Key Points – New details about the US Air Force’s F-47 NGAD sixth-generation fighter emerged via an infographic reportedly shared by Chief of Staff Gen.
-David Allvin. Key revelations include a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles—significantly greater than the F-22 or F-35—a top speed over Mach 2, and a planned fleet of 185+ aircraft.
-The F-47 is also described as having “stealth++” capability, surpassing current stealth fighters, and is slated for service entry between 2025 and 2029.
-It will also function as a “drone quarterback” for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, underscoring its advanced, networked design.
Air Force Chief of Staff Reveals Clues About the F-47 Fighter
We have learned some new information about the planned U.S. Air Force F-47 NGAD fighter jet.
The sixth-generation warbird will have a combat radius of over 1,000 nautical miles.
This is an important revelation for the Air Force, as the details about the F-47 have been slowly released.
Range is the game’s name for the NGAD, which will help it in future fights in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
We know new clues about the F-47 because Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin posted an interesting infographic on his X account (please see above as well). This chart shows the various combat ranges of the fourth-generation, fifth-generation, and sixth-generation jets in the fleet. The F-47 has a plus-1,000 nautical mile range.
Flying Deep Into Enemy Airspace
The Air Force is pondering the mission profile of the F-47 as it develops the ultra-stealth fighter. The airplane will need to fly deep into the contested environment of layered enemy air defenses. Keeping the airplane re-fueled without interrupting its radar evasion capability is important.
The F-47 will also have to maneuver against China’s anti-access/ area denial strategy and outwit S-400 surface-to-air missiles. A 1,000+ nautical mile combat radius would help the F-47 in these scenarios and bring the fight to the enemy while remaining survivable.
In General Allvin’s infographic, there were also combat ranges for the F-35 and F-22. The F-35 has a radius of 670 nautical miles while the F-22 is 590 nautical miles. Both airplanes would have to be refueled to keep up with the F-47.
It’s a Vague Estimate for the Combat Radius
However, we don’t know just how many miles over 1,000 is the range for the F-47. It could be ten miles ,over 1,000 or as many as 500 miles. Allvin is probably trying to stay vague in order to not publicize the exact range of the fighter so prying eyes from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea don’t learn too much about the next-generation jet.
How Fast Can It Go?
Allvin also noted that the F-47’s speed would be more than MACH 2, which falls in line with other estimates I have made about the NGAD.
My guess was that the F-47 could have a top speed approaching MACH 3, so Allvin may again be holding his cards close to his chest, in order to not give out too much information.
More Than 185 F-47s Could Be Built
The chief of staff’s graphic also stated that there would be “185+” F-47s built. That seems to be an adequate number. More would be expected, but the issue is always price. During the Biden administration, under former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, the service branch estimated that the NGAD would run $300 million a unit.
This was seen as an unsatisfactory price and Kendall placed the program on pause until the costs were more affordable. Allvin did not reveal his price estimate, but with “185+” the cost should be considerably lower than $300 million per jet.
Could the fighter be built in numbers that would eventually replace the F-22? Perhaps, but that would hurt the Air Force inventory. The more stealth airplanes the better. Having the F-47 and F-22 flying at the same time would give the aerial battle planners more options. The F-22 is expensive to maintain and keep in the air though and this could mean some being retired as the F-47 comes online.
High Level Of Stealthiness
Another part of Allvin’s infographic concerned the level of stealthiness. I have always referred to the F-47 as “ultra-stealth.” Allvin noted that the NGAD would have “stealth++” features compared to the other fighters. The F-22 was denoted as “stealth+” and the F-35 as “stealth.” This is another vague description but it stands to reason that the F-47 would be the stealthiest airplane of the bunch.
Another detail on the graphic is the date that F-47 will enter service between 2025 and 2029. This is in line with what the Air Force has already said about first flight happening during the Trump administration. So, Boeing has its work cut out for it as the clock is ticking toward the day of the maiden flight.
The new warplane is planned to be a drone quarterback with “Loyal Wingman” unmanned birds known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This number could be as high as 150 CCAs for the first batch. That would mean roughly one CCA per F-47. I have envisioned more CCAs, but that number Allvin is estimating could be plused-up in the future.
So, we have learned much about the F-47 with just one X post. It is interesting this came on social media and not from a speech, but alas, we are in a modern world of mass communication. The range of 1,000+ nautical miles is good news for the F-47 and should be sufficient for the mission sets it will be assigned. That’s an enviable combat radius. The F-47 will also be highly-stealthy in line with expectations. More than 185 F-47s entering service is a decent fleet-size for the 6th generation fighter. The price would need to come down, but that is an ambitious number of F-47s.
It’s good that Allvin is being somewhat transparent about the future of the NGAD. There were vague aspects of the infographic, but it revealed many new clues. Let’s see if the F-47 can live up to these ambitious parameters and fly before the end of the Trump administration.
The F-47: A Story in Photos
F-47 NGAD Fighter. Image Credit: Ideogram.
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)
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
