US Major General: Air Force Developing New Jet to Replace F-35 Since 'Long Ago'

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Air Force has worked long time on developing a sixth generation combat aircraft to replace the F-35 jet once it reaches the end of its service in 2070, US Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris said in a congressional testimony on Thursday.

"Development of a sixth generation aircraft to replace the F-35 began long ago," Harris told the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

The US Air Force Scientific Advisory Board is conducting a study on a sixth generation strike aircraft known as the penetrating counter air, or PCA, platform. The report will be published in December 2017.

The PCA is hybrid approach in reaching air superiority as well as fulfilling other missions for anti-access/area-denial environments in the 2030 time frame.

The PCA capability will have a role in targeting and engaging, but an equally critical goal is to serve as a node in the network-centric warfare, providing data from its sensors to launch kinetic and non-kinetic weapons.

The F-35 program has Navy, Air Force and Marine variants of the fifth generation aircraft. The program is the most expensive weapon system in the history of the Defense Department.