A separate Navy contract for its version of the NGAD fighter is still under competition between Northrop Grumman and Boeing.

Once airborne, the different drones can coordinate with each other to share information from their sensor suites, relaying real-time intelligence to ground stations and manned aircraft as well.

So it makes sense for the Ukrainians to send $90,000 A-22 drones on missions that might otherwise require a multi-million-dollar—and virtually irreplaceable—manned jet. Kyiv-based Aeroprakt ...