Boeing has won the US Air Force’s high-stakes contract to develop the F-47, the crewed centerpiece of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme. The award, announced by President Donald Trump on March 21, 2025, is valued at more than $20 billion for the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
The F-47 is intended to become the successor to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the United States’ principal air-superiority fighter. Although details of the aircraft remain classified, the programme is expected to combine advanced stealth, long-range performance, sophisticated sensors and highly automated mission systems.
The fighter will not operate alone. It is being developed as part of a wider “family of systems” that includes Collaborative Combat Aircraft – uncrewed platforms designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. These drone wingmen could perform surveillance, electronic warfare, targeting and weapons missions, allowing the F-47 to extend its reach while reducing the risks faced by pilots.
The Air Force has said the F-47 will be capable of operating in heavily contested airspace, where advanced surface-to-air missiles, electronic interference and enemy aircraft could limit the effectiveness of existing platforms. Its planned combination of stealth, sensors and unmanned support is intended to preserve US air superiority against increasingly capable rivals.
Air Force officials have indicated that the aircraft could have a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles and a top speed above Mach 2. The service is reportedly planning to acquire at least 185 aircraft, although final numbers, costs and production schedules could change as design and testing continue.
The programme has already involved experimental aircraft used to test key technologies. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin said the demonstrator effort had been flying since 2020, although the service has released few details about the prototypes. The first flight of the operational design is expected in 2028, with fielding planned for the 2030s.
Boeing’s selection represents a major setback for Lockheed Martin, which produces the F-22 and F-35. Lockheed had competed for the NGAD contract but was not chosen. The decision also gives Boeing’s military aviation division a significant boost after years of difficulties involving commercial aircraft production, defence costs and delays.
The F-47’s name carries several political and historical references. The number recalls the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a prominent American fighter during the Second World War, while also corresponding to Trump’s status as the 47th US president. The aircraft is expected to be the first American fighter formally classified as sixth-generation.
The Pentagon’s commitment to the programme has affected other modernisation priorities. In its fiscal 2026 budget request, the department sought nearly $3.5 billion for the F-47, while sharply reducing funding for the Navy’s competing F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter programme. A senior defence official said the industrial base could not rapidly support both programmes at full speed, prompting the Pentagon to prioritise the Air Force project.
That decision has raised concerns among lawmakers who argue that delaying the Navy’s next-generation fighter could weaken US capabilities in a future conflict with China. The F/A-XX is intended to replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and provide longer range and greater survivability from aircraft carriers.
For Boeing, the F-47 contract is both a technological challenge and a corporate lifeline. For the Pentagon, it is a bet that a smaller fleet of highly connected crewed aircraft, supported by autonomous drones, can maintain American air dominance in the decades ahead.
