Key Points: The U.S. Air Force has begun building the F-47, its sixth-generation NGAD fighter, with leaders pushing to have it flying by 2028.
-Gen. David Allvin signaled urgency and a notional buy of 185+ jets as Boeing ramps early production.
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)
-The F-47 is expected to fuse paradigm-shifting stealth with AI-enabled targeting, laser and hypersonic options, and a projected 2,000-mile range—roughly doubling the F-35’s reach for Pacific operations.
-Accelerated timelines are influenced by China’s emerging J-36 and J-50 concepts and its fast production capacity.
Bottom line: the F-47 aims to secure U.S. air dominance with longer reach, smarter sensors, and rapid fielding.
F-47 NGAD Begins Production: USAF Targets First Flight by 2028
Lasers, hypersonics, AI-enabled targeting, and paradigm-changing stealth are several of the areas of explosive technological growth expected to accompany the arrival of the F-47.
The still-developing F-47 is the new 6th-generation stealth fighter now entering the operational sphere of the US Air Force.
NGAD F-47 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
US Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin confirmed that, indeed, the first F-47 is starting production, a move that could signal the beginning of a large fleet of next-generation stealth fighters.
“We’ve got to go fast,” were the words used by Allvin at the Air Force Association symposium, referencing the need to produce F-47s quickly and ensure the jet is operational by 2028.
Urgent Need for F-47
The intensity of the intended production pace and the stated goal of acquiring more than 185 F-47s reveal the sense of urgency with which the Pentagon is pursuing the aircraft.
The mention of 185 jets as a notional minimum is something attributed to Allvin, as cited by Air & Space Force’s Magazine.
At the same time, it would make sense for the Air Force to ultimately pursue a much larger fleet of F-47s, given the current threat circumstance.
The emergence of AI, stealth, and long-range weapons and sensors has not fully displaced or removed the importance of deploying a large force.
This may be why Boeing has already started construction of the first-to-be-operational F-47, which makes sense given the need for the 6th-generation stealth jet.
Production capacity is a significant element, particularly given China’s well-known capability to produce large quantities of aircraft quickly, primarily due to the country’s often-discussed civil-military fusion.
Boeing is perhaps well suited to conduct a large scale production operation of the F-47, given its decades of experience building commercial and military airplanes; for instance, Boeing’s large scale production of the B-52 and F-15 have been largely successful over the years, so it stands to reason that Boeing could be well positioned to launch a massive, efficient and well-coordinated F-47 production operation.
China’s 6th Gen Fighters Are Coming or Are Here…
There are likely several key reasons why the jet is being fast-tracked and in such high demand, one of which doubtless relates to the arrival of public photos of several new Chinese stealth fighters believed to be 6th-gen aircraft.
Captured photos of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Chengdu J-36 show a three-engine blended-wing-body stealth fighter-bomber hybrid, and images of a 6th-generation Shenyang J-50 reveal a two-engine stealth aircraft with a design similar to US industry renderings of a notional 6th-generation NGAD design.
The Shenyang aircraft also resembles images of a 6th-generation Chinese aircraft released several years ago by the Chinese state-owned Global Times newspaper.
This 6th-generation rendering, published by the Global Times several years ago, was discussed in an essay by Warrior Maven in February 2023.
This image of a 6th-generation fighter, published in a Chinese newspaper, resembled previously published defense industry renderings of the US Air Force’s 6th-generation NGAD.
The 2023 Global Times article describes the tailless, finless aircraft configuration as a “blended wing-body design” able to provide “higher lift, longer range and lower fuel consumption.”
2,000-mile Range and Mach 2 for F-47?
According to many reports, the F-47’s potential 2,000-mile range and Mach 2 or more speed is yet another reason why the Pentagon urgently needs the aircraft.
Should the F-47s’ combat radius truly be 1,000 miles, with an overall range of 2,000 miles, the 6th-gen fighter could essentially double the reach of the F-35, something of great tactical significance in the Pacific theater given its geographical expanse.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
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