Boeing to build F-47, Air Force's future fighter jet, Trump says
President Trump makes 'special announcement'
Trump announced the Pentagon’s decision to move forward with a new next-generation fighter jet after awarding a contract to Boeing. The announcement coming just hours after Elon Musk met with senior officials at the Pentagon this morning. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth always announcing plans to operate in the Middle East next month. Following those announcements the president took questions from the media which included his decision to begin the process of shutting down the US Department of Education among other key issues he's tackling.
Boeing will build the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet for the U.S. Air Force, a plane the Pentagon says will have stealth and penetration capabilities that far exceed those of its current fleet.
President Donald Trump made the announcement in the Oval Office Friday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
What is the F-47 NGAD?
What we know:
The F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, is a manned jet that will serve as quarterback to a fleet of future drone aircraft designed to be able to penetrate the air defenses of China and any other potential foes. The initial contract to proceed with production on a version for the Air Force version is worth an estimated $20 billion.
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 21, 2025. Boeing Co. won a contract to design and build the US's next-generation fighter jet, beating out rival Lockheed Martin Corp. for t
NGAD will bring "an entirely different level of low observability," an official told The Associated Press. It will also have a much longer range than the F-35 or other current fighter jets, so it will require less refueling. A future unmanned version of NGAD also is planned as the Pentagon improves the AI for the aircraft, the official said.
A separate Navy contract for its version of the NGAD fighter is still under competition between Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
What we don't know:
Few details of what the new NGAD fighter would look like have been public, although Trump said early versions have been conducting test flights for the last five years. Renderings by both Lockheed Martin and Boeing have highlighted a flat, tail-less aircraft with a sharp nose.
What they're saying:
Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force, said, "We're going to write the next generation of modern aerial warfare with this."
Hegseth said the future fleet "sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere."
The other side:
Critics have questioned the cost and the necessity of the program as the Pentagon is still struggling to fully produce its current most advanced jet, the F-35, which is expected to cost taxpayers more than $1.7 trillion over its lifespan. In addition, the Pentagon's future stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, will have many of the same cutting edge technologies in advanced materials, AI, propulsion and stealth.
More than 1,100 F-35s have already been built for the U.S. and multiple international partners.
What's next:
A fleet of about 100 future B-21 stealth bombers at an estimated total cost of at least $130 billion is also planned. The first B-21 aircraft are now in test flights.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.