The F-47

[BobfromWB]

✈️ 🇺🇸 Trump: "The world's first sixth-generation fighter jet will be called the F-47. The experimental F-47 has been flying for five years. It outperforms all other planes. No other plane can fly with drones. We can sell export versions of the F-47 to US allies."

https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1903113383873839361

[mystery-ak]

[Smokin Joe]

Allies? That's a term that's been on shaky ground lately.

Keep the edge for ourselves.

[jafo2010]

Not sure what "flies with drones" means exactly, when you consider this jet flies a few hundred MPH faster than what drones would fly.

[mystery-ak]

President Trump Announces the F-47 — The World’s First Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet

Kristina Wong 21 Mar 2025

The U.S. Air Force will produce the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, named the F-47, President Donald Trump announced Friday.

“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,” Trump said from the Oval Office, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47,” Trump said.

Trump said the jet has been in the works for a long period of time, and after a rigorous and thorough competition between America’s top aerospace companies, the Air Force has awarded the contract to make the jet to Boeing, which will be known as the Next Generation Air Dominance platform.

“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” he said, adding that an experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years.

“We’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation,” he said. “The F 47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technologies — virtually unseeable and unprecedented power.”

“America’s enemies will never see it coming. Hopefully we won’t have to use it for that purpose, but you have to have it. And if it ever happens, they won’t know what the hell hit them,” he said.

Trump added the plane would fly with “many drones,” adding, “that’s something that no other plane can do.”

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/03/21/president-trump-announces-the-f-47-the-worlds-first-sixth-generation-fighter-jet/

[BobfromWB]

Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract
The Air Force's next and possibly last manned tactical jet will be built by Boeing.
Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway. Updated 16 Minutes Ago
https://www.twz.com/air/boeing-wins-air-forces-next-generation-air-dominance-fighter-contract

Excerpt:
In the biggest development for U.S. Air Force tactical air power in more than two decades, Boeing has been announced as the winner of the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) ‘fighter’ initiative. As the centerpiece of the NGAD effort, the new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet, now designated the F-47, is set to change air combat forever, with the Air Force hoping to begin fielding it in the next decade.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin had been facing off to build the NGAD combat jet, but neither company had formally confirmed it was competing. Northrop Grumman dropped out of the bidding process on its own accord to focus on other opportunities. Just the fact that the fighter component of NGAD is moving forward at all is news as the program has been put on hold for the better part of a year, with concerns over cost and relevance being examined. The Biden administration punted the program to the Trump administration due to this ongoing uncertainty. Each copy of the jet, once series production commences, has been estimated in the past to cost upwards of $300 million. That is if the original concept for the aircraft has not changed.
 

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1903117926510518399

[BobfromWB]

The US design looks to be "tailless". The Chinese also have a "tailless" fighter in the flight test stage.


China’s J-36 Tailless Stealth Fighter Seen Flying For Second Time
The largest of China's two tailless tactical jet prototypes is in the air again, nearly three months since its first flight. Tyler Rogoway  Updated on Mar 17, 2025
https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-j-36-heavy-stealth-fighter-seen-flying-for-second-time

[BobfromWB]

https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1903117926510518399

I believe that is a concept rendering, not an actual image of the F-47

[mystery-ak]

I believe that is a concept rendering, not an actual image of the F-47

It probably is...I just thought it was image of it..

[MeganC]

Not sure what "flies with drones" means exactly, when you consider this jet flies a few hundred MPH faster than what drones would fly.

One of the emerging technologies for the USAF is drones that fly as wingmen for piloted fighters. The fighter pilot can order these unmanned drones to fly into hazardous conditions to protect the lives of our fighter pilots. The term for this tech/strategy is Manned-Unmanned Teaming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned-Unmanned_Teaming#:~:text=A%20loyal%20wingman%20is%20a,Northrop%20Grumman%20B%2D21%20Raider.

[the OlLine Rebel]

One of the emerging technologies for the USAF is drones that fly as wingmen for piloted fighters. The fighter pilot can order these unmanned drones to fly into hazardous conditions to protect the lives of our fighter pilots. The term for this tech/strategy is Manned-Unmanned Teaming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned-Unmanned_Teaming#:~:text=A%20loyal%20wingman%20is%20a,Northrop%20Grumman%20B%2D21%20Raider.

Sounds like the old "drones" - UAVs.  Unmanned aerial vehicles.

They are actually very large, built like airplanes/missiles.  So, possible it might fly "with planes".  Still would need to ensure it could fly that fast or turn on a dime.  But yes, the "drones" everyone today thinks of - tiny helicopters - would not do well keeping up.  They'd "stall" in a short time.

[MeganC]

A drone is any pilotless aircraft.

