https://www.forcesnews.com/usa/trumps-d ... -441270116

[mhm]

With all the spy satellite's from foreign powers this would have been known about from first flight

[TonyO]

With all the spy satellite's from foreign powers this would have been known about from first flight

They probably know when the next foreign surveillance satellite is going to pass by, and a satellite image wouldn't tell you much about the aircraft anyway.