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‘Affordable Mass’ Concept in Play for USAF Fighters and Munitions

Frank Wolfe Frank Wolfe
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‘Affordable Mass’ Concept in Play for USAF Fighters and Munitions
An airman with the 79th Fighter Generation Squadron inspects training munitions before aircraft takeoff during the Checkered Flag 24-2 exercise and the Weapons System Evaluation Program at Tyndall AFB, Fla., on May 15 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The concept of "affordable mass" for the U.S. Air Force to deter China plays not only in the service's discussions on whether to build a manned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter or rely predominately on cheaper, unmanned, artificial intelligence-enabled air-to-air Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The Air Force is now also taking on "affordable mass" in the munitions arena. "We don't have enough topline money for munitions--full stop," Timothy Grayson, the special assistant to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, said…

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