In June, the US Air Force publicly abandoned its most high-profile project - a $60 billion program to develop and build 200 new sixth-generation heavy stealth fighters to replace the existing fleet of 180 fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. The Telegraph writes about this, UNN reports .
Details
The Raptor fighter appeared in the 2000s, but unlike the F-35, it was built without regard to cost. It was the best fighter that the United States, with its unrivaled expertise in stealth and other advanced technologies, could build. Since then, Russia and China have developed their own fifth-generation fighter designs, but they are generally not considered as effective. According to most analysts, the Raptor is the best fighter jet in the world. But this will not last forever.
“The US Air Force is now trying to develop a flight plan for the next few decades - and because of potential clashes with Russian and Chinese forces, it may not be without the $300 million-per-unit Next-Generation Air-Dominance (NGAD) fighter that was planned to replace the Raptor. One possible alternative is a smaller and lighter fighter. But while it may be cheaper, it is likely to have one significant drawback - a relatively short range, which could make it useless over the vast Pacific Ocean,” the article says.
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