Key Points and Summary –The Boeing F-47, touted as the U.S. Air Force’s future premier fighter jet, is being introduced with considerable fanfare but scant specifics.
– Marketed as the first manned fighter of the sixth generation, it is anticipated to surpass the F-22 in both range and stealth capabilities, boasting speeds exceeding Mach 2 and a combat radius of over 1,000 nautical miles.
– However, the limited number of publicly available depictions spark concerns, ranging from obvious design flaws that might compromise stealth capabilities to indications that the existing visuals could be intentional disinformation.
– Given the ongoing flight tests of experimental X-planes and a first flight planned for 2028, the F-47 is increasingly appearing as a significant, closely protected advancement in U.S. air capabilities, rather than just a fanciful concept.
F-47 Subterfuge: Concealing America’s Future Air Force Fighter Jet
With considerable fanfare in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump revealed the victor of the Next Generation Air Dominance program.
Accompanied by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the President promoted thenewly-named F-47 aircraft, constructed by Boeing, to be nearly undetectable. “Nothing else on the planet is anywhere near as good,” stated President Trump.stated by the White House, thereby assigning the designation F-47 to the latest fighter for the U.S. Air Force.
The F-47 is expected to take the place of the existing…F-22 Raptor’s role within the Air Force….and is set to be the inaugural sixth-generation fighter for the U.S.
Secretary Hegseth also lauded the F-47, stating that the aircraft “sends a strong, unmistakable signal to our allies that we are here to stay and to our adversaries that we possess, and will continue to possess, the capability to project our strength worldwide, without hindrance, for many years into the future.”
Despite the fanfare surrounding Boeing’s NGAD award, precious little is known about the aircraft, with a dearth of publicly available information.
One of the few things definitively known about the F-47 comes from an infographic shared on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this spring. The photo, which appears to show a computer-rendered F-47, is shrouded in water vapor, leaving room for the imagination.
But the aircraft’s top speed is listed as “Mach 2+” and boasts a range in excess of 1,000 nautical miles.
It will also be stealthier than the aircraft it replaces in the air superiority role, the F-22.
The infographic also establishes an acquisition baseline of 185+ aircraft.
What else is known about the F-47? Not much. But a quick look at the few available images of the jet might shed some light on the matter.
A Stealthy Design? Or Throwing Adversaries Off the Trail?
One of the most remarkable of the few visible F-47 features is what appears to be the aircraft’s canards, just below the cockpit windshield.
Often, as a feature of highly maneuverable aircraft like Russia’s Su-30 family of fighters, or Sweden’s Gripen E, canards provide an additional source of lift and directional control.
And while canards do offer maneuverability advantages, they also pose a drawback for fifth- and sixth-generation stealth aircraft.
As one 1995 NASA research paper notes, while canards can significantly increase aircraft agility, there are significant compromises.
Depending on where exactly fighter canards are on the airframe, pilot visibility can be significantly reduced.
The second penalty is the antithesis of stealth: an increased radar cross-section. The unclassified study evaluated several hypothetical aircraft designs and, among other things, ranked them for agility and stealth. Aircraft with canards consistently ranked highly agile, but also moderately observable.
“Despite what our adversaries claim, the F-47 is truly the world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter, built to dominate the most capable peer adversary and operate in the most perilous threat environments imaginable,” the then-Air Force Chief of Staff said following the NGAD contract award.
General Allvin explained that though the aircraft just recently emerged from the shadows and received its designation, it is not an immature program.
“For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence,” the general said.
He added that “these experimental aircraft have demonstrated the innovations necessary to mature the F-47’s capabilities, ensuring that when we committed to building this fighter, