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Boeing F-47

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F-47
Artist's rendering of an F-47
General information
TypeAir superiority fighter
National originUnited States
ManufacturerBoeing
Primary userUnited States Air Force

The Boeing F-47 is an American air superiority sixth-generation fighter aircraft to be developed 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 US sixth-generation fighter.[4][5]

Development

The F-47 program is part of the USAF's Next Generation Air Dominance initiative, which aims to replace the aging F-22 fleet.[6][7] The initiative envisions a "family of systems" approach centered on a fast, long-range, stealthy sensor-shooter crewed fighter aircraft called the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA), accompanied by uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that can carry additional munitions or perform supporting missions.[5][8][9] In 2014, 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.[10][11]

The winner of the NGAD development contract was to be chosen in 2024, but the Secretary of the Air Force 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.[12][13] 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," Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, director of Air Force force design, integration, and wargaming, said at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Colorado.[14] Kenneth Wilsbach of the Air Combat Command (ACC) added that the U.S. would need crewed sixth-generation aircraft to counter Chinese sixth-generation aircraft.[15][16]

On March 21, 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][17]

According to the US Air Force, 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."[6]

This contract is expected to revitalize Boeing's military aviation division, especially its fighter production line in St. Louis, Missouri.[18] Defense One reported that Boeing has invested heavily in its defense division with the aim of returning it to profitability.[19]

The program has been flying X-planes—experimental aircraft meant to prove out design and technological elements—since 2020,[17][20] 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.[21][13]

Design

The details about the F-47's design remain classified. The air superiority fighter jet 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.[22][23] He 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."[21][13] It is anticipated to have a top speed around Mach 2 and to operate with drone swarms.[6][22]

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ Trimble, Steve (March 21, 2025). "Boeing Wins U.S. Air Force's NGAD F-47 Fighter Contract". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  2. ^ Epstein, Jake (March 21, 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. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  3. ^ Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (March 21, 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force contract for NGAD next-gen fighter, dubbed F-47". Breaking Defense. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  4. ^ Liebermann, Oren; Jaramillo, Alejandra (March 21, 2025). "Trump announces new US sixth-generation fighter jet that will be built by Boeing | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (March 21, 2025). "Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract". The War Zone. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Copp, Tara (March 21, 2025). "Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet". AP News. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  7. ^ "F-47 fighter jet: What to know about the new fighter jet | NewsNation". NewsNation. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  8. ^ Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (July 22, 2024). "Air Force secretary cracks door for unmanned next-gen fighter". Breaking Defense.
  9. ^ "Trump taps Boeing for Air Force's sixth-Gen fighter F-47 jet to counter China's military advances". The Economic Times. March 21, 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  10. ^ Mehta, Aaron (February 1, 2015). "Kendall Unveils 6th Gen Fighter Strategy". Defense News. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024.
  11. ^ "DARPA X-planes paved the way for the F-47". Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). March 21, 2025.
  12. ^ Marrow, Michael (July 30, 2024). "Air Force 'taking a pause' on NGAD next-gen fighter: Kendall". Breaking Defense. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c Losey, Stephen (March 21, 2025). "Boeing wins contract for NGAD fighter jet, dubbed F-47". Defense News. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  14. ^ Decker, Audrey (March 4, 2025). "'No more viable option than NGAD,' Air Force says as decision rests in new hands". Defense One. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  15. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (March 5, 2025). "Next Generation Fighter Critical To Future Air Superiority, Key USAF Study Concluded". The War Zone.
  16. ^ Capaccio, Anthony; Woodhouse, Skylar (March 21, 2025). "Boeing Wins Bid for Futuristic US Fighter Jet With Eye on China". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Mitchell, Ellen (March 21, 2025). "Boeing wins battle for $20B fighter jet contract, Trump announces". The Hill. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  18. ^ Stone, Mike (March 21, 2025). "Trump picks Boeing over Lockheed for fighter jet contracts". Reuters. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  19. ^ Decker, Audrey (March 21, 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force's next-gen fighter contract". Defense One. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  20. ^ Nikolov, Boyko (March 21, 2025). "US ghost jet unveiled: F-47's five-year shadow run breaks free". Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  21. ^ 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). March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  22. ^ a b Cervantes, Fernando Jr (March 21, 2025). "Trump announces $20 billion contract with Boeing for new F-47 fighter jet. What to know". USA Today. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  23. ^ Tirpak, John (March 21, 2025). "Air Force Chief: How the New F-47 Will Improve on the F-22". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
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