- Start
- Mar 21, 202590% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
US Air Force Picks Boeing to Build the F-47 Sixth-Generation Fighter
- The Air Force announced on 21 March 2025 that Boeing had won the contract to design, build and deliver its Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, named the F-47[1]
- Boeing beat Lockheed Martin, ending Lockheed's run as the West's only maker of stealth fighters; Northrop Grumman had left the competition in 2023[3]
- The win gives Boeing's St. Louis fighter plant new work as the F/A-18 line nears its end[3]
- Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Allvin said experimental NGAD aircraft had flown since 2020 and that the first production-standard F-47 would fly during Trump's term[2][3]
Notable features
- Planned as the first US sixth-generation fighter, replacing the F-22 Raptor, with the Air Force aiming to buy '185-plus'[2]
- Combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles and a top speed above Mach 2, designed to fly with uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft[2]
- Engineering and manufacturing development contract reported at more than $20 billion[2]
References 382% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 82%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 3 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-details/2025/U-S--Air-Force-Selects-Boeing-for-Next-Generation-Air-Dominance-Fighter-Platform/default.aspxinvestors.boeing.com· Posted Sep 27, 2026· Starts Mar 21, 2025 ✓· 47% of score
Boeing's release, datelined 'ARLINGTON, Va., March 21, 2025': 'The U.S. Air Force announced Boeing ... has been awarded a contract to design, build and deliver its next-generation fighter aircraft.'
- [2]75%Boeing F-47en.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 27, 2026· 47% of score
Gives the EMD contract as worth more than $20 billion, the plan to buy '185-plus' aircraft with a combat radius over 1,000 nautical miles and top speed above Mach 2, and first flight expected in 2028.[1]
- [3]82%Boeing wins Air Force contract for NGAD next-gen fighter, dubbed F-47breakingdefense.com· Published Mar 21, 2025· 6% of score
Reports Boeing[1] beat Lockheed Martin (Northrop Grumman having dropped out in 2023), a lifeline for its St. Louis fighter plant, and Gen. Allvin's statement that the first EMD F-47 will fly during Trump's presidency.
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