contenders for the development of NGAD. Northrop Grumman withdrew from the competition earlier to focus on the B-21 Raider program, leaving Boeing as the winner on March 21.
Boeing’s decision to shut down the F/A-18E/F production line in 2023 and its significant investment in the St. Louis, Missouri facility showcased their commitment to the sixth-generation fighter program. Interestingly, NGAD will be the first fighter aircraft entirely developed by Boeing; previous models like the F-15 and F/A-18 were originally McDonnell Douglas platforms that became part of Boeing’s portfolio when it acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
The total program cost is expected to reach $20 billion, with a projected production cost of $300 million per aircraft. The NGAD initiative evolved from the mid-2010s Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform program, which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and featured at least one operational aircraft.
Although the NGAD program is primarily associated with a manned fighter system, it will also include highly autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), enhanced networking, battle management capabilities, along with advanced engines, weapons, sensors, and electronic warfare systems.
In September 2020, it was revealed that a full-scale NGAD flight demonstrator had successfully flown. However, the Biden Administration had placed the NGAD program on hold due to prohibitive costs. This suggests that recent demonstration flights of sixth-generation fighters by China may have acted as a catalyst for reviving the program.