Air Force says F-47 will use government-owned mission systems to speed upgrades; CCAs to augment fighters

Air Force leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee the Next Generation Air Dominance program’s F‑47 will follow a new acquisition approach aimed at giving the service greater control of mission systems so upgrades can move at software speed rather than through lengthy hardware cycles.

“We have insourced more. We have more of the ownership of the tech base. We are guided by a government reference architecture, so we own the mission systems,” General David Alvin said in response to questions. “The upgrades can come at the speed of software, not hardware.”

Alvin said the service is aligning mission systems architecture so that the F‑47, collaborative combat aircraft prototypes (referred to in testimony as YFQ‑42 and YFQ‑44), and other platforms can share common mission systems. That shared architecture is intended to permit faster integration of disruptive technologies and to reduce long-term upgrade costs across a family of systems.

On the role of CCAs, witnesses cautioned these autonomous or optionally manned systems are intended to augment — not immediately replace — legacy manned fighters. “My assessment as of right now is that it will not be a one for one replacement,” Alvin said. He characterized CCA increment 1 as an augmentation that will operate alongside F‑22 and F‑35 aircraft and later the F‑47 to provide additional combat mass at a lower cost point.

Senators pressed for detail on acquisition timing and the industrial base; Air Force witnesses said they would return with more specific program cadence and cost integration metrics for committee review. The committee did not take formal action but sought follow‑up on prototyping schedules, software assurance and sustainment plans.