When Boeing won the contract to produce the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance fighter—the newly baptized F-47—it was more than just a corporate victory. Made in March from the Oval Office, the agreement marked a clear strategic turnaround for the Air Force at a time when America is confronting its most demanding air challenge since World War II. The F-47 is not merely a replacement for current fighters. It’s designed as the cutting edge of a larger strategy to counter China’s quickening military expansion and guarantee the U.S. maintains air dominance in the most disputed airspace on the planet.
The hurry is not difficult to see. China’s People’s Liberation Army has been producing next-generation fighters such as the J-20 at a rate that has already brought its fifth-generation fleet close to, if not surpassing, the U.S. F-22 arsenal. RAND researchers note that China’s edge started closing years ago; by 2017, its air-to-air capabilities were about equal to America’s, and the gap has only shrunk more since then. That erstwhile dominant F-22 Raptor is not just aging but in short supply. And as Michael Bohnert of RAND noted, the F-35, all its virtues aside, was designed as a strike fighter, not a specialized air-superiority fighter. That created a hole the Air Force couldn’t ignore anymore, and the F-47 is constructed to take its place.
The development of the NGAD originated quietly over ten years ago. DARPA’s Air Dominance Initiative in 2014 laid the groundwork, growing into the Aerospace Innovation Initiative that defined most of the current design. Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin tested experimental “X-planes” in the subsequent years—Boeing in 2019,
Lockheed in 2022, with hundreds of test hours accumulated and demonstrating the advanced systems that would eventually be integrated into the F-47. Acting DARPA Director Rob McHenry called the program “a 10-year arc of research that’s now defining the next chapter of American air dominance.” In 2024, the Air Force took a time-out to reassess threats as well as needs, finally confirming a requirement for a manned sixth-generation fighter.
So what is it about the F-47 that sets it apart? Speed, maneuverability, stealth, range, and payload—cumulatively, unrivaled anywhere in the world, at least in the opinion of its supporters. President Donald J. Trump was refreshingly straightforward in his March comments: “Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47.” The design prioritizes flexibility, with modular systems that can be rapidly upgraded to repel new threats. At the core is a new engine designed through the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, with increased thrust and efficiency, critical to the immense distances of the Indo-Pacific.
NGAD was never intended to be solely one aircraft, however. The F-47 is the focal point of a larger “system-of-systems,” flying in tandem with unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft. These unmanned air systems—such as Anduril’s YFQ-44A and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A—are set to start flight testing shortly. They’ll perform missions from missile delivery to electronic warfare, providing each F-47 with the ability to carry up to five autonomous wingmen. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin referred to the combination of manned and unmanned systems as a generational leap aimed at overwhelming the enemy through speed, adaptability, and massed firepower.
The price tags are as sweeping as the technology. The Air Force is requesting $2.7 billion for NGAD in the 2025 budget request alone, with the intent to spend close to $20 billion in the next five years. Although initial estimates placed the unit cost at around $300 million, officials are advocating for a cost closer to the F-35’s $100 million, depending on the configuration.
Boeing’s victory arrives at just the right time for the company, which has been criticized for delays and issues with quality in other projects. It’s $1.8 billion Advanced Combat Air Facility, currently under construction in St. Louis and opening in 2026, that will be key to making good on the Air Force’s fast-paced timeline.
The Indo-Pacific will be the F-47’s testing ground. Its range, stealth profile, and capacity to engage with unmanned systems should enable it to break through China’s expanding “anti-access” perimeter and hold air superiority well inside contested airspace. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put it starkly: the F-47 is an unmistakable message to allies and adversaries alike that the United States will control the skies for the next few decades.
The consequences may not be greater. With this program, the Air Force is not merely replacing worn-out airframes—it is adopting a new mode of combat, one that is founded on digital engineering, modular updateability, and close human-machine integration.
It will not succeed based on technology alone but will depend upon disciplined program management, adaptive response to shifting threats, and smooth integration with allied military forces and with the platforms of the future. The competition for air supremacy is well underway—and for the moment at least, the F-47 leads the pack.