Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance Program: An Introduction [October 5, 2020]   [open pdf - 554KB]

From the Document: "On September 15, 2020, U.S. Air Force acquisition executive Dr. Will Roper announced that the Air Force had flown a full-scale flight demonstrator as part of the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The announcement came as a surprise to many observers, both as the NGAD program was believed to be an early-phase technology development program unlikely to yield hardware in the near term, and because funding began two years ago, which is unusually fast to design and build a military aircraft. DOD had mentioned an interest in building a new 'X-plane' prototype as far back as 2014, but it is not clear whether this led to the NGAD demonstrator."