U.S. Air Force Strategy: Deploy F-35s & 6th-Gen Jets to Fly and Fight in Tandem

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By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Air Force senior weapons and technology developers are again reiterating that there will not be any kind of cost-affordability “trade off” or reduction when it comes to balance its F-35 fleet with the emerging Next Generation Air Dominance 6th-Generation platform. 

While there will be of course clear and decided efforts to lower costs of both production and maintenance, the two aircraft programs will not drain from or compete with one another for funding or prominence when it comes to the composition and structure of the future force.

F-35s & Next Generation Air Dominance 6th-Generation Platform (NGAD)

“We don’t see a trade-off between NGAD and the F-35. With the F-35 tech refresh and Block IV, that brings us an ability in contested environments, and the NGAD will ensure air dominance,” Lt. Gen. David Nahom, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, told the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies in an interview. “There is no ‘money move’ between the F-35 and NGAD.

This perspective, articulated by Nahom, makes sense for the Air Force given the service’s ambitious plans for NGAD and continued commitment to F-35 functionality well into the 2070s and beyond. 

The concept, as is regularly explained by Air Force leaders, is to operate both the F-35 and 6th-Gen aircraft alongside one another in a commensurate and supportive fashion.