Lockheed Martin's famous-but-secret Skunk Works has released a sort-of-new image of a concept for the company's Next Generation Aerial Refueling System (NGAS) military tanker aircraft for in-flight refueling of multiple warplanes.
Displayed at the recent Airlift/Tanker Association meeting in Grapevine, Texas, the NGAS concept isn't brand spanking new, but Lockheed Martin says that when it was first revealed at the 2023 A/TA conference, it didn't receive much attention. As a result, the company is having another go at showing off the technology with the new image, which was published by The War Zone and Aviation Week.
As often happens with such concept releases, Lockheed hasn't released any technical details, so it takes a bit of deductive reasoning to figure out what's going on.
We do know that the NGAS is being developed as a possible contender for the US Air Force's program to replace its KC-135 and KC-46 tankers. The replacement will have to be able to accompany both conventional crewed warplanes and the coming fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) into combat zones. In addition, the new NGAS will have to be smaller than the present planes, able to operate from smaller airfields, and have a large degree of autonomy combined with multi-mission capabilities.
The new concept has a flattened, stealthy design with outward-canted stabilizers, but no visible cockpit, indicating that it's either autonomous or pilot optional. The stealthiness is accentuated by the presence of a chine that runs the length of the fuselage, as well as saw-toothed seams to disperse radar signals. In addition, there is a low-signature engine exhaust. Whether this is for one or two engines is unclear because the air intakes are not visible. However, military designers prefer multi-engine designs for greater survivability.
The wings are also notable for carrying sponsons from which stretch a pair of refueling booms. Whether there is a third boom from the fuselage is still undisclosed, as is whether the booms are retractable.
The NGAS is scheduled to go into service in 2040, but the tight Pentagon budget caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the increasing aggressiveness of China, and the need to modernize and expand the US arsenal may result in the new tankers being delayed or canceled to free up money for a new 6th-Generation fighter.
"This graphic depicts a notional concept of an optionally-crewed future air-refueling platform," a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said. "Our team has been maturing the next generation of air mobility through investments in survivability, autonomy, resilient communications and digital transformation that will enable the range and persistence needed for contested air refueling operation."
Source: Lockheed Martin
