Key Points – The US Air Force’s F-47 NGAD, its next-generation air superiority fighter, is projected for Mach 2+ speeds and a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles—potentially 70% farther than the F-22—crucial for Pacific operations.
-To manage its high ~$300 million unit cost, President Trump has indicated it will be exported to allies, unlike the F-22.
-The F-47 will feature “stealth++” technology, possibly incorporating new heat-resistant ceramic coatings (under development at NC State) to maintain stealth integrity at high speeds.
-It will also control Collaborative Combat Aircraft (YFQ-42A/YFQ-44A drones) and is expected to enter service between 2025 and 2029.
The F-47 Fighter Is a Nighmare for Russia or China
The new F-47 NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) is the Air Force’s next-generation air superiority fighter.
Reports state that the F-47 will be the fastest fighter ever. President Trump, in his introductory press conference for the F-47, noted that the aircraft will fly at Mach 2. President Trump said, “Its speed is top, so ‘over two,’ which is something that you don’t hear very often.”
“It’s something the likes of which nobody has seen before,” Trump said. “In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have to payload. The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built.”
Further reports claim that the F-47’s speed will exceed Mach 2.25, or approximately 1726.35 mph. That is incredible for a stealth aircraft. But a couple of questions remain. Can they bring down the cost? How will the stealth coatings hold up at that speed? And most importantly, is the 1,000-mile range enough?
The $300 Million Cost of the F-47 Is Enormous
Paying for the F-47 is not going to be at bargain-basement prices. At $300 million per aircraft, it borders on the unsustainable. Despite the aircraft’s advancement, that would become a huge sticking point.
However, to drive down costs, perhaps the Air Force and the Defense Department need to come to an agreement, avoid the same mistakes they’ve made in the past, and use history to avoid repeating those mistakes in the future.
Pay Attention To The Lessons Learned From the F-22 and F-35
When the F-22 was first developed, many of our allies and partner nations wanted to buy the aircraft. And why not? Today, it is still the best fighter in the world (until the F-47 is operational). However, an act of Congress specifically barred the F-22 from export to protect vital US technology.
Its use was restricted to the US Air Force, eliminating any opportunity to disperse costs via foreign military sales. This spread the fixed research-and-development costs across a much smaller US-only fleet, driving up the per-unit price.
The cost of the F-22 was slated to be $140 million per aircraft. However, the research and development costs and maintenance costs skyrocketed the price to $350 million per aircraft. Part of that was due to the Air Force cutting the procurement of just 186 F-22s.
But the F-35 changed that. Our allies also wanted that aircraft, and this time around, the US relented. Exporting the F-35 and involving allies in the jet’s production was a key factor in helping reduce per-unit costs for the Lightning II compared to the more expensive F-22 Raptor.
The F-35’s multiple international partners (20 and counting) and aircraft sales abroad help offset the costs of research, development, and production and allow economies of scale to take form.
President Trump Says The US Will Export the F-47
“Our allies are calling constantly,” President Trump said, hinting that foreign military sales could be on the table for American allies. “They want to buy them also,” while joking about the price with reporters in the Oval Office.
President Trump added that the United States “will be selling them,” though potentially in an export configuration. “We like to tone them down about ten percent,” President Trump said, adding that “probably makes sense because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?”
There are over 1,200 F-35s operationally around the world, with nearly half in the hands of our allies. It also means that we can mutually support and maintain our aircraft with each other if the situation arises.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program
This is another area where our allies could offset the costs of the F-47 fighter. Between 2025 and 2029, the Department of Defense will allocate $8.9 billion to develop the CCA or “loyal wingman” program.
The Air Force announced recently the designation of two Mission Design Series within its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program: the YFQ-42A (General Atomics) and the YFQ-44A (Anduril). They are ready to fly this summer and will each play a vital role in the F-47 program. A pilot in the F-47 will command and lead these to accomplish certain mission parameters.
Stealth Coatings/High Speeds Don’t Mix Well
Claims are being made on various social media platforms that the F-47 will be “the stealthiest aircraft ever,” which has yet to be proven, but it sets a high bar.
