Key Points and Summary – Why the Air Force Is Cutting F-35s to Rush the F-47 NGAD Fighter
-The F-47 is set to be America’s first true sixth-generation fighter, the manned centerpiece of the NGAD family of systems.
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)
-After a brief “strategic pause,” the Trump administration restarted the program and selected Boeing over Lockheed Martin, shocking much of the defense world.
-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin now says the first F-47 will fly in 2028, with low-rate production already underway at Phantom Works.
-Designed to cruise at around Mach 2, operate over 1,800 kilometers, and lead autonomous drone wingmen, the F-47 is important enough that the Air Force is trimming 2028 F-35 buys to pay for it.
When Will the F-47 NGAD Fighter Fly?
The U.S. Air Force announced in March that it had awarded a contract for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.
“I’m thrilled to announce that, at my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet,” President Donald Trump said at the time. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47.”
The NGAD program traveled a long road to reach that moment. The program underwent a lengthy bidding process, and even a “strategic pause” in the spring of 2024, when then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced that “we’re taking a pause there…With the platform itself, we’re taking a pause. With the rest of the elements of the air dominance family of systems, we’re moving forward as fast as we can.”
When Trump returned to office, the pause was ended, and the program appears to be moving forward fast.
Boeing was chosen over Lockheed Martin, the other major bidder. According to Simple Flying, the decision to pick Boeing “sent shockwaves through the defense and aviation communities.”
As Simple Flying explained: “The Air Force’s decision to choose Boeing over Lockheed reflects deep strategic reasoning: diversifying the defense industrial base, accelerating delivery timelines, and embracing a new model for manned-unmanned teaming.”
Next in Flight
The War Zone reported in September that the F-47 had entered production. There were concerns that a Boeing labor strike in the St. Louis area—a settlement was reached this week—might delay the fighter jet, but it did not.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin spoke in September at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference. He talked a bit about the plans for the F-47.
“After years of work, hundreds of test hours, 1,000s of man-years in the lab, the President announced the F-47,” Allvin said. “It’s the platform that, along with all of the rest of the [NGAD] systems, is going to ensure dominance into the future.”
Allvin discussed timetables for when the F-47 might first fly.
“We [have] got to go fast. I got to tell you, team, it’s almost 2026. The team is committed to get the first one flying in 2028,” Allvin said. “In the few short months since we made the announcement, they [Boeing] are already beginning to manufacture the first article. We’re ready to go fast. We have to go fast.”
TWZ added that much about the F-47 remains unknown, including what it will look like.
“Details about the F-47 program and design of the aircraft itself remain highly classified,” TWZ wrote. “At the time of writing, there continue to be only two official renderings of the jet, which Air Force officials have said do not necessarily fully reflect what the plane looks like in real life, for operational security purposes.”
The Air Force secretary is also excited, per TWZ.
“Just love looking at this picture,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said at the same conference,TWZ reported. “I expect some of the Chinese intel analysts are spending a lot of time looking at this picture. Good luck trying to dig something out of there. Pretty careful about that.”
Previously, the target for the F-47’s first flight had been by the end of Trump’s term in office, in January 2029. Indeed, the project is clearly important to the president, who personally announced it this spring. Bloomberg News reported this summer, citing FOIA requests, that the F-47 naming convention is both a tribute to the World War II-era P-47 and to Trump, as the 47th president of the United States.
And now, Allvin has confirmed that the F-47 is set to fly for the first time in 2028.
’28 It Is
The Defence Index’s X account reported this week that 2028 is the year being eyed for the jet’s first flight.
“USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin confirms the F-47, America’s next-generation air dominance fighter, will conduct its first flight in 2028,” the account said.
The comments came at what was described as a closed briefing.
“The F-47 is expected to reach Mach 2, cover over 1,800 km, and operate alongside autonomous drone wingmen,” Defence Index added, also saying that the Air Force plans to acquire 185 of the jets.
According to Army Recognition, the announcement represents “the most explicit public reference to the F-47’s flight timeline, which has been closely guarded until now.”
That outlet also cited “multiple defense sources with direct knowledge of the program,” who stated that “initial low-rate” production of the F-47 had begun at Boeing’s Phantom Works facility.
“While the cost per airframe remains undisclosed, defense analysts estimate that the full F-47 and CCA ecosystem could push the total program cost well beyond current levels for fifth-generation fighters,” Army Recognition said. “Nevertheless, the Pentagon appears determined to push ahead, positioning the F-47 as a vital capability to counter Chinese and Russian advances in airpower over the coming decades.”
F-47, More Than F-35
Aerospace Global News reported this week that rushing the F-47 into production is among the reasons the Air Force has reduced its orders of F-35s for 2028 down to 18.
An F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing flies over Barry M. Goldwater Range, Arizona, Jan. 19, 2024. The Barry M. Goldwater range, south of Phoenix, Arizona, is host to a number of air-to-ground bombing ranges which are utilized for training by various DOD branches. The F-35 is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter and provides next-generation stealth with enhanced situational awareness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Elias Carrero)
250520-N-TW227-1112 EAST CHINA SEA (May 20, 2025) An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, prepares to land on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the East China Sea, May 20. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Melseth)
“The Air Force is also looking to spend more of its money on upgrading its existing fleets of fighter jets. It has to balance new procurements with maintaining and upgrading current jets, as well as the costs of developing new systems,” Aerospace Global News reported.
“The Air Force plans to procure at least 185 of these jets, which will be designed from the ground up to operate with CCAs. They will form the tip-of-the-spear for air dominance missions and are intended to be the ‘silver bullet’ of air dominance that the F-22 was when it entered service.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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