America's F-47 6th Gen Fighter Jet Revealed: What We Know And What's Still To Show

Boeing may be facing disastrous troubles with its aviation and space technology wing, but that hasn't prevented the American aviation giant from winning the contract to build America's new sixth generation fighter jet. On March 21, 2025, President Donald Trump confirmed that Boeing has been selected to build a new sixth-generation fighter aircraft, currently dubbed the Boeing F-47.

The new fighter jet from Boeing is being developed under the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Once deployed, it will succeed the U.S. fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 and F-35. The Boeing F-47 is set to integrate a host of new technologies, including semi-autonomous drones, new propulsion systems, innovative sensors, and the cutting-edge engine adaptive engine.

The NGAD program has been a topic of much discussion within the defense community, especially after the Air Force initially paused the project to reassess its costs and requirements. However, following an internal review and consultations with a panel of experts, it was confirmed that the need for such a fighter remains urgent, particularly as the U.S. faces evolving threats from adversaries like China and Russia.

The NGAD program will certainly be an expensive program for the U.S. military, with the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract alone worth approximately $20 billion.

Given that Boeing has just been awarded the contract to build the F-47, most of the aircraft's capabilities remain classified. However, considering that it will be designed as a sixth-generation fighter from the ground up, the list of requirements that constitute a sixth generation fighter will almost certainly be met.

As for the role of the Boeing F-47 in the U.S. military, it will be positioned as an air superiority fighter. The primary function of these planes would be to establish and maintain control of the skies in combat zones. This focus on air dominance is critical, as future military conflicts will likely involve complex air-to-air combat, with multiple adversaries and advanced technologies at play.

One of the most exciting aspects of the F-47 is its integration with an upcoming technology called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This technology entails the integration of small but potent military drones that work alongside the manned fighter to carry out a variety of missions. These drones can perform tasks ranging from electronic warfare to missile launches, significantly enhancing the F-47's capabilities while reducing the risk to pilots.

While America's existing fifth-generation fighters already possess great stealth capabilities, the Boeing F-47 is expected to take stealth tech to the next level. Additionally, a host of new sensors, combined with better maneuverability is expected to make the F-47 an incredibly difficult plane to be shot down by adversaries. Given its sixth generation capabilities and integration of the latest military tech, the Boeing F-47 is expected to be an expensive aircraft, with a single unit likely to cost around $300 million.

The Boeing F-47 Program may have just been confirmed, and it will be a while before the company reveals the aircraft. Simply put, it is still too early to guess what the Boeing F-47 would look like. In addition to this, the exact set of stealth features the aircraft will incorporate also remains under wraps.

Additionally, while using CCAs and advanced propulsion technology has been confirmed, the full scope of the F-47's operational capabilities, such as how it will interact with other military systems or its role in multi-domain warfare, is still unclear. Another question that remains unanswered is how the F-47 will fit into the larger context of U.S. military strategy.

The U.S. Air Force's goal is to build systems that interact not just with the F-47, but also a variety of other aircraft, drones, and support systems. This approach to warfare will require the U.S. military to initiate coordination and integration efforts across multiple platforms. While this is certainly going to be a difficult task, if executed well, the U.S. Air Force will continue to exert its effectiveness during battles.

The development of fresh aircraft models is an extremely complex and challenging task, even more so for a sixth generation aircraft still undergoing genesis. It is too early to say how much time it would take for Boeing to go from the current status — which is essentially to drawing board — to the first flight of a finished prototype.