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Kendall: NGAD, B-21, F-22, F-35 May Be ‘Play Callers’ for Combat Drones

Kendall: NGAD, B-21, F-22, F-35 May Be ‘Play Callers’ for Combat Drones
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Dailen Holmes, 94th Fighter Squadron F-22 Raptor crew chief, helps guide an F-22 Raptor pilot during Red Flag Alaska, 21-3 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 23. The Red Flag exercise brings together multiple squadrons from across the Air Force to simulate a real-world combat environment (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Air Force plans to embark on an acquisition program that will utilize lessons learned from the Skyborg attritable demonstration to field combat drones that permit manned aircraft, such as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter and the Northrop Grumman [NOC] B-21 Raider bomber, to control the drones, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Dec. 9. NGAD is to be a family of systems, likely to include a manned, stealth fighter. Kendall said at a Defense One…

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