Development of the current F-35 multi-role fighter started in 1992 and did not go into full production until 2012 – a development span of 20years.
The Air Force’s, acquisition executive, Will Roper, has proposed a return to a scheme used after World War II where aircraft were developed for specific roles, e.g., air dominance, ground attack, interceptor, etc., that resulted in the “Century Series” of aircraft, i.e., the F-100, F-101, through the F-106.
The goal is to be able to quickly develop and deploy a new aircraft with specific advanced capabilities, in response to new threats, approximately every five years.
To study and develop this approach, the Air Force has initiated the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. This would allow the Air Force to deploy an aircraft with an exceptional capability, quickly to meet a specific threat rather than trying to bundle all capabilities into one aircraft platform.
Roper calls it the “Digital Century Series.” Rather than taking 20 years to develop an “exquisite fighter,” let industry compete to quickly develop fighters that each have a new, key capability.
The combination of a focused capability, and drastically shortened development cycle would significantly reduce the cost of development and production, and speed deployment of new capabilities.