PortolanBearings Network · FreeNext Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)
Family of Systems · Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Program Type
Family of Systems
Lead Agency
United States Air Force · Sponsor: Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Operational Domains
Air
Mission Areas
Air And Missile Defense +1
OVERVIEW
NGAD is the U.S. Air Force's family-of-systems successor to the F-22 for air superiority in contested environments. Publicly, it is described as a manned sixth-generation fighter operating alongside Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) — attritable autonomous drones acting as sensors and shooters. The Air Force paused source selection in 2024 for cost and concept review and restarted in 2025 with a re-scoped requirements set. Program details including contractor, price, and timeline are classified. Publicly-known parameters include the Collaborative Combat Aircraft co-development and Boeing's award for the manned NGAD platform in 2025.
AT A GLANCE
Status
Development
Started
2015
Organizations
3
Technologies
4
Last reviewed 2026-07-23
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Announced
CURRENT PHASE
Prototype
PLANNED
Testing
PLANNED
Fielding
PLANNED
Full capability
PLANNED
OBJECTIVES
01Deliver a sixth-generation air-superiority platform
02Field Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) alongside the manned platform
03Establish manned-unmanned teaming as the reference operating concept
04Compress cost per aircraft through CCA production scale
RELATED MISSIONS
RELATED TECHNOLOGIES
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS · 3
See all 3 in directory →Boeing CompanyParticipant · public program documentation
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.Participant · public program documentation
Anduril Industries, Inc.Participant · public program documentation
Participation from public program documentation — never paid, never ranked. Contact Bearings deliberately omitted from the public layer.
RELATED PROGRAMS
REFERENCES
Air Force Life Cycle Management CenterCongressional testimonyGAO reports
Last reviewed 2026-07-23
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