Boeing Defense, Space & Security will design, build, and deliver the U.S. Air Force’s new fighter aircraft – to be identified as the F-47. The new fighter jet will replace the current Boeing F-22 within the next decade, according to various defense projections, and it will be the USAF’s principle asset in the Dept. of Defense’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” according to President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House where the contract announcement was made. “It’s something the likes of which nobody has ever seen before.”
Based on extensive development completed already, the new aircraft is expected to begin testing before the end of the current administration. USAF sources reported the five-year assignment is for Boeing to “mature, integrate, and test” all aspects of the F-47 and produce several test aircraft.
NGAD will be a network of connected weapons systems (including stealth fighter jets, drone technology, and others) that will operate interactively and simultaneously “to ensure air superiority,” according to DoD.
The value of the Boeing’s award has not been revealed, though it’s reliably reported to be an engineering and manufacturing development contract worth more than $20 billion. That figure is consistent with the amount that the USAF is expected to invest on NGAD through 2029.
Once the F-47 is cleared to enter lot-rate production, the unit costs of the new fighter could be worth more than $100 million.
The current “cost-plus incentive fee” deal covers engineering and manufacturing development, as well as options for Boeing to build “competitively priced” low-rate initial production models of the F-47, according to the USAF.
The highly classified details of the F-47 design are understood to include stealth technology, advanced sensor devices, and adaptive propulsion systems that may exceed Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), and hypersonic weapons capability. It will be a manned aircraft that operates in coordination drone aircraft, a concept called “collaborative combat aircraft.”
Boeing bested Lockheed Martin Corp. in the NGAD bidding, a notable success for the OEM following a long string of safety and quality failures for its commercial and military aircraft programs.
Northrop Grumman Corp. had been involved in the new fighter development contest, but dropped its bid more than two years ago.
Some reports contend that Lockheed has frustrated Defense and Congressional leaders with the cost-overruns and various delays in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The F-47 is also referred to as the Pentagon’s sixth-generation fighter (the F-35 is the fifth-generation fighter), and will replace the F-22 Raptor series in the USAF’s portfolio.
"We recognize the importance of designing, building, and delivering a sixth-generation fighter capability for the United States Air Force. In preparation for this mission, we made the most significant investment in the history of our defense business, and we are ready to provide the most advanced and innovative NGAD aircraft needed to support the mission," stated Steve Parker, Boeing Defense interim president and CEO.
