Engineering:Boeing F-47

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Short description: Upcoming American sixth-generation fighter aircraft
"F-47" redirects here. For other uses, see F47 (disambiguation).
F-47
USAF artistic rendering of an F-47
General information
TypeAir superiority fighter
National originUnited States
ManufacturerBoeing
Management and usageUnited States Air Force

The Boeing F-47 is a planned American air superiority 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 first U.S. sixth-generation fighter and the successor to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.[3][4] Air Force leaders have said they intend to buy "185-plus" F-47s, which are to have a combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 km) and a top speed above Mach 2.[5] On 21 March 2025, the Department of the Air Force announced it had awarded Boeing the engineering and manufacturing development contract for the NGAD Platform (F-47).[6][7]

USAF officials have said experimental tests began in 2020. As of 2025, the first flight is expected in 2028,[8] the aircraft is to be operational by 2029,[9] and the service aims to field it in the 2030s.[5]

Development

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][10] 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).[4][11][12] 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.[13][14] The PCA was initially expected to operate without needing support from uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).[15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18][19]

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.[20] General Kenneth Wilsbach of Air Combat Command added that the U.S. would need crewed sixth-generation aircraft to counter Chinese sixth-generation aircraft.[21][22]

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.[4][23]

Air Force officials said the number "47" was chosen because "[it] 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][4][24]

This contract is expected to revitalize Boeing's military aviation division, especially its fighter production line in St. Louis, Missouri.[25] Defense One reported that Boeing has invested heavily in its defense division with the aim of returning it to profitability.[26]

The program has been flying X-planes—experimental aircraft meant to prove out design and technological elements—since 2020,[23][27] 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.[28][19]

In September 2025, Allvin said first flight was now expected in 2028, and that manufacturing of the first F-47 had begun.[8][29]

Design

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.[30][31] 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."[28][19] It is anticipated to have a top speed of around Mach 2 and operate with accompanying drones.[7][30] 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 at least 185 examples of the type.[9]

Alex Alfirraz Scheers of the magazine The Diplomat has speculated the aircraft may be capable of delivering the B61 series of nuclear gravity bombs, as a replacement for its F-22 predecessor. Scheers also speculated deployments of the F-47 to the Western Pacific, similar to the F-22's current mission at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, could be perceived as more provocative by China, North Korea, and Russia.[32]

Specifications

Data from Air & Space Forces Association[33]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: Mach 2+
  • Combat range: 1,000 nmi (1,200 mi, 1,900 km)

