Boeing F-47: The Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter
Boeing’s sixth-gen fighter is here. It’s faster, stealthier, and “it’s something the likes of which no one has seen before.”
Earlier Today, the White House announced that aerospace giant Boeing received the contract to develop the sixth-generation fighter that will be the key system of systems of the United States Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The aircraft, replacing the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, will reportedly be equipped with more advanced sensors, stealth technology, and propulsion technology.
It has been given the designation F-47. That could result in it earning the moniker Thunderbolt III, as the World War II-era Republic P-47 fighter aircraft was designated the Thunderbolt, while Thunderbolt II is the moniker of the Fairchild Republic A-10.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, capable, lethal aircraft ever built. An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years, and we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation,” Trump said in an Oval Office press conference.
“An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years, and we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation.”
Trump further suggested that “the generals picked a title. It’s something the likes that no one has seen before.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added, “This sends a direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere and to our enemies that we can and will project power around the globe.”
Boeing Calls on St. Louis for Production
Though the final terms of the contract haven’t been disclosed, Newsweek reported that the “engineering and manufacturing development contract is valued at over $20 billion, with the potential for the winning company to secure hundreds of billions in orders over the program’s multi-decade lifespan.”
This could be excellent news for Boeing, which experienced quite a rough 2024 following several aviation mishaps but also saw the final contract for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This program could keep the production lines in its St. Louis factories running for years.
According to Aviation Week, the aerospace firm went to great lengths to secure the contract, which included building a new facility in the Gateway to the West.
“The cost-plus contract award for NGAD also offers a reprieve for a defense and space business within Boeing that has reported over $18 billion in reach-forward losses on fixed-price military and NASA programs since 2014, including $5 billion in new charges from 2024 alone,” Aviation Week noted.
“The development deal could sustain for several more decades Boeing’s historic combat aircraft production line in St. Louis, which dates back to the first flight of the FH-1 Phantom in 1945, reached peak output with the F-4 Phantom II and continues today with the F-15EX Eagle II.”
Boeing Leaves Lockheed Martin In the Dust
The news that Boeing secured the contract comes just weeks after it was announced that Lockheed Martin had been dropped from the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX program, now down to just Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
There had been speculation that Lockheed Martin would win the NGAD. At the same time, Boeing would be awarded the F/A-XX contract, and Northrop Grumman, which had withdrawn from the NGAD competition, would focus on developing its B-21 Raider.
Lockheed Martin won’t be out of the fighter business. It has a backlog of orders for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II that will stretch into the 2030s while still producing the four-pilus-gen F-16 Fighting Falcon for foreign military sales (FMS).
Boeing Announcement Accompanied By Loyal Wingman Drones
The Air Force also announced earlier this month that the two drone aircraft being developed for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) had received their formal Mission Design Series designations. Audril’s “Fury” is now the FYQ-44A, while the “Gambit” from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has received the designation FYQ-42A.
The drones, which are on track to enter service around 2030, will be among the systems that will operate alongside the manned sixth-gen fighter but could also support the aforementioned B-21 Raider and even the F-35.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ Maciej Kopaniecki.