The new sixth generation fighter jet will replace the US' F-22 Raptor fleet.

Boeing has been selected to design and build the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jet, designated F-47, after the programme was cancelled last year.

The deal was announced by US President Donald Trump on 21 March during a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The value of the programme has been widely reported to be around USD20 billion.

No timelines have been announced; however, the president said that the F-47s would be rolling off the production line within his term in office, which ends January 2029.

NGAD originated following a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programme called ‘Air Dominance Initiative study’, which was completed in 2014. In May 2023, USAF issued a solicitation to industry for the development of the crewed component of NGAD, which was expected to be awarded in 2024. However, this was cancelled last year due to cost concerns.

Trump and Hegseth have reignited the programme, with the defense secretary reassuring US allies “that we're not going anywhere”, sending a signal “to our enemies that we can, and we will, be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded, for generations”.

It will  “usher in a new generation of United States fighter jets”, bringing increased “range, survivability, lethality and adaptability”, the Boeing press release stated on 21 March.

Little specific detail regarding the aircraft has been revealed, with Boeing saying that “technical and programmatic details remain classified under United States national security and export laws”.

Although according to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General David Allvin, the F-47 will be cheaper to procure than the F-22 and be more compatible with future upgrades.

Boeing was competing against Lockheed Martin for the NGAD contract, which manufactures the F-35 and F-22 models currently in service with USAF.

The F-47 will encompass a ‘family of systems’, including an autonomous drone called the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) colloquially dubbed a ‘loyal wingman’.

Companies initially awarded CCA development contracts include Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, although, only Anduril and GA-ASI have proceeded to build production-representative test articles.

According to former USAF Secretary Frank Kendall, the force is planning on acquiring around 1,000 CCAs after analysing “basic organizational structures, training and range requirements, and sustainment concepts”.