Boeing Awarded Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract
President of the United States Donald Trump announced Friday that Boeing had been contracted to develop the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter aircraft that will serve as the successor to the United States Air Force’s F-22A Raptor.
In a press conference broadcast from the Oval Office, Trump announced that the NGAD fighter will be designated the F-47, calling it the “most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built”.
Trump also claimed that “an experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years”, echoing a claim made in September 2020 by the chief of USAF acquisitions at the time, Dr. Will Roper, that a full scale flight demonstrator of the aircraft had already taken flight then.
The President added that much of what was needed to begin production was already in place, and that an order for a batch of aircraft had already been placed, but “we can’t tell you the price because it would give away some of the technology and some of the size of the plane”.
Trump also indicated that the F-47 would be made available for export due to requests from U.S. allies, albeit with a possible reduction of capabilities by “10 percent”, “which probably makes sense because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?”
The announcement follows a review of the program’s costs and requirements ordered by former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall in summer 2024. While the analysis found in favor of continuing the program, which intends to use the NGAD fighter as the core of a “system of systems” working with unmanned drones, the contract award decision was deferred past the end of former President Joe Biden’s term.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin described the F-47 as the “crown jewel” of the NGAD family of systems at the press conference, thanking the program personnel for their efforts. “This shows that American talent, American skill, and American determination are second to none, because this platform is second to none.”
In a separate statement, Gen. Allvin said the F-47 would fly during the Trump administration due to its “unprecedented maturity” for its current stage of development. “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.”
The contract award to Boeing is a major win for the company’s defense operations, following repeated delays and cost overruns with programs like the T-7A Red Hawk trainer, KC-46A Pegasus aerial tanker, and the VC-25B that is planned to be the next Air Force One. The VC-25B program in particular has been a source of anger for Trump, with Trump ally Elon Musk reportedly tasked with assisting Boeing to remove “constraints” slowing completion and delivery of the aircraft.