Key Points and Summary – Despite its staggering price tag, the recently revived F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter is a vital necessity for the U.S. Air Force.
-The expert author provides three key reasons: First, the 6th-generation jet is needed to replace the aging F-22 and increasingly vulnerable F-35 fleets.
-Second, it is crucial for countering China’s J-20, which currently holds advantages in range and speed, and for keeping pace as Beijing develops its own next-generation aircraft.
-Finally, the program provides an important boost to the U.S. industrial base and the morale of its pilots.
F-47 NGAD Fighter: Why the US Air Force Needs It
When the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) 6th-generation fighter plane program got the green light from the Trump Administration via the US Air Force contract awarded to Boeing this past March, it was a stunning reversal of misfortune for what had previously seemed like a moribund military program. A mere 11 months prior, the USAF had placed the program on a so-called “strategic pause,” and Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) Gen. David Allvin had been deemphasizing NGAD and instead shifting that emphasis towards a “notional Light Fighter concept.”
One of the major reasons behind the Air Force brass’s initial skittishness about NGAD was its alleged high price tag: nearly triple that of the already infamously expensive F-35 (to be clear, estimates do vary).
Nonetheless, this will be a costly undertaking.
Now that the program is revived, some skeptics are questioning whether the F-47 is worth all that money.
The short answer is: “Yes, it’s worth the money.” The longer answer is that the Air Force is going to bloody well need the NGAD for multiple reasons.
REASON #1: THE F-22 AND F-35 ARE GETTING OLD
The F-22 Raptor is arguably still the finest air superiority fighter in the world. However, being as it is the first-ever 5th Generation stealth fighter to attain operational status, this fine warbird is no spring chicken.
Hard to believe as it may seem, the F-22 made its maiden flight back on 7 September 1997 and made its official debut on 15 December 2005. What’s more, there’s a shortage of Raptors, thanks to then-US Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Bob Gates’s incredibly boneheaded decision back in 2009 to kill the Raptor after only 187 airframes were built out of the original 381 planned.
As for America’s other stealth fighter, the F-35 Lightning II (which, like the F-22, is also a product of Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works division), it’s relatively newer, with a maiden flight date of 15 December 2006 (exactly one year after the Raptor’s maiden flight) and an operational debut date of 31 July 2015. However, fine fighter though it is, the F-35 is already starting to show some vulnerabilities, as evidenced by the near miss that one Lightning II driver experienced against a Houthi surface-to-air missile (SAM) during Operation Rough Rider back in March.
These are all indicators that the USAF’s current fighter fleet cannot simply rest on its laurels, and the F-47 would be a tangible manifestation of a quest for continuous advancement and improvement.
REASON #2: KEEPING UP WITH CHINA
China’s own operational entry into the 5th Generation fighter realm, the Chengdu J-20 Weilong (“Mighty Dragon;” NATO reporting name “Fagin”) has a max airspeed advantage over the F-35, Mach 2.0 versus a mere Mach 1.6. Moreover, the “Fagin” has a combat range advantage over both the F-35 and F-22: 1,100 nautical miles vs. 760 nautical miles and 750 nautical miles, respectively.
The NGAD would obviate those current advantages possessed by the J-20. Though exact specifications are still murky due to both the infancy and the secrecy of the program, the F-47 is projected to have a maximum speed in excess of Mach 2 and a combat radius of at least 1,000 nautical miles. The NGAD is also expected to have an increased payload, thus enabling it to stay in the fight longer than its 5th Generation predecessors.
What’s more, let’s not forget that China is developing its own 6th-generation fighter and bombers alike, the respective Chengdu J-36 and the Xi’an H-20. To simply sit idly by whilst Beijing continues to develop these technologies and not develop a countervailing air-to-air weapons system would be simply negligent on America’s part.
REASON #3: INTANGIBLES
As Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Pete Hegseth stated when the F-47 contract award was officially announced, “This is a historic investment in the American military, in the American Industrial Base, that will help revive the warrior ethos inside our military.”
In other words, the NGAD program will not only provide a boost to the US economy, but it’ll also boost the pride and morale of America’s aerial warriors, providing them with the assurance that they’ll always have the technology to remain competitive with the nation’s adversaries.
Whilst those pride and morale factors may be less tangible and more esoteric than hard numbers (gee-whiz technical data and dollar figures alike), their importance certainly cannot be overstated.
As the saying goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog;” the NGAD would provide the best of both worlds, i.e., the metaphorical big dog *and* the big fighting spirit.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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