We don’t know exactly what the F-47 is going to consist of. But we know that it will be more advanced than the fifth-generation class of fighters that includes both the F-22 and the F-35.
The U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter program now has an F-designation—and a contractor. President Donald Trump announced in the Oval Office today that Boeing had been awarded the NGAD contract—henceforth to be known as the F-47.
The jet contract marks the first major award in the two decades since the F-35 contract was awarded to aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. And in all likelihood, the contract marks the last that will ever be awarded for a manned fighter with the U.S. Air Force.
Let’s take a look at what we know so far about Boeing and the F-47.
Introducing the F-47
In a joint Oval Office appearance with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump personally announced that Boeing had won the NGAD contract, following an extended competition with Lockheed Martin. The initial contract, for Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD), is expected to be worth about $20 billion. But those are just the upfront costs. Once the F-47 is locked into place, Boeing can expect to rake in hundreds of billions of dollars over the F-47’s lifetime.
Each F-47 fighter could cost “hundreds of millions” of dollars. However, that price quote could change; the Air Force recently paused the F-47 program in an effort to reduce costs per unit. So the specifics of the platform, and what the jet entails exactly, are likely still being determined—and may well be reworked substantially from whatever the working concept had been. We don’t know exactly what the F-47 is going to consist of.
What we can expect is that the sixth-generation F-47 is going to be more advanced than the fifth-generation class of fighters that includes both the F-22 and the F-35. The sixth-generation fighter will likely incorporate advanced digital capabilities—high-capacity networking, artificial intelligence, data fusion, battlefield command, control, and communications (C3) capabilities, and the ability to conduct cyber warfare. Interestingly, the new jet will probably also have the option to operate manned or unmanned—and either remotely by a human operator or autonomously by an AI.
The F-47 will also have an ultra-low radar-cross-section (RCS), making it a stealth aircraft. And the plane will feature variable-cycle engines that can supercruise in a fuel-economic fashion, while still delivering a thrust quotient that exceeds the weight of the aircraft. One can expect the F-47 to build upon the human-systems integration that emerged with the F-35 program and the Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS).
And most notably, the F-47 will operate in conjunction with dedicated drone wingmen, known as “Collaborative Combat Aircraft” (CCAs). In many respects, the integration of the fighter platform with the CCA wingmen is the most novel aspect of the entire NGAD program, simply because it hasn’t been done so formally before.
Whatever form the F-47 ultimately takes, the jet will almost certainly be the last manned fighter ever built for the U.S. Air Force. Of course, the Air Force will likely rely upon manned flight operations for decades to come. But the trends are clear: manned flight appears to be on the outs, replaced by computer-piloted jets. The “seventh-generation” fighter, whenever it comes, probably will not even have a cockpit.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: U.S. Air Force.
