China has been actively showcasing its sixth-generation fighters, unofficially, of course, in spots where civilians can get a great view and take nice shots of the J-36 and J-50 aircraft, which has gotten the aviation world all atwitter.
But as of yet, there have been no official proclamations. However, the first blurry images, shared in late December on Chairman Mao’s birthday, have given way to additional images and video with clearer shots this year and have garnered even more free publicity.
Where Is the F-47?
Contrast this to the US’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, the newly announced F-47. Everything about it has been kept under tight wraps, except that the Air Force announced it has been flying since 2020 and has set various classified performance records.
But after the US announced the contract for the NGAD F-47 fighter in the Oval Office with President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth, accompanied by Air Force officers, they released two very blurry views of the aircraft that show precious little of the F-47’s design.
Should the US follow China’s lead and start showing off the F-47 to counter the Chinese media blitz, or are they doing the right thing by keeping it under wraps?
Are The Pictures We’ve Seen Really The F-47?
The Aviationist posted an intriguing article in which they hypothesized that the images of the F-47 may not be of the actual aircraft.
F-47 Fighter from Boeing. Image Credit: U.S. Air Force Screenshot.
Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic)
Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic)
According to US Air Force and industry officials who spoke with Air & Space Forces Magazine, the two existing photos of the Boeing F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft have been heavily edited to hide most of its real design features, according to US Air Force and industry officials who spoke with Air & Space Forces Magazine.
While the two images already showed only a small portion of the jet, the service wanted to keep adversaries guessing about the actual design.
When the images were released after Boeing’s design was selected, it was possible that they were not accurate, as President Trump and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Allvin mentioned they didn’t want to reveal many details.
An Air Force official said these images should be “taken with a large grain of salt,” adding, “We aren’t giving anything away in those pictures.” Addressing the wait for the aircraft unveiling, the officer said, “Is there a resemblance? Maybe.”
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, even before the announcement of the F-47’s selection, “Boeing artists produced images that already deliberately distorted some of the NGAD’s features.” The US Air Force later “further altered them.”
The final F-47 might also be completely different from what has been shown so far.
Why The Subterfuge?
The Air Force may have not one but several reasons behind the decision not to show the entire design of the F-47. The Air Force wants to keep our enemies uncertain about the true nature of the F-47’s design, stealth capabilities, and overall performance.
The F-47 is a highly classified aircraft, and revealing too much information could jeopardize its advanced technologies. We all know how China has advanced so far and so fast, with little to do with research and development. It was espionage. So, rather than letting China try to reverse engineer designs, the US is keeping them in the dark until the time is right.
The Air Force generally doesn’t show new aircraft until it has multiple operational models flying, suggesting it will wait for the F-47 to be fully developed before showcasing it.
The Air Force followed a similar tactic of intentionally obscuring aircraft, such as the F-117 and B-2 Stealth bombers. The F-22 also had a delta wing with canards in its initial drawings, and the B-21 Raider bomber has many such fuzzy photos.
The deliberate effort to hide the aircraft can create a sense of anticipation and intrigue around the F-47, making it more formidable and feared. But it will also be a great sales tactic to sell the plane to our staunchest allies and partners.
Selling the F-47 Aircraft To Our Allies, Yes or No?
Dr. Andrew Latham of 19fortyfive.com has a great point about selling the F-47 to our allies, akin to what we’ve done with the F-35 Lightning.
Washington must field its own F-47 fleet in real numbers, on real timelines, with real strategic intent. But selling the platform to close allies doesn’t compete with that—it complements it.
In fact, it could enhance the production base and drive innovation through collaborative development cycles. Shared platforms mean shared upgrades, shared sustainment burdens, and shared tactical evolution. That’s the future of allied airpower. And it’s long overdue.
J-50 Fighter from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
There’s also a deterrent logic at play. Selling the F-47 to a select group of allies signals to China and others that the United States is serious about moving beyond tripwire defense models and toward something more distributed, resilient, and lethal.
Beijing has long bet that US allies will falter or that America will hesitate to escalate. A regional network of F-47 operators upends that calculus. It creates doubt in the minds of Chinese planners, and in deterrence, doubt is everything.
About the Author:
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
Walter Anthony Fike
April 27, 2025 at 12:15 am
I agree with the USAF not showing to much at all of the new F47. I am surprised they showed as much bas they did but if it’s better than the F22 all I will say is thank God bits on are side
Bunno
April 28, 2025 at 6:19 pm
The russians, Chinese etc probably all know exactly what the prototypes look like… The theatricals are purely domestic
Stephen
May 1, 2025 at 8:43 am
Good argument. Since America is not show anyone their NGAD “demonstrator” and/or “prototype”, they cannot claim China is copying their design since the PLA is already flying its own 6th generation fighter jets in the sky.