See also

  • F/A-XX program

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

  1. ↑ Trimble, Steve (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins U.S. Air Force's NGAD F-47 Fighter Contract". https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/boeing-wins-us-air-forces-ngad-f-47-fighter-contract. 
  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" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-wins-air-force-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter-contract-2025-3. 
  3. ↑ Liebermann, Oren; Jaramillo, Alejandra (21 March 2025). "Trump announces new US sixth-generation fighter jet that will be built by Boeing". Politics (CNN). https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/21/politics/trump-announces-new-us-sixth-generation-fighter-jet-that-will-be-built-by-boeing/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract" (in en-US). https://www.twz.com/air/boeing-wins-air-forces-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter-contract. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force contract for NGAD next-gen fighter, dubbed F-47" (in en-US). https://breakingdefense.com/2025/03/boeing-wins-sixth-gen-fighter-ngad-air-force-lockheed-loss-trump-hegseth/#:~:text=NGAD%20X-planes%20have%20been,said%20in%20a%20written%20statement.. 
  6. ↑ "U.S. Air Force Selects Boeing for Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter Platform" (in en-CA). https://investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-details/2025/U-S--Air-Force-Selects-Boeing-for-Next-Generation-Air-Dominance-Fighter-Platform/default.aspx. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Copp, Tara (21 March 2025). "Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet" (in en). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/fighter-jet-ngad-trump-hegseth-china-55d7b3d15e5a4fa9cb061ec85ac19ae2. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Watson, Ben; Peniston, Bradley (2025-09-22). "The D Brief: Another boat strike; Russian jets over Estonia; F-47’s new flight date; Shutdown watch; And a bit more." (in en). https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2025/09/the-d-brief-september-22-2025/408267/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Decker, Audrey (2025-05-14). "F-47 will have 70% better combat radius than F-22, Air Force says" (in en). https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2025/05/f-47-will-almost-double-f-22s-combat-radius-air-force-says/405309/. 
  10. ↑ "F-47 fighter jet: What to know about the new fighter jet | NewsNation". NewsNation. https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/new-f47-jet-trump/#:~:text=According%20to%20John%20Teichert%2C%20a,Martin's%20F%2D22%20Raptor%20jet.. 
  11. ↑ Marrow, Michael; Insinna, Valerie (22 July 2024). "Air Force secretary cracks door for unmanned next-gen fighter". https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/ngad-redesign-air-force-secretary-cracks-door-for-unmanned-option-exclusive/. 
  12. ↑ "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. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/trump-taps-boeing-for-air-forces-sixth-gen-fighter-f-47-jet-to-counter-chinas-military-advances/articleshow/119308330.cms?from=mdr. 
  13. ↑ Mehta, Aaron (1 February 2015). "Kendall Unveils 6th Gen Fighter Strategy". Defense News. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2015/02/01/kendall-unveils-6th-gen-fighter-strategy/. 
  14. ↑ "DARPA X-planes paved the way for the F-47". Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 21 March 2025. https://www.darpa.mil/news/2025/darpa-f-47-plane. 
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (2023-03-07). "200 NGAD Fighters, 1,000 Advanced Drones In USAF's Future Plans" (in en-US). https://www.twz.com/200-ngad-fighters-1000-advanced-drones-in-usafs-future-plans. 
  17. ↑ Losey, Stephen (2023-03-08). "US Air Force eyes fleet of 1,000 drone wingmen as planning accelerates" (in en). https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/03/08/us-air-force-eyes-fleet-of-1000-drone-wingmen-as-planning-accelerates/. 
  18. ↑ Marrow, Michael (30 July 2024). "Air Force 'taking a pause' on NGAD next-gen fighter: Kendall" (in en-US). https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/air-force-taking-a-pause-on-ngad-next-gen-fighter-kendall/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Losey, Stephen (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins contract for NGAD fighter jet, dubbed F-47" (in en). https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/03/21/boeing-wins-contract-for-ngad-fighter-jet-dubbed-f-47/. 
  20. ↑ Decker, Audrey (4 March 2025). "'No more viable option than NGAD,' Air Force says as decision rests in new hands" (in en). https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/03/no-more-viable-option-ngad-air-force-says-decision-rests-new-hands/403471/. 
  21. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (5 March 2025). "Next Generation Fighter Critical To Future Air Superiority, Key USAF Study Concluded". https://www.twz.com/air/next-generation-fighter-critical-to-future-air-superiority-key-usaf-study-concluded. 
  22. ↑ Capaccio, Anthony; Woodhouse, Skylar (21 March 2025). "Boeing Wins Bid for Futuristic US Fighter Jet With Eye on China". Bloomberg News. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-21/boeing-said-to-beat-lockheed-for-next-gen-fighter-jet-contract. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Mitchell, Ellen (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins battle for $20B fighter jet contract, Trump announces". https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5207562-pentagon-boeing-f-47/. 
  24. ↑ Demarest, Colin (26 March 2025). "What to know about Boeing's F-47, expected to fly during Trump's term" (in en). https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/boeing-f-47-trump-airforce-technology. 
  25. ↑ Stone, Mike (21 March 2025). "Trump picks Boeing over Lockheed for fighter jet contracts". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-awards-boeing-much-needed-win-with-fighter-jet-contract-sources-say-2025-03-21/. 
  26. ↑ Decker, Audrey (21 March 2025). "Boeing wins Air Force's next-gen fighter contract" (in en). https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2025/03/boeing-wins-air-forces-next-gen-fighter-contract/403951/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story. 
  27. ↑ Nikolov, Boyko (21 March 2025). "US ghost jet unveiled: F-47's five-year shadow run breaks free" (in en-US). https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2025/03/21/us-ghost-jet-unveiled-f-47s-five-year-shadow-run-breaks-free/#:~:text=Details%20about%20the%20F-47's%20development%20began%20to,flight%20as%20far%20back%20as%20September%202020.. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "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.
  29. ↑ Gordon, Chris (2025-09-22). "Allvin: First F-47 Fighter Being Built, Expected to Fly in 2028" (in en-US). https://www.airandspaceforces.com/allvin-first-f-47-being-built-first-flight-2028/. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Cervantes, Fernando Jr (21 March 2025). "Trump announces $20 billion contract with Boeing for new F-47 fighter jet. What to know." (in en-US). USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/21/air-force-boeing-f-47-fighter-jet/82594870007/. 
  31. ↑ Tirpak, John (21 March 2025). "Air Force Chief: How the New F-47 Will Improve on the F-22" (in en-US). https://www.airandspaceforces.com/new-f-47-f-22-allvin/. 
  32. ↑ Scheers, Alex Alfirraz (2025-04-14). "F-47: The US 6th-Generation Aircraft Plan Signals a Shift Toward Superiority". https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/f-47-the-us-6th-generation-aircraft-plan-signals-a-shift-toward-superiority/. 
  33. ↑ Tirpak, John A. (14 May 2025). "Air Force Reveals Range and Inventory Goals for F-47, CCAs". Air Force Magazine. Air and Space Forces Association. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-reveals-range-and-inventory-goals-for-f-47-ccas/. 



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