The Air Force Might Need 500 New Boeing F-47 ‘NGAD’ Fighters
Story by Christian Orr • 20h
Key Points and Summary - Boeing’s F-47 (NGAD) contract starts around 185 jets—about $108M each—but that baseline may be too small.
-With F-35A mission-capable rates near 52% and only 143 combat-coded F-22s, usable stealth capacity is thin.
-China fields hundreds of J-20s and is adding J-35s; Russia’s Su-57s are growing, too.
-The F-47 is expected to outrange and out-pace current U.S. jets (≈1,000-nm radius, >Mach 2) and carry more weapons, making it the linchpin for air superiority.
-To hedge against low readiness and rising adversary numbers, analysts argue the USAF should target 300–500 F-47s—enough to deter in the Pacific and sustain combat power if war comes.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-air-force-might-need-500-new-boeing-f-47-ngad-fighters/ar-AA1MACnE?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=68c93f5c151244de88cd1610f784d561&ei=131