Boeing to build the F-47, new 6th generation fighter for the US Air Force
Amid serious financial and confidence problems in its projects, Boeing will take on the task of developing and producing the F-47, the new 6th generation fighter for the US Air Force (USAF).
The announcement of the winner of the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) program was made by President Donald Trump on Friday, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General David W. Allvin.
Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin, which had produced the USAF’s two most recent fighters, the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor, which will be replaced by the F-47.
The NGAD program has been in the works for a long time, and the Air Force revealed Friday that it has flight-tested X-Planes over the past five years that “have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47.”
The Air Force had planned to announce the winner of the competition in 2024, but then-Secretary Frank Kendall decided to pause the program amid concerns about costs and the role of these sophisticated aircraft in the face of changing air warfare.
The future of NGAD was in doubt, but Kendall preferred to leave it to the Trump administration to decide which path to take.
Despite this, the USAF will continue to develop the Combat Collaborative Aircraft (CCA), advanced unmanned aircraft that will take on many of the most critical missions.
The first two combat drones were recently named, the YFQ-42A, from General Atomics, and the YFQ-44A, from Anduril.
The USAF also assured that the F-47 will be cheaper than the F-22 and that more aircraft will be in its inventory.
Allvin did not provide a timeline for the program, but predicted that Boeing's first fighter would fly during Trump's term.
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