
House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.), a critic of the F-35 program, has suggested that an acceleration of the U.S. Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, swarms of small drones, and Boeing [BA] F-15EXs could help replace the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35, if the latter does not see significant sustainment cost reductions. "The number of F-35s we're gonna buy is gonna be directly related to the sustainment costs," Smith said during an Aug. 31 address…