Dec 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of the Air Force will

defer decisions related to the Next Generation Air Dominance

(NGAD) fighter jet program to the incoming presidential

administration, the Department of the Air Force said in a

statement on Thursday.

The NGAD program, initially conceived as a "family of

systems" centered around a sixth-generation fighter jet, is

meant to replace the F-22 Raptor.

The program intends to give the United States the most

powerful weaponry in the sky well into the mid-21st century and

aims to create a sixth-generation fighter built to battle

alongside drones.

Lockheed Martin ( LMT ), Boeing ( BA ) and Northrop Grumman ( NOC )

are the companies expected to compete for the program.

However, the NGAD program has been previously hit by budget

pressure, competing priorities and changing goals.

The Air Force said it would extend its contracts with

its partners, including contractors, suppliers and other

stakeholders, to develop designs during the presidential

transition.

The department also asked its partners to update their

proposals to account for the delays caused by the current pause.