DefensePratt & Whitney video offers glimpse of conceptual F-47 design
Pratt & Whitney has released a promotional video highlighting its XA103 engine under development for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, including a computer-generated rendering of what appears to be an F-47-inspired fighter design.
The XA103 is one of two adaptive-cycle engines competing to power the Boeing F-47, the U.S. Air Force’s future Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned fighter. The other contender is General Electric’s XA102.
The final portion of the video has drawn attention because it depicts a twin-engine, single-seat fighter with a tailless configuration, trapezoidal wing and forward canard surfaces. The aircraft features two underslung air intakes and what appear to be two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles reminiscent of those on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
However, the aircraft shown in the video is likely a notional concept rather than an accurate representation of the F-47’s actual design.
This is not the first time Pratt & Whitney has used such imagery. In October, the company released a similar promotional video for the NGAP program that also featured a sixth-generation fighter concept associated with the F-47, presented as a computer-generated representation rather than a confirmed design.
Since awarding the NGAD contract to Boeing in 2025, the U.S. Air Force has released only two partial renderings of the F-47. Officials have said those images were deliberately edited to obscure key design characteristics, and have cautioned observers against drawing firm conclusions about the aircraft’s configuration.
The concept in Pratt & Whitney’s video differs in several respects from the limited official imagery. While earlier renderings hinted at canard foreplanes, the proportions, nose shape and other features in the new animation do not align clearly with known details. Notional aircraft are frequently used in public communications when the real configuration remains classified.
The XA103 engine itself is being developed using a digital engineering approach that integrates design, manufacturing and testing data. Adaptive-cycle technology allows the engine to vary its bypass ratio in flight, balancing maximum thrust, fuel efficiency and reduced thermal signature depending on mission requirements.
Pratt & Whitney said it completed the detailed design review phase of the XA103 in early 2025 and is preparing for prototype assembly and testing. The first flight of the F-47 is currently expected later this decade, although early production aircraft could initially fly with an interim powerplant pending full NGAP engine maturity.
For now, the fighter shown in the video should be viewed as a graphic placeholder rather than a confirmed look at the U.S. Air Force’s sixth-generation aircraft.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
