Summary and Key Points: The U.S. unveiled the F-47, its next-generation fighter jet, designed to maintain air superiority as the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft. Developed by Boeing, the stealthy F-47 will replace the F-22 Raptor, featuring advanced stealth technology, canards indicating maneuverability, and unprecedented combat capabilities.
-However, details remain sparse, including its actual size, payload, and number of jets to be procured. Concerns persist over cost, potential mission profiles, and strained international alliances due to the Trump Administration’s policies.
-The F-47’s success will critically shape future American military aviation strategy, directly impacting deterrence against near-peer adversaries like China and Russia.
America’s Next Fighter is the F-47
On March 21st, the United States unveiled its next-generation fighter jet (Next-Generation Air Dominance jet, NGAD). The F-47 is projected to be the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet, designed to preserve American air superiority for decades. While the reveal does answer some questions, including whether or not the current administration will fund a new fighter, it leaves far more on the table.
The announcement came directly from the Oval Office, as President Trump showed off an image of not quite a fighter but more like the nose of a fighter. The image depicted the nose and cockpit of a fighter, as well as what looks like canards, emerging from a fog-shrouded hangar. The second image showed an F-47 emerging from the clouds, but it doesn’t show more of the aircraft than the first.
President Trump stated that the aircraft will have “unprecedented power” and be “unseeable”—presumably to radar. Regarding cost and numbers, the President said, “We’ve given an order for a lot. We can’t tell you the price.” Boeing Defense will develop and manufacture the jet at its St. Louis facility.
The announcement answers two critical questions: the jet will be built and enjoy at least four years of funding. The designation “F-47” is out of sync with the numerical designations of US military fighter jets and should logically follow the F-35 Lightning II or an experimental aircraft that served as a tech demonstrator that eventually became the F-47 fighter. There were unlikely 11 tech demonstrators before the F-47 design became the moniker.
The Pentagon states that “47” honors the P-47 Thunderbolt World War II fighter, but the P-47 was already honored with the highly well-known A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. Instead, the designation F-47 is more likely to honor Trump himself, the 47th President of the United States, and in an appeal to his ego, inoculate the aircraft program to any cuts during the remainder of his term.
The scant image of the F-47 is the literal tip of the iceberg: the image does not show ninety percent of the plane, and the most interesting ninety percent at that. One question left unanswered is just how big the aircraft is. The F-47 will be a stealth aircraft designed to remain “unseeable” by radar at long ranges, which necessitates internally storing all fuel and munitions necessary for a mission.
It will also need a large internal fuel capacity to fly the long distances anticipated in any future US-China conflict. This criterion could easily push size estimates of the F-47 into territory previously occupied by light bombers, such as the F-111 Aardvark, 73 feet long, and the A-3 Skywarrior, at 74 feet. The current F-22 Raptor, which the F-47 will replace, is 62 feet long.
Another question left unanswered is basic body shape. The US military clearly sees dogfighting as a relic of the past, replaced by sniping at long range from a stealth position. Dogfighting would only take place if an engagement had gone deeply wrong.
There has been some speculation that the B-21 Raider might be assigned some role in a future fighter program, leading to the question of whether or not the Air Force would abandon the idea of a highly maneuverable fighter in favor of maximizing range, endurance, and munitions. In other words, the F-47 could resemble less a dogfighting fighter and more of a bomber armed with air-to-air missiles. However, canards on the F-47 suggest the Air Force still emphasizes maneuverability.
Numbers Game
The number of F-47 fighters the Air Force will eventually procure was also left unresolved. The US Air Force built just 195 F-22 Raptors, far short of the original estimate, resulting from a de-emphasis on air power in favor of the land wars in the Middle East, the lack of a peer adversary at the time, and a domestic financial crisis. This low number is exacerbated by the fact that a third of F-22s are not combat-capable.
Now, nearly fifteen years later, the US faces two near-peer adversaries in the form of China and Russia, a much stronger argument for more fighters. The US will likely build at least 200 F-47s to technically adhere to Trump’s pledge to make more than the F-22 purchase, but exactly how many more will depend on the threat and the economy’s strength over the next decade.
A lot is riding on the F-47 fighter, even more so than just two months ago. The F-47 must demonstrate that American aerospace engineering is still world-beating, even as China cranks out new fighter jet designs every decade.
F-47 Fighter from U.S. Air Force.
The F-47 must reassure allies—assuming America still has any—that US intervention in any regional conflict would be decisive and thus a strong deterrent to Moscow and Beijing. The Trump Administration’s alienation of traditional allies like Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the rest of NATO may also mean the F-47 will fight without the assistance of allied air forces.
While the F-47 might be a world beater, it will still fly and fight in a world shaped by the current administration, and that world is growing more challenging by the day.
About the Author: Kyle Mizokami
A 19FortyFive Contributing editor, Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco. His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car and Driver, Men’s Health, and many others. He is the founder and editor for the blogs Japan Security Watch, Asia Security Watch and War Is Boring.
