How Did The U.S. Air Force Build A 6th-gen Stealth Fighter 10 Years Earlier Than Expected?

The Air Force is prototyping what its future stealth fighter jets will look like. (Lockheed Martin) (Lockheed Martin) 

FOX News: Why an Air Force 6th-gen stealth fighter is here almost 10 years early 

The early thinking for the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program had been that an actual platform would not likely emerge until 2030 America’s mysterious sixth-generation stealth fighter has taken to the skies, as much as five to 10 years before it may have been anticipated. 

The early conceptual thinking for the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, now in development for several years, had been that an actual platform would not likely emerge until 2030. 

How could this have happened? 

One clear and lesser-known reality related to this can be found through the fast-evolving process of digital engineering wherein actual prototype models, design renderings and technology specifics can be replicated, tested and analyzed before there is any “bending of metal.” 

This process, clearly and simply put, massively helped bring the sixth-generation stealth fighter to life. 

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WNU Editor: They can build a 6th-gen Stealth Fighter because of this .... digital engineering wherein actual prototype models, design renderings and technology specifics can be replicated, tested and analyzed before there is any “bending of metal.”