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If Industry Reaches Price Point for Unmanned Autonomous Fighter, ‘I’ll Be Asking for It,’ LaPlante Says

Frank Wolfe Frank Wolfe
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If Industry Reaches Price Point for Unmanned Autonomous Fighter, ‘I’ll Be Asking for It,’ LaPlante Says
Pictured are DoD acquisition chief William LaPlante, U.S. Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Frank Calvelli, and deputy Army acquisition chief Young Bang at the NDIA emerging technologies for defense conference on July 7.

While the U.S. Air Force has not disclosed what its leaders are discussing on the future or lack thereof of the manned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, DoD acquisition chief William LaPlante is opening the door to its replacement by unmanned, autonomous drones. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has estimated the unit cost of the manned NGAD to be several hundred million dollars and the unit cost of accompanying, unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to be about one-third that…

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