The US Air Force had previously contracted RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace to provide new ejection seats for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Now it is having second thoughts.

The US Air Force has paused its Next Generation Ejection Seat (NGES) competition for the F-16 Fighting Falcon pending a 90-day review, according to new media reports.

The suspension, which went into effect on June 5 and will last until September 3, will remain in place while the Air Force conducts a comprehensive assessment of operational requirements and acquisition options. The decision could determine not only the F-16’s future ejection seat, but potentially the modernization strategies for the F-22 Raptor and B-1B Lancer as well.

Why the NGES Contract Pause Matters

Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of aerospace giant RTX (Raytheon), originally received a sole-source contract under the NGES program in 2019. That program was centered around integrating Collins’ new ACES 5 ejection seat—but integration delays prompted the Air Force to reopen the competition in 2024, with British ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker entering as a primary challenger. Now, instead of moving forward with the competition, the Air Force has hit pause pending a review. 

Ejection seats are obviously important—serving as one of the most critical pilot survival systems. Forced to function under enormous stress, ejection seats are occasionally called upon at low altitudes or high speed or unusual aircraft attitudes or emergencies that occur in fractions of a second. And modern seats are designed to safely eject pilots across a much wider flight envelope than earlier generations. The result is that modern seats are far safer than their predecessors in the 1950s and 1960s; they are equipped with better rocket motors, smarter sequencing, improved parachute deployment, and enhanced protection against spinal injuries. Of course, seat reliability is paramount—pilots only get one chance to use the system, so it needs to work.

Prior to its abrupt suspension, the NGES competition pitted the Collins ACES 5 against the US18E, a competing design from Martin-Baker. The ACES 5 is the latest evolution of the long-running ACES family. Recently selected for the T-7 Red Hawk trainer and the B-2 Spirit modernization, Collins stressed that the seat had passed qualification testing and builds on decades of operational experience. Martin-Baker, meanwhile, is one of the world’s premier ejection-seat manufacturers; the US18E seat is already qualified for export F-16 operators. The competition would effectively pit the two dominant Western ejection-seat manufacturers against each other.

One Way or Another, US Pilots Will Eventually Get New Ejection Seats

Now that the NGES has been paused, what happens next? Several possibilities exist. The NGES competition could resume, and even be expanded to include F-22 modernization. The Air Force could keep Collins as the sole supplier. Or the NGES competition could be canceled altogether, while the existing ECAS II seats are retained for the F-16. The Air Force says that future decisions for the F-22, and potentially other platforms, will follow whatever strategy is ultimately selected for the F-16.

The decision will ultimately extend beyond the replacement of just the F-16 ejection seat. And the decision reflects the broader challenge of balancing modernization desires against the concerns of costs and scheduling. The NGED competition also shows that the Air Force is continuing to invest heavily in legacy aircraft, which are expected to remain in service into the 2030s and beyond. Pilot survivability is fortunately a major modernization priority as fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft are increasingly being used to fly in contested environments, such as Operation Epic Fury.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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