Famous NGAD fighter concepts (USA)
NGAD fighter concept from Lockheed Martin
Over the past few years, the US Air Force and related organizations have been working on the issue of creating a promising fighter, attributable to the next 6th generation. To date, the NGAD program has passed the necessary preparatory stages, and not so long ago, the Pentagon launched a competition for the development of preliminary projects. Previously, potential participants in the program have repeatedly shown different concepts of the aircraft, and now they have the opportunity to turn these ideas into full-fledged projects.
Plans and work
The first activities in the context of the development of the 6th generation fighter began in the middle of the tenth years. Air Force profile organizations and their contractors have begun a series of studies aimed at determining current and future needs, opportunities, etc. The results of such studies in the foreseeable future were to form the basis of the tactical and technical requirements for the new aircraft.
Based on the results of preliminary studies in 2018, the Air Force launched the NGAD program in its current form. Scientific research continued, but with an eye to the development of a specific project. In particular, tactical and technical requirements for the future aircraft were gradually formed.
As various works were carried out, the Air Force and aircraft manufacturing organizations repeatedly disclosed this or that information. They clarified the plans, mentioned the possible features of the aircraft, etc. In addition, various concepts of varying degrees of plausibility were demonstrated. However, the bulk of the information about NGAD is still closed, which seriously complicates the evaluation of the program.
In mid-May 2023, it became known that the Air Force had completed the formation of requirements for the NGAD and was launching a competition for the development of preliminary designs for such an aircraft. In the near future, they were going to accept applications from the participants in the competition and conclude relevant contracts.
Concept from the US Air Force - the approach to armament and equipment is revealed
The competitive development of the NGAD fighter will take no more than a year and a half. The Air Force will choose the winner before the end of next year, after which a full-fledged design contract will appear. In the absence of serious problems, development work should be completed by the beginning of the next decade. Accordingly, the rearmament of combat units starts only in the thirties.
Customer wishes
Representatives of the Air Force have repeatedly told how they want to see the new aircraft. They called it the desired features and functions, but did not even mention the approximate performance ranges, specific components, etc. Such aspects of the future of NGAD have already been determined, but so far only direct participants in the program can find out.
The Pentagon mentioned that within the framework of the NGAD program, not just an aircraft, but a full-scale one could be created. aviation complex. Its key element will be a new type of multifunctional fighter. It will receive modern and advanced on-board equipment, equipment, etc. The manned vehicle as part of the complex can be supplemented with unified unmanned aerial vehicles, which will solve part of the tasks, taking all the risks.
Like current fighters, NGAD will be stealthy in different spectra. New solutions and technologies can be used to improve these characteristics. At the same time, the aircraft will improve its ability to observe and search for various objects. It must carry an advanced system of sensors and instruments, as well as have powerful computing tools for data processing.
NGAD will be supersonic. It is planned to obtain high flight performance due to a turbojet engine (engines) with an adaptive cycle. A similar product is already being created as part of the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program. Such an engine will give increased traction and show improved efficiency.
NGAD aircraft silhouette by Lockeeh Martin arr. 2023
Concept from the Air Force
In 2021, the US Air Force at one of the events showed a slide showing the main approaches to the development of the NGAD program and aircraft components. For clarity, there was a sectional image of a promising fighter on it. Apparently, it was a "fantasy on the topic", which has the most limited relation to real development. Nevertheless, it showed how the new aircraft could be in the eyes of the customer.
The slide featured a "flying wing" with a swept leading edge and a broken trailing edge. On top of the wing there was a protruding fuselage, engine nacelles and a pair of collapsed keels. The plane was made twin-engine, and they used an unusual nozzle apparatus with slotted devices that dissipate heat.
The concept aircraft has a single-seat cockpit with a traditional nose layout and a transparent canopy. The composition of the avionics was not even disclosed approximately, although they indicated its broad capabilities in observing and searching for targets. The slide demonstrated part of the combat capabilities - the ability of the aircraft to carry a missile of one of the modern types on an internal sling. In the future, as new weapons appear, the NGAD ammunition should change.
Industry Views
The exact list of the competitive part of NGAD has not yet been determined and / or has not been published. Nevertheless, a few years ago it became known that all major US aircraft manufacturing organizations were showing interest in this program. They have already shown their concepts of a promising fighter and talked about the possible level of performance and capabilities.
So, a few years ago, Lockheed Martin showed a painted “flying wing” aircraft with a pointed nose and a variable sweep of the leading edge. The machine is proposed to be manned and must have a developed avionics complex. The possibility of using both modern aviation weapons and samples that will appear only in the future was mentioned.
Right now, Lockheed Martin is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its special Skunk Works division. On the occasion of the anniversary, the company published a short video on social networks with the main developments of the division: it showed the silhouettes of aircraft. Almost all of them were famous and recognizable, but one of these images was published for the first time. It was an aircraft with a pointed nose and a swept wing - tailless or "flying wing". The silhouette of the lantern indicates a manned version.
Hypothetical fighter with laser weapons from Northrop Grumman
Different angles impose certain limitations, but it can be assumed that the concept from the recent past and the "anniversary" silhouette belong to the same development. It is possible that Lockheed Martin will join the NGAD competition with just such a project.
Northrop Grumman may become another bidder. A few years ago, she also presented images of a hypothetical next-generation fighter. He probably showed the optimal appearance of the aircraft according to the views of the company at that time. This concept can form the basis of a real project.
Like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman offers a flying wing aircraft with reduced visibility to any means of observation. A rudimentary fuselage of limited length is provided to accommodate the cockpit, and protruding air intakes for two engines. The use of fundamentally new weapons is proposed. So, in the picture, the plane hits an air target with a laser beam. Obviously, in a real project, traditional weapons systems will be introduced first of all, and only then they will be engaged in promising ones.
Implementation of ideas
The US Air Force took up the topic of the next 6th generation fighter almost 10 years ago. Over the past time, a large amount of research work has been carried out, both at the theoretical level and in laboratory conditions. In addition, in 2020, a certain technology demonstrator was made and lifted into the air. To date, organizations from the Air Force and the Pentagon have formed the tactical and technical requirements for the future aircraft and have launched the development of preliminary projects on a competitive basis.
The aviation industry also did not waste time and worked out the issues of creating promising technology. This has resulted in some interesting concepts in the recent past. Probably, in the very near future, some of them will be developed and turned into projects for the NGAD competition, and then one of them will be chosen by the customer. Which of the past concepts will be the closest to the real next-generation fighter will become clear next year.
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