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Boeing awarded contract to build USAF F-47 fighter
US President Donald Trump awarded Boeing the contract to build the US Air Force’s most sophisticated fighter jet yet, dubbed the F-47, handing the company a much-needed win, Reuters reports.
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a crewed aircraft built to enter combat alongside drones.
“We’ve given an order for a lot. We can’t tell you the price,” Trump explained to reporters in the Oval Office.
“Our allies are calling constantly,” Trump pointed out, saying foreign sales could be an option. “They want to buy them also.”
The US Air Force (USAF) published the following statement by Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin on the USAF NGAD Contract Award;
The Next Generation Air Dominance Platform (the F-47) contract is a monumental leap forward in securing America’s air superiority for decades to come. This contract reaffirms our commitment to maintaining the United States’ position as the world’s most dominant Air Force, under the direction and leadership of our Commander in Chief, President Trump, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth.
With the F-47, we are not just building another fighter – we are shaping the future of warfare and putting our enemies on notice. This platform will be the most advanced, lethal, and adaptable fighter ever developed – designed to outpace, outmaneuver, and outmatch any adversary that dares to challenge our brave Airmen.
The world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter
Despite what our adversaries claim, the F-47 is truly the world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter, built to dominate the most capable peer adversary and operate in the most perilous threat environments imaginable. For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence. These experimental aircraft have demonstrated the innovations necessary to mature the F-47’s capabilities, ensuring that when we committed to building this fighter, we knew we were making the right investment for America.
While our X-planes were flying in the shadows, we were cementing our air dominance – accelerating the technology, refining our operational concepts, and proving that we can field this capability faster than ever before. Because of this, the F-47 will fly during President Trump’s administration.
In addition, the F-47 has unprecedented maturity. While the F-22 is currently the finest air superiority fighter in the world, and its modernization will make it even better, the F-47 is a generational leap forward. The maturity of the aircraft at this phase in the program confirms its readiness to dominate the future fight.
USAF F-47 Vs USAF F-22
Compared to the F-22, the F-47 will cost less and be more adaptable to future threats – and we will have more of the F-47s in our inventory. The F-47 will have significantly longer range, more advanced stealth, be more sustainable, supportable, and have higher availability than our fifth-generation fighters. This platform is designed with a “built to adapt” mindset and will take significantly less manpower and infrastructure to deploy.
Our mission is clear. We will ensure America’s skies remain secure and our deterrence remains unshakable. With the F-47, we will strengthen our global position, keeping our enemies off-balance and at bay. And when they look up, they will see nothing but the certain defeat that awaits those who dare to challenge us – ‘Airpower Anytime, Anywhere’ is not just an aspiration, it’s a promise.
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is a United States Air Force (USAF) sixth-generation air superiority initiative with a goal of fielding a “family of systems” that is to succeed the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. A crewed fighter aircraft is the centerpiece program of NGAD and has been referred to as the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform and is to be supported by uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), or loyal wingman platforms, through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).
According to Wiki, the NGAD originates from DARPA’s Air Dominance Initiative study in 2014 and is expected to field the new fighter aircraft in the 2030s. While originally pitched as a joint Air Force-Navy program, the two services established separate offices and programs. Despite sharing the same name, the Air Force’s NGAD effort is distinct from the Navy’s, which has the F/A-XX as its crewed fighter component and would have a similar fielding timeframe.
Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion
As already explained, a new fighter jet prototype that could become the USAF top combat aircraft has been secretly built and flown by the service, former assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics Dr. Will Roper revealed in September 2020 during the virtual 2020 Air, Space and Cyber conference. In the same year the US Air Force Material Command (AFMC) revealed the (delta) shape of a new aircraft thought to be that of USAF NGAD in a tweet that celebrated the 73rd birthday of the service.
Pratt & Whitney completed the detailed design review of its Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) offering with the US Air Force (USAF). Pratt & Whitney presented directly from its collaborative digital environment, providing reviewers with immediate access to all the data and material to satisfy the stringent criteria. Passing this fully digital evaluation allows the team to begin procuring hardware for the construction of its XA103 prototype ground demonstrator, which is expected to test in the late 2020s.
XA103 is Pratt & Whitney’s proposed adaptive engine for the USAF’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.
XA102 instead is General Electric’s proposed adaptive engine for the Air Force’s NGAD.
Noteworthy General Electric (GE) Aerospace recently announced the successful completion of the Detailed Design Review (DDR) for its XA102 adaptive cycle engine. This accomplishment marks a significant step toward delivering revolutionary propulsion technology for the Air Force’s future fleet.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
