On March 21, President Donald Trump made the unexpected announcement that Boeing has won a $20 billion contract to produce the F-47, which despite much of the design being classified, is supposedly going to be a sixth-generation fighter and the most advanced fighter ever developed.
The decision to award Boeing the contract, however, has turned some heads in the aviation community, calling into question whether or not the aircraft company should indeed be the ones to manufacture the F-47, and if the fighter should even be manufactured at all. Quite frankly, in my opinion, the project is going to be a massive money drain, and will almost certainly be delayed well into the future, past their projected completion date.
Gen. David Allvin, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force released a statement on the contract award. Among his claims, he said, “While our X-planes were flying in the shadows, we were cementing our air dominance — accelerating the technology, refining our operational concepts, and proving that we can field this capability faster than ever before. Because of this, the F-47 will fly during President Trump’s administration.”
It’s a bold claim, with an even bolder timeline, leaving many skeptical.
Boeing has certainly come under fire in recent years, following massive scandals such as the Boeing 737 MAX scandal, in which an accumulative 346 people died as a result of cost-cutting and fraud on behalf of Boeing. More recently, two whistleblowers against Boeing were found dead, reported as suicide and infection. Documentaries have even come out detailing the so-called fall of Boeing as a company.
Even outside of the commercial field, where Boeing has had the majority of its recent blunders, the company still hasn’t been performing well. The 777X, despite having its first flight in 2020, still has yet to deliver a single aircraft to any of those who’ve ordered it.
Just this month, the Air Force paused deliveries of Boeing’s KC-46 after finding structural cracks were found on two of four new planes.
The fact of the matter is that Boeing delays due to quality problems have become the norm for the company, but even so, the United States government continues to award them contracts. This also comes in the wake of cuts to both foreign and domestic budgets. And many are concerned that this project will be much the same as the F-35 — just another bureaucratic cash drain.
While it was not stated how much the project would cost, Allvin indicated that it would be cheaper than the F-22 raptor. With the F-47 being described as a sixth generation fighter, a conceptual class of fighter jets that would be more advanced than those currently in service, this is certainly a bold claim.
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall argues that the project is simply unaffordable. During his time acting as Air Force Secretary during the Biden administration, “When the Air Force created its first draft 2026 budget and five-year program in 2024, we concluded we couldn’t afford NGAD no matter how capable and relevant it was. Congress needs to ask what has changed since then.”
Kendall also pointed out that this won’t be the only expense needed for the Air Force, including recapitalizing the other two legs of the nuclear triad. “Congress should demand to see the affordability analysis the Trump administration should have completed before awarding the contract.”
Overall, between budgetary concerns and quality concerns regarding Boeing as the manufacturer, the F-47 certainly has its challenges to beat. It’s doubtful that the U.S. will reveal much in the way of manufacturing for some time, to maintain secrecy around the project. However, only time will tell if this fighter will ever make it out of warehouses and hangars, and prove itself to be the next step in the race for sixth generation fighters.
