Air superiority never stands still, and the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program is an illustration of just how quickly the situation can change. With Boeing recently given the contract to create the F-47—the first sixth-generation fighter in the world—the Air Force is making a very ambitious statement about having a lead in air combat for years to come.
The NGAD program expanded from an awareness that traditional fighters, such as the F-22 Raptor, although powerful, are being increasingly outmatched by changing threats. Its beginnings started with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Air Dominance Initiative in 2014, which then developed into the Aerospace Innovation Initiative and the Air Superiority 2030 study.
All of these initiatives stressed that a single platform would not suffice. Instead, air superiority would demand a system-of-systems solution: combining manned and unmanned aircraft, sophisticated sensors, electronic warfare assets, and elastic command networks that can operate in contested domains.
At the core of NGAD is the F-47, which will operate not as an independent fighter but as the center of a networked family of systems. These include Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs), next-generation sensors, electronic warfare suites, and hardened command-and-control systems. The Air Force intends to buy at least 200 F-47s and approximately 1,000 CCAs, leveraging human and machine combined to accelerate survivability and lethality.
The technology that underlies NGAD is pushing current limits. Stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike are key, as are propulsion advances. Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion is developing variable-cycle engines that hold out the potential for higher efficiency in both subsonic and supersonic flight, more effective cooling, and higher electrical output to power avionics and emerging directed energy weaponry. Key takeaways from the Adaptive Engine Transition Program are being directly applied to enable the F-47 to tackle the harsh requirements of prolonged deployments.
Boeing’s designation as lead developer came after a strategic timeout to re-evaluate costs and industrial requirements. The Air Force selected Boeing over alternatives in part to keep the industrial base diverse and avoid dependence on one supplier. Decades of X-plane test demonstrators by both Lockheed Martin and Boeing proved fundamental technologies and operational principles, assuring that the F-47 would be potent and versatile.
Modularity and flexibility are at the heart of F-47 design. Open architecture enables quick integration of new technologies—sensors, weapons, or software—without the massive overhauls that hindered programs like the F-22 and F-35. Government-owned Agile Mission Suite, reminiscent of divided avionics on aircraft such as the B-21 bomber, allows the F-47 to rapidly respond to new threats or mission needs.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft are an integral part of this vision. Aircraft like Anduril’s YFQ-44A and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A are already in testing and will fly in tandem with F-47s to provide sensor extension, carry additional ordnance, and perform complicated missions independently or in tandem with manned aircraft. This crew-machine teaming goes beyond the conventional “loyal wingman” paradigm into a dynamic, adaptive approach to aerial combat.
Budget and industrial limitations continue to be an issue. The F-47 will cost between $200 million $300 million per aircraft, with funding for NGAD in FY25 amounting to $2.7 billion and intentions to spend almost $20 billion over the next decade. All these must be weighed against other priorities, including modernizing bombers, missile programs, and upgrades to the F-35, all under Congressional oversight and budgetary limitations.
Boeing is under pressure to meet timelines and cost, particularly following its recent troubles on programs such as the T-7 trainer and KC-46A tanker. While the Air Force is retiring older F-22s, it highlights the importance of getting NGAD online to keep the United States ahead in air superiority in contested domains. Export is complicated by the advanced nature of the F-47’s capabilities, though downgraded variants for allies are still a theoretical prospect.
Ultimately, the NGAD program is a bet on the future of air warfare. By adopting modular, iterative development and close coupling of manned and unmanned systems, the Air Force hopes to provide a platform that evolves as threats emerge. The F-47 is not just a fighter aircraft—it is the linchpin of a new generation of U.S. airpower, one meant to set the terms of aerial dominance for decades to come.