Wednesday, August 24, 2022

The Pentagon Keeps Its New Multibillion Dollar Plane A Secret

Northrop Grumman's concept image for the sixth-generation fighter jet. (via Northrop Grumman)  

Responsible Statecraft: The Pentagon wants to keep this new multibillion dollar plane a secret  

The Air Force just awarded major contracts for a fighter that is supposed to achieve ‘air dominance.’ Why can’t the public see what it is? 

 Late last week, the Air Force awarded five identical contracts, each valued at nearly $1 billion. The press release was light on details, but it gave some of the first concrete information about the service’s largest classified initiative: the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which is expected to deliver the Pentagon’s first sixth-generation fighter jet. 

The agreements will more than double the $4.2 billion that Congress has allocated for the program since 2015. And investment in the initiative is expected to grow further as prototype development continues, with the Air Force estimating that the program will cost $11.7 billion from 2024 to 2027. 

As costs rise, experts say the NGAD’s secretive nature raises serious concerns about the public’s ability to exercise oversight of the program.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I am sure more questions are going to be raised as the budget for this secret fighter jet continues to grow.

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