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Smith Broaches Drone Swarms, NGAD, F-15 As Possible Partial Replacements for F-35

Frank Wolfe Frank Wolfe
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Smith Broaches Drone Swarms, NGAD, F-15 As Possible Partial Replacements for F-35
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony Farnsworth, 419th Operations Support Squadron, demonstrates the Collins Aerospace F-35 Generation III Helmet-Mounted Display at Hill AFB, Utah on July 1. The display provides the pilot critical information, built-in night vision, and allows a 360-degree view of the aircraft’s outside environment, the Air Force said (U.S. Air Force Photo)

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…

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