https://defaeroreport.com/2023/11/02...sk-dr-science/
"There is another program for a much more capable reconnaissance aircraft..There are articles that have already been delivered, but there are challenges with that program & the program has been rescoped to get to the next block of a/c" ~ Vago Muradian
On the Next Generation Air Dominance NGAD program, it is claimed that USAF prefers Boeing over Lockheed's design. Vago Muradian reports that LM has pursued an "evolutionary" capability building on its F22 & F35 prgms, while Boeing has pursued a more ambitious "fresher" approach.
The @defaeroreport also reports that the US Navy's FAXX next gen fighter contract is likely to be awarded ahead of USAF's NGAD EMD award. Northrop Grumman, one of 3 teams to have designed & flown a NGAD demonstrator, withdrew from the competition but is in the running on FAXX.
It is getting close to the culmination of the tech development and demo phases of the NGAD & FAXX efforts that started nearly a decade ago under the Aerospace Innovation Initiative. We are likely less than a year away from both FAXX and NGAD program awards.