The Air Force’s Secret New Fighter Jet Will Get Software Updates as It Flies
Northrop Grumman via Breaking Defense
- The Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter will include the ability to quickly upgrade a jet’s software.
- This will allow the fighter to quickly alter onboard software as long as it doesn’t interfere with the jet’s ability to fly.
- A prototype of the system was likely tested in 2020 using a U-2 spy plane.
The U.S. Air Force says its next-generation fighter jet will feature a brand-new capability no existing fighter has: the ability to quickly change the onboard software that drives the plane’s hardware. That means Next-Generation Air Dominance’s (NGAD) computer system will