Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Air Force’s new sixth-generation F-47 fighter, emerging from the NGAD program, significantly outclasses China’s J-35A stealth aircraft.
-The F-47 offers next-generation stealth, advanced sensors, electronic warfare capabilities, and significantly longer range than the F-22 Raptor.
-While China’s J-35A mirrors the fifth-generation F-35 and boasts stealth-like features, its capabilities remain behind the F-47’s planned technologies, including AI-enhanced unmanned drones known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
-The F-47 cements America’s air dominance, leveraging cutting-edge design, networking, and extended operational range.
-The U.S. maintains a technological lead, positioning the F-47 to decisively outperform Chinese rivals well into the future.
J-35A vs. F-47: The Coming Showdown?
The U.S. Air Force has chosen the F-47 as its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter. U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on a $20 billion contract with Boeing, meaning that the aircraft can now go into production.
The F-47 will eventually replace the F-22 Raptor as America’s air-superiority fighter. It will also maintain the United States’ superiority in fighter design and performance.
The even better news is that the president confirmed the rumors that the F-47 has been flying for five years already. This means most of the bugs common to new aircraft designs should be fixed by now.
The U.S. plans to have the F-47 fully operational by the end of the decade. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, who joined Trump at the White House on March 21 to unveil the new fighter, released a statement after the announcement that offered a glimpse of what to expect.
“Despite what our adversaries claim, the F-47 is truly the world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter,” Allvin said—taking a shot at China, which recently revealed several new stealthy-looking combat aircraft types, along with claims about the airframes that cannot be verified.
However, immediately after Trump’s announcement, several stories appeared, wondering out loud how the F-47 could compete with the new Chinese J-35A stealth fighter.
What We Do Know About The F-47
The NGAD project was shrouded in secrecy for years. Despite rumors that it first flew five years ago, budget concerns caused fears that the project may be canceled before ever getting off the ground.
Speaking of the sixth-generation F-47 and the B-21 bomber in the Air Force’s future fleet, Allvin said these aircraft will bring “next-generation stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike capabilities to counter the most sophisticated adversaries in contested environments.”
Artist renderings shown by Allvin and the president at the announcement hide many of the aircraft’s features. However, the rendering shows differences from the other stealth aircraft operated by the Air Force, such as a more flattened fuselage.
The F-47 also has canards and wings with a distinctive upward angle. These features are a departure from previous stealth designs.
Allvin said the F-47 would also have a” significantly longer range” than the F-22. The Raptor has an unrefueled range of more than 1,850 miles with two external fuel tanks.
Air Force leaders have discussed the possibility that the NGAD would be built in two variants—a larger one with greater range to operate in the great distances of the Pacific theater, and a smaller aircraft more suited to the shorter flying distances between military targets in the European theater.
The Air Force said in a release that the F-47 “represents a significant advancement over the F-22” and has a modular design that will allow it to be “a dominant platform for decades to come.”
The Boeing contract “funds the engineering and manufacturing development phase, which includes maturing, integrating, and testing all aspects of the NGAD platform,” the Air Force added. “This phase will produce a small number of test aircraft for evaluation. The contract also includes competitively priced options for low-rate initial production,” which is the same approach taken with the B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
China’s J-35A is No Match For the F-47
In late November, China at the Zhuhai Airshow unveiled the J-35A, which looks remarkably like the United States’ F-35 fifth-generation multirole stealth aircraft.
Rick Joe, an expert on Chinese military matters, posted on X that three J-35As have appeared to date, all with slight differences, making him doubtful that “they’re operational in any frontline capacity.” However, he believes the People’s Liberation Army Air Force may have received aircraft for initial operational testing and evaluation. Its current engines are WS-21 turbofans, though the intended engine is the WS-19.
When the J-35A first appeared, it was considered more than a match for U.S. fourth-generation fighters—the F-15, F-16, and the Navy’s F/A-18.
However, most aviation analysts doubted that it was a match for the U.S. fleet of F-35s, or the fleets of the 20 countries that operate the Lightning II. More than 1,100 F-35s are already in service around the world, and more are being built.
Brent Eastwood pointed out that while the Chinese promote the J-35A and the J-20 as stealth fighters, it is probably more accurate to characterize them as having “stealthy attributes.”
The F-47, on the other hand, is a significant leap forward. It will cement U.S. air superiority in the face of evolving threats. The NGAD program brings together various new technologies, including advanced jet engines, autonomous drones, electronic warfare systems, and sophisticated sensors.
The F-47 is designed to operate alongside Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCAs—unmanned drones that act as force multipliers, extending the F-47’s reach and firepower without risking additional pilots.
This combination of manned and unmanned systems represents a shift in how the Air Force envisions future conflicts, where networked warfare and artificial intelligence play central roles.
The Chinese J-35A may be similar in capabilities to the U.S. F-35, but it will not be anywhere near as capable as the F-47. China is working on sixth-generation prototypes, but those aircraft are still far off.
The future for the U.S. sixth-generation air fleet of F-47 fighters and B-21 Raider bombers, backed by the proven fifth-generation F-35, looks bright.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
