Boeing to build next-gen 'F-47' US fighter jet, Trump announces
President Donald Trump announced that Boeing will build the next-generation fighter jet, the F-47, for the U.S. Air Force. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined him in the Oval Office for the announcement.
"I’m thrilled to announce that my direction the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet… Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be called the ‘F-47,’ the generals picked that title."
Trump said that Boeing was award the contract after a "rigorous and thorough competition between some of America’s top aerospace companies." The president also stated that an experiential version of the jet has apparently "secretly been flying" for nearly five years.
"The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built," Trump told reporters. "America’s enemies will never see it coming," he later added.
The Trump administration has taken a different approach to the Defense Department than the Biden administration, which includes a focus on establishing American dominance on the world stage.
The F-47 will be built as part of the Next Generation Air Defense (NGAD) initiative, which was paused under the Biden administration. During the announcement, Hegseth touched on the program and said that the Biden administration was "prepared to potentially scrap it."
According to Axios, NGAD is looking to have the sixth-generation fighters supported by robotic wingmen designed by Anduril Industries and General Atomics.
Hegseth praised the president for reviving NGAD, and said the fighter jet "sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we're not going anywhere, and to our enemies that we can we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded for generations to come."
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, who was also present in the Oval Office, said that the aircraft represents what "peace through strength looks like into the future." He also thanked the president and said that the F-47 would help the Air Force establish deterrence.