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Boeing F-47

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F-47
USAF artistic rendering of an F-47
General information
TypeAir superiority fighter
National originUnited States
ManufacturerBoeing
Primary userUnited States Air Force

The Boeing F-47 is a planned American air superiority sixth-generation fighter aircraft under development by Boeing for the United States Air Force (USAF) under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.[1][2] It is designed to be the successor to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. USAF officials said experimental tests have been flown since 2020, and the service aims to field it by decade's end,[3] when it will become the first U.S. sixth-generation fighter.[4][5]

Air Force leaders have said they intend to buy "185-plus" F-47s, which will have a combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles and a top speed faster than Mach 2.[6]

Development

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The F-47 program is part of the USAF's Next Generation Air Dominance initiative, which aims to replace the F-22 Raptor fleet.[7][8] The initiative envisions a "family of systems" approach centered on a fast, long-range, stealthy sensor-shooter crewed fighter aircraft originally called the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA).[5][9][10] In 2014, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched the Aerospace Innovation Initiative to build X-plane prototypes for developing and maturing next-generation fighter aircraft technologies; the DARPA demonstrators would serve as full-scale flight demonstrators for the PCA, with Boeing first flying its demonstrator in 2019.[11][12] The PCA was initially expected to operate without needing support from uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).[13] But as automation technology advanced, Air Force leaders began planning for drones that could accompany crewed fighters. In March 2023, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the service was planning for a notional fleet of about 200 next-generation air dominance fighters and 1,000 advanced drones to carry additional munitions or perform supporting missions.[14]

The winner of the NGAD development contract was to be chosen in 2024, but Kendall paused the program in May 2024 after its projected cost soared, putting the price of each fighter at three times that of a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The service launched an internal study to judge whether the program could furnish air dominance amid rapid advances in aviation and air-defense technology, particularly by America's adversaries.[15][16] In early March 2025, USAF leaders said the study had concluded that NGAD was necessary. "Bluntly, what this study told us, we tried a whole bunch of different options, and there was no more viable option than NGAD to achieve air superiority in this highly contested environment," Major General Joseph Kunkel, director of Air Force force design, integration, and wargaming, said at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Colorado.[17] General Kenneth Wilsbach of Air Combat Command added that the U.S. would need crewed sixth-generation aircraft to counter Chinese sixth-generation aircraft.[18][19]

President Trump speaking with Air Force officials on the announcement of the F-47 program in the Oval Office

On 21 March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the program would move ahead, that its centerpiece aircraft would be called the F-47, and that the engineering and manufacturing development contract, worth more than $20 billion, would be awarded to Boeing.[5][20]

Air Force officials said the number "47" was chosen because "[i]t honors the legacy of the P-47, whose contributions to air superiority during World War II remain historic. Additionally, the number pays tribute to the founding year of the Air Force, while also recognizing the 47th President's pivotal support for the development of the world's first sixth-generation fighter."[7][21][22]

This contract is expected to revitalize Boeing's military aviation division, especially its fighter production line in St. Louis, Missouri.[23] Defense One reported that Boeing has invested heavily in its defense division with the aim of returning it to profitability.[24]

The program has been flying X-planes—experimental aircraft meant to prove out design and technological elements—since 2020,[20][25] Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin said in a statement, adding that the F-47 is slated for first flight by the end of Trump's term in early 2029.[26][16]

Design

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Many details of the F-47's design remain classified. In March 2025, Allvin said it will have "significantly longer range, more advanced stealth, be more sustainable, supportable, and have higher availability than our fifth-generation fighters" — that is, the F-22 and F-35.[27][28] The chief of staff also said it would "cost less" than the F-22, be acquired in larger numbers, be "more adaptable to future threats," and "will take significantly less manpower and infrastructure to deploy."[26][16] It is anticipated to have a top speed around Mach 2 and to operate with accompanying drones.[7][27] In May 2025, Allvin posted an infographic that said the F-47 will have a combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles, fly faster than Mach 2, and become operational between 2025 and 2029. It also said the Air Force would buy 185+ of them.[6]

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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  1. ^ Trimble, Steve (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins U.S. Air Force's NGAD F-47 Fighter Contract". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  2. ^ Epstein, Jake (21 March 2025). "First US sixth-gen fighter jet will be the F-47, Trump says, and Boeing, not Lockheed, is going to build it". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  3. ^ Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force contract for NGAD next-gen fighter, dubbed F-47". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  4. ^ Liebermann, Oren; Jaramillo, Alejandra (21 March 2025). "Trump announces new US sixth-generation fighter jet that will be built by Boeing". Politics. CNN. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Decker, Audrey (14 May 2025). "F-47 will have 70% better combat radius than F-22, Air Force says". Defense One. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Copp, Tara (21 March 2025). "Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet". AP News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  8. ^ "F-47 fighter jet: What to know about the new fighter jet | NewsNation". NewsNation. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  9. ^ Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (22 July 2024). "Air Force secretary cracks door for unmanned next-gen fighter". Breaking Defense.
  10. ^ "Trump taps Boeing for Air Force's sixth-Gen fighter F-47 jet to counter China's military advances". The Economic Times. 21 March 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  11. ^ Mehta, Aaron (1 February 2015). "Kendall Unveils 6th Gen Fighter Strategy". Defense News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024.
  12. ^ "DARPA X-planes paved the way for the F-47". Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 21 March 2025.
  13. ^ Kendall, Frank; Hunter, Andrew (27 March 2025). "The Secret History". Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast (Podcast). Interviewed by Muradian, Vago. Defense & Aerospace Report. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  14. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (7 March 2023). "200 NGAD Fighters, 1,000 Advanced Drones In USAF's Future Plans". The War Zone. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  15. ^ Marrow, Michael (30 July 2024). "Air Force 'taking a pause' on NGAD next-gen fighter: Kendall". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  16. ^ a b c Losey, Stephen (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins contract for NGAD fighter jet, dubbed F-47". Defense News. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  17. ^ Decker, Audrey (4 March 2025). "'No more viable option than NGAD,' Air Force says as decision rests in new hands". Defense One. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  18. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (5 March 2025). "Next Generation Fighter Critical To Future Air Superiority, Key USAF Study Concluded". The War Zone.
  19. ^ Capaccio, Anthony; Woodhouse, Skylar (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins Bid for Futuristic US Fighter Jet With Eye on China". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025.
  20. ^ a b Mitchell, Ellen (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins battle for $20B fighter jet contract, Trump announces". The Hill. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  21. ^ Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract (Updated)". The War Zone. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  22. ^ Demarest, Colin (26 March 2025). "What to know about Boeing's F-47, expected to fly during Trump's term". Axios. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  23. ^ Stone, Mike (21 March 2025). "Trump picks Boeing over Lockheed for fighter jet contracts". Reuters. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  24. ^ Decker, Audrey (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force's next-gen fighter contract". Defense One. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  25. ^ Nikolov, Boyko (21 March 2025). "US ghost jet unveiled: F-47's five-year shadow run breaks free". Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Statement by Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin on the USAF NGAD Contract Award". Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs (Press release). 21 March 2025. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  27. ^ a b Cervantes, Fernando Jr (21 March 2025). "Trump announces $20 billion contract with Boeing for new F-47 fighter jet. What to know". USA Today. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  28. ^ Tirpak, John (21 March 2025). "Air Force Chief: How the New F-47 Will Improve on the F-22". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2025.


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