Hopefully they make more than 180 like the F-22


WASHINGTON (AFNS) --
The Department of the Air Force announced today the contract award for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, marking a major milestone in the advancement of air superiority. The contract, awarded to Boeing, will lead to the development of the F-47, the world’s first sixth-generation fighter aircraft.

“I'm thrilled to announce that, at my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world's first sixth-generation fighter jet,” said President Donald J. Trump during a press briefing at the White House. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it'll be known as the F-47.”

This decision follows a fair and thorough source selection process conducted by the Air Force, reaffirming the NGAD Platform as the most capable and cost-effective solution to maintain air superiority in an increasingly complex and contested global threat environment. The decision reflects the Air Force’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology to the warfighter while optimizing taxpayer investment.

“In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there's never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload. And this has been in the works for a long period of time,” Trump added. “America’s enemies will never see it coming.”

In May 2024, the Air Force conducted a strategic pause in the program to ensure it was making the right decision for its warfighters and for the security of the nation. During this time, the Air Force continued collaborating with industry to aggressively mature critical technologies and accelerate innovation.

“Now we have the F-47, which sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we're not going anywhere… and to our enemies that we can, and we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded, for generations to come,” said Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth stated the F-47 represents a significant advancement over the F-22, which is currently the U.S. Air Force's primary air superiority fighter.

“This is a historic investment in the American military, in the American Industrial Base, that will help revive the warrior ethos inside our military, which we're doing--rebuilding our military,” Hegseth added. “We know this is cheaper, longer range and more stealthy.”

As the cornerstone of the NGAD Family of Systems, the F-47 is designed to integrate next-generation stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike capabilities to counter the most sophisticated adversaries in contested environments. Its adaptability and modular design ensure seamless integration with emerging technologies, positioning it as a dominant platform for decades to come.

“With this F-47 as the crown jewel in the Next Generation Air Dominance Family of Systems, we believe that this provides more lethality,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. “It provides more capability, more modernized capability, in a way that is built to adapt, along with our Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”

Over the past five years, in strong partnership between the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, X-planes have been laying the foundation for the F-47. These experimental aircraft have flown hundreds of hours, advancing stealth, range, and autonomous systems while refining operational concepts.

“Hopefully, these magnificent planes will be built and in the air during my administration. It's ready to go. They've already built much of what has to be built in terms of production, including the sheds.” Trump added. “We will ensure that the USA continues to dominate the skies.”

By leveraging cutting-edge digital engineering techniques and government-owned architecture, the F-47 benefits from a streamlined and accelerated development timeline compared to previous fighter programs. These advancements enable rapid technology integration, ensuring the F-47 remains adaptable and upgradable to meet future mission requirements and counter emerging threats.

“Air dominance is not a birthright, but it's become synonymous with American airpower, but our dominance needs to be earned every single day,” said Allvin. “Since the earliest days of aerial warfare, brave American Airmen have jumped into their machines, taken to the air, and they've cleared the skies. That's been our commitment to the fight, and that's really been our promise to America, and with this F-47 we're going to be able to keep that promise well into the future.”

The contract award funds the engineering and manufacturing development phase, which includes maturing, integrating, and testing all aspects of the F-47. This phase will produce a small number of test aircraft for evaluation. The contract also includes competitively priced options for low-rate initial production.

Future basing decisions and additional program elements will be determined in the coming years as the Air Force advances the F-47 toward operational deployment.

https://www.af.mil/news/articl...-ngad-platform-f-47/

So... from F-35 to F-47? Why bother even having a designation system?

It was named F-47 after Trump.

While I applaud development of the next fighter I’m wondering why it still needs to be a manned jet.
Wouldn’t an unmanned vehicle be easier and cheaper to build?

Surprising that Boeing won this given how they’ve had a rough past few years with all their aircraft and spacecraft issues.

I’m sure Lockheed Martin isn’t happy

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
While I applaud development of the next fighter I’m wondering why it still needs to be a manned jet.
Wouldn’t an unmanned vehicle be easier and cheaper to build?

The military will always want man in loop. Even with advanced AI, the drones will still need commands given as the situation unfolds. Commands given via RF from a long distance away can be jammed by China and Russia. So I read that the manned fighter jet will issue commands to nearby drones via light. Man in loop and much harder to jam.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
While I applaud development of the next fighter I’m wondering why it still needs to be a manned jet.
Wouldn’t an unmanned vehicle be easier and cheaper to build?

You might be surprised how much more expensive unmanned is than manned when factoring in encrypted datalink from the other side of the world. The cost per hour flying an MQ9 exceeds that of similarly capable manned aircraft by 10 to 1.

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:
You might be surprised how much more expensive unmanned is than manned when factoring in encrypted datalink from the other side of the world. The cost per hour flying an MQ9 exceeds that of similarly capable manned aircraft by 10 to 1.

That is crazy! I had no idea. Given the huge disparity and the number of hours a given airframe may rack up, I guess it doesn't much matter if the manned version is drastically more expensive to build (I have no idea if it is or isn't).

Priority #1 keep the technology from being stolen by China.

Weird. No competition. I don't think I actually understand this process compared to past processes in fighter jet development.

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
Weird. No competition.

It was a competitive source selection process with Lockheed Martin. I wonder if there was a prototype fly-off between the two company's entries? No pictures....

quote:

"Boeing won a contract March 21 to develop a next-generation combat aircraft for the U.S. Air Force that will spearhead future air wars and throw a lifeline to the company’s struggling military aviation business.

The White House announcement came after a tumultuous competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the prized rights to build the aircraft that is meant to anchor the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems."

Link

I mean there doesn't appear to have been 2 actual planes built that we've seen that competed and development is still not done.

Just found this video that helps me to understand what's going on with this plane a little better:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e_EXmVUJCM

I hope 47 also gets a carrier named after him!

quote:

Originally posted by HK Ag:
I hope 47 also gets a carrier named after him!

That usually happens only after death. Don’t wish for it too soon.

Has Boeing ever even built a fighter? Everything they have to their name now comes from them buying out McDonnell-Douglas.

They built a few bombers back in the 50’s and 60’s but I can’t recall a ground-up Boeing designed fighter.

Seems to be pretty far outside their wheelhouse

NGAD was one of the first platforms designed with e-Series engineering approaches championed by Dr Will Roper, Assistant Secretary for the USAF. He's now gone but the idea was Digital Engineering; fly 1,000 sorties in digital models before bending metal.

NGAD prototypes were built and have flown but the details of what variant(s) are probably classified. https://www.twz.com/air-force-...gineering-revolution

quote:

Originally posted by 2BobTanner:

quote:

Originally posted by HK Ag:
I hope 47 also gets a carrier named after him!

That usually happens only after death. Don’t wish for it too soon.

Reagan, Bush 41, Ford had carriers named after them while still living, according to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...0named%20after%20him.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeNH:
Has Boeing ever even built a fighter? Everything they have to their name now comes from them buying out McDonnell-Douglas.

X-32 flying prototype for the JSF program.