On March 21st, the United States Air Force and President Trump teased several potential technological advancements when they announced a $20 billion contract for Boeing Aerospace to build America’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, the F-47, which is intended to ultimately replace the F-22.
Described in a statement from Air Force Gen. David Allvin as a “monumental leap forward” toward securing America’s air dominance well into the future, the F-47 is said to possess the capability to “outpace, outmaneuver, and outmatch any adversary.”
“With the F-47, we are not just building another fighter – we are shaping the future of warfare and putting our enemies on notice,” the General said.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” President Trump told reporters during an Oval Office press conference announcing the contract award. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it.”
The Development of the F-47 Focused on Technological Advancements
While the exact details of the technological advancements featured in the F-47 remain classified, The Debrief has reported on several technology tests and systems many expect to be included in the new NGAD fighter.
For example, when the Air Force sent out a highly classified solicitation to its industry partners for the NGAD program in 2023, then Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said the NGAD fighter would be a “leap in technology” over the F-22, featuring such attributes as “enhanced lethality and the ability to survive, persist, interoperate, and adapt in the air domain.” Kendall later described the DoD’s X-plane program designed to test individual advanced technologies for the NGAD program as a “family of systems” approach where advanced hypersonic drones and possibly even directed energy weapons are integrated into the fighter’s overall operation.
In 2023, speculation grew about the body design of the NGAS fighter when military contractor Lockheed-Martin’s advanced technology division, Skunk Works, featured an unidentified, sleek, delta-winged, manned aircraft at the end of a video highlighting the company’s advanced fighter legacy. The video included images of the infamous SR-71, the U2 spy plane, the F-177 Nighthawk, and in-development projects like Project Carrera’s “Speed Racer.”
In 2024, contractor Pratt & Whitney announced testing of the XA-103 prototype to evaluate its Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion System (NGAP) designed to “improve speed, power, fuel efficiency, thermal management, and overall survivability” of any airframe equipped with the propulsion system. At the time, Jill Albertelli, president of Pratt & Whitney’s Military Engines business, explained that “continued government funding for sixth-generation propulsion development must remain a high priority to support critical platform milestones and warfighter readiness.”
Hellbound and Down 