US Air Force Launches Competition for Next-Gen Fighter to Replace F-22 Raptor.

The US Air Force has released a classified contract solicitation for the engineering and manufacturing phase of the development of a new stealth six-generation crewed tactical jet as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance modernization initiative. The NGAD combat jet is expected to be a direct successor to the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, but serve in a much more expansive role than its predecessor. The competition to win this contract will be immensely heated as it could very well be the last advanced manned tactical fighter-like aircraft built for the United States Air Force.