[rangerrebew]

Boeing F-47: What to Know About America’s Sixth-Gen Fighter
Story by Harrison Kass • 13h

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.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/boeing-f-47-what-to-know-about-america-s-sixth-gen-fighter/ar-AA1Bptbk?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=308ec7434f004a4c96ec55e22f7cc414&ei=25

[Canuck Conservative]

How are the numbers for the planes decided?

Why "F-47" and not "F-41" or "F-43"?

[FtrPilot]

Here's some educated guesswork:

The competition was held as a "Black" program...similar to "Have Blue."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Have_Blue

Since there are no pictures of the aircraft, I would guess that the test aircraft were flown at night to Area 51 and that all test flights were flown there.

The aircraft is billed as an "Air Dominance Fighter." However, like the F-22, it will be able to carry A/G munitions such as JDAMs and SDBs.

It will NOT have a gun (20 MM cannon).

It will NOT be a "Dog Fighter." Enemy fighters will never make it to the "merge." F-47 fighter pilots could make "Ace" and never see the aircraft they shoot down.

It will fly farther, higher, and faster than the F-22. It will also be stealthier.

The mission computer architecture will be similar to or same as the F-35. This will allow export.

Initial export customers should be Israel, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. Others will follow.

I will contact Boeing and tell them to fire the test pilot...I will do it for free.

[The_Reader_David]

Not sure what "flies with drones" means exactly, when you consider this jet flies a few hundred MPH faster than what drones would fly.

Drones can be made with jet engines as well as rotors/propellers.

The Chinese have the same idea.  I hope the prototype having been operational for 5 years already will give us an edge.

[rangerrebew]

F-47 Was Born Out Of Secret X-Planes Built By Both Boeing And Lockheed

Each firm built a demonstrator jet, one flying in 2019 and the other in 2022, that logged hundreds of hours, resulting in major program risk reduction.
Tyler Rogoway

Posted Yesterday
 



We are already getting more information about the F-47’s origins. Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin built an x-plane in their quest to win the manned tactical fighter component of the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative. As we already knew, a demonstrator first flew in 2019. Now we know another one took to the skies in 2022.

To catch up on everything we know about the F-47, as well as our initial analysis, click here.

Air Force Chief of Staff Alvin put out a statement following the award to Boeing, saying that “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.” At the time it was not clear that both of the finalists had flown demonstrator aircraft.

The revelation comes from a DARPA release regarding the F-47 contract award. In it, the ‘bleeding edge’ defense tech agency says its involvement with what became the F-47 began in 2014 as part of the Air Dominance Initiative study, which resulted in its Aerospace Innovation Initiative. The release also quotes DARPA Acting Director Rob McHenry as stating:

“It is often only in future decades when DARPA’s disruptive impact can be unveiled – today, we’re proud to be able to share the 10-year DARPA research arc that has culminated in the F-47 program, defining the next era of American air dominance.”

https://www.twz.com/air/f-47-was-born-out-of-secret-x-planes-built-by-both-boeing-and-lockheed

[rangerrebew]

Was Mattel in on the design too?  It may have been announced under the Trump administration but was totally developed under lame brain Biden.  If I were Hegseth, I'd take a fine tooth comb and an aerospace engineer to check the plane out.

[MeganC]

How are the numbers for the planes decided?

Why "F-47" and not "F-41" or "F-43"?

Normally this would mean that there were several prototype fighters between the F-35 and the F-47.

Two things I can read from this:

1. The number might be a nod to President Trump.

2. That the USAF has so little confidence in the F-35 that they have been actively seeking to replace it even before its production run has been completed.

[Timber Rattler]

Normally this would mean that there were several prototype fighters between the F-35 and the F-47.

I was thinking the same thing.

1. The number might be a nod to President Trump.

No doubt!

2. That the USAF has so little confidence in the F-35 that they have been actively seeking to replace it even before its production run has been completed.

Yep!  "Fat Amy" is a another "Transformation" era lemon and they know it.

[FtrPilot]

2. That the USAF has so little confidence in the F-35 that they have been actively seeking to replace it even before its production run has been completed.

The F-47 is not a replacement for the F-35. It will be a replacement for the F-22.

[MeganC]

The F-47 is not a replacement for the F-35. It will be a replacement for the F-22.

The F-22 needs a second production run.

[FtrPilot]

The F-22 needs a second production run.

Impossible...all of the tooling has been destroyed.

The F-22 is 1980s technology.  The mission computer cannot be upgraded...the chip is a Motorola 68040.

Aircraft upgrades are a nightmare.  All software resides on the mission computers (dual redundancy).  Any upgrade to any system or component requires the entire mission computer acceptance test to be rerun to make sure the fly-by-wire software is not impacted.