Next Generation Air Dominance
Country of origin
United States
United States
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is a United States Air Force (USAF) initiative that aims to field systems to succeed the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in the air superiority mission. These include a sixth-generation crewed fighter aircraft, dubbed the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform, and uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) operating in a manned-unmanned teaming concept.
After DARPA published its Air Dominance Initiative study in 2014, Air Force and Navy officials began planning for the next generation of air superiority. The services considered a joint NGAD program, but established separate ones instead. In March 2025, the Air Force chose the Boeing F-47 as the winning design for the NGAD PCA, and the program began its Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. The service expects to buy and field about 200 F-47s in the 2030s, and expects to buy more than 1,000 CCAs: two apiece for each F-47 and F-35A.
After DARPA published its Air Dominance Initiative study in 2014, Air Force and Navy officials began planning for the next generation of air superiority. The services considered a joint NGAD program, but established separate ones instead. In March 2025, the Air Force chose the Boeing F-47 as the winning design for the NGAD PCA, and the program began its Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. The service expects to buy and field about 200 F-47s in the 2030s, and expects to buy more than 1,000 CCAs: two apiece for each F-47 and F-35A.
