Dreamfighter
'Senior Something'
- Joined
- 13 July 2008
- Messages
- 443
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- 522
I generally lean away from the YF-22 comparisons for this as-yet unseen demonstrator. While the ATF flyoff prototypes were still a fair ways from the final product, they were built to meet a fairly well-defined set of requirements. Discussion of NGAD from official sources, however, always seems to indicate that they haven't yet, or haven't until quite recently, defined their requirements that clearly.
I wouldn't be surprised if this demonstrator is closer to Have Blue, which demonstrated specific things the Pentagon was interested in while not being intended to represent an operational combat aircraft's configuration.
I fully agree, but if this assumption is correct, service entry for the new type is still years away and the USAF won't already consider the F-22's retirement from 2030 on?!
That´s what one of the main reasons I´m now thinking the 'manned fighter part' of NGAD might be (a bit) further along the road then assumed until recently; NGAD is to be an entire family of systems to be fielded by - apparently - the end of the decade, not just 'a manned fighter'...
Edit:
Also, they speak about life-cycles of about 5 to 8 years, much shorter then we are used to for such advanced and complex aircraft, and low production-batches to be quickly followed/complemented by production batches of new iterations/updated variants. So, the 'final product' they envisage to go into production first might not have to be as 'defined' as e.g. the F-22A prototype was, they might go ahead with a small batch of 'YF-F22/23'-style NGAD-aircraft ... The new 'Century Series', right?
Still assuming it is correct they want the NGAD family of systems to be operationally fielded and proven by 2030, so the first steps of the F-22´s phasing-out could begin (or at least be considered seriously) at that time. On the other hand, I´m not exactly sure what to think about the 'plus'-sized advanced adaptive cycle engine status and what the 'prototype'/'demonstrator was then flying with. Could they use something else for the prototype and possibly for early batches? Some kind of altered F-135´s or the derivatives used on the B-21?
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