At the press conference, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said the F-47 will cost less than the F-22, be more adaptable to future threats, and “have significantly longer range, more advanced stealth, be more sustainable, supportable, and have higher availability than our fifth-generation fighters.”
Stealth coating materials can deteriorate due to both speed and temperature. High speeds, especially supersonic flight, generate significant heat, which can damage or degrade the radar-absorbing materials (RAMs) used in stealth technology. Additionally, the materials are susceptible to damage from abrasion, moisture, and other environmental factors.
Many radar-absorbent polymers used in stealth coatings rapidly decompose at temperatures above 250°C, necessitating careful design considerations to manage heat and protect the coatings.
Changes Coming For Stealth Polymers
Scientists at NC State have been working on creating a tougher skin with more desirable stealth characteristics. Researchers believe the new material will enable the aircraft to fly faster while maintaining its stealth capabilities.
Chengying “Cheryl” Xu, who is leading the program at NC State, said, “the material we’ve engineered is not only more radar absorbent, it will also allow the next generation of stealth aircraft to be faster, more maneuverable and able to travel further.”
Xu and her team have created a ceramic material with impressive stealth attributes. During lab testing, it was found that the ceramic is more radar-absorbent than existing polymers, able to absorb 90% or more of the energy from radar.
The ceramic material is water-resistant and harder than sand. In other words, it can better withstand harsh conditions, such as flying in desert-like environments or the rain. More importantly, the ceramic material retains its radar-absorbent characteristics at temperatures as high as 1,800 °C and as low as -100 °C.
The ceramic coating can be applied easily to the entire aircraft skin. Xu said the entire process, from applying a liquid ceramic precursor to completion, takes one to two days.
The liquid ceramic precursor is sprayed onto the aircraft’s surface. As it is exposed to ambient air, it undergoes a series of chemical reactions and is converted into solid ceramic material.
“We recently secured funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research that will allow us to produce and test much larger samples, so that’s what we’re working on now,” Xu said. “Ultimately, we hope to work with industry partners to scale this up and begin work on the next generation of stealth aircraft.”
It is unknown if the F-47 will use the ceramic coating researchers at NC State are developing, but the Air Force is working on a new stealth coating for the aircraft. The F-47 will also incorporate active stealth technologies, such as electronic countermeasures and decoys, to confuse and evade enemy defenses.
The F-47 promises to take stealth to the next level. We’ll have to wait and see how this all shakes out, which brings us to the elephant in the room: the 1,000-mile range.
Are The F-47s Going to Have the Range?
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin recently posted an infographic on his X account comparing some of the F-47’s capabilities to fighters of previous generations. One feature that stood out was the fighter’s range.
The F-47 has an estimated range of at least 1000 nautical miles (its true range is likely significantly higher). This puts the F-47 above its peers in terms of operational range, but is this enough to deal with threats like China?
The F-47 will be equipped with advanced refueling capabilities, enabling it to stay airborne for extended periods. The Air Force is working on extra drop tanks that will increase the F-47’s range without sacrificing stealth.
Audrey Decker wrote, “The Air Force’s F-47 fighter jet will fly some 70 percent farther without refueling than today’s F-22s, allowing tankers to stay farther from the fray—a key advantage in a potential Pacific conflict.”
The F-47 is expected to be operational between 2025 and 2029 as new details about its future robot wingmen, called Collaborative Combat Aircraft, are meant to fly alongside the F-47, F-35, and F-22. CCAs will have a combat radius of “700+” nautical miles and have some stealth attributes but list the top speed as classified.
According to the Air Force, the CCA program will also become operational in 2025 to 2029. The two offerings—General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A—are slated to fly their test aircraft this year.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, 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.
Meet the Best Tanks on Earth
Pingback: The Walls Are Already Closing in on the F-55 Fighter - National Security Journal
Pingback: Forget the F-35 of F-22: 7th-Generation Fighters Could Have 'Plasma Stealth' - National Security Journal