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WASHINGTON, May 18 The US Department of the Air Force (part of the Pentagon) intends to award a contract for the production of a sixth-generation fighter in 2024, the agency said in a statement Thursday.
«The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform is an important element of the Air Dominance family of systems and represents a generational leap in technology over the F-22 it will replace» — US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said on this occasion.
According to him, the future machine will feature improved survivability and strike capabilities, as well as interact and adapt depending on changes in the situation in the airspace.
«Nobody does it better than the US Air Force, but we will lose that advantage if we don't move forward now,» a senior US military official said.
The U.S. military currently operates two types of fifth-generation fighters, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.