Norhtrop Grumman drops out of USAF sixth-generation fighter competition

Northrop Grumman decided not to participate as a prime contractor in the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter program.

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During the second quarter 2023 earnings presentation, Kathy Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman, told investors that the company would not compete as prime contractor for the USAF’s NGAD program, but clarified that they may join one of the remaining bidders as a supplier for their mission systems portfolio.

«We have notified the U.S. Air Force that we’re not planning to respond to the NGAD RFP (request for proposal) as prime,» Kathy Warden told investors on a subsequent conference call.

According to Reuters, the news had a negative impact on the company’s shares, which fell 4.2% on the Wall Street stock exchange.

This would leave only Boeing and Lockheed Martin as potential prime contractors for the Next Generation Air Dominance program, that will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a sixth-generation fighter, which will fight alongside drones.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfqUjLdD5Q

In this video you can see a little more of the rendering of the design that Northrop Grumman was working on for the NGAD program.

200 sixth-generation NGAD fighters

In March this year, during his keynote address at the Air and Space Force Association’s (AFA) Warfare 2023 Symposium, Frank Kendall, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, had reported the USAF’s aim to have 200 sixth-generation fighters and 1,000 CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) unmanned combat aircraft operational during the 2030s.

See also: USAF wants 200 sixth-generation fighters and 1,000 unmanned combat aircraft by 2030

The USAF is expected to announce the winning proposal for the NGAD competition and award the first contract during 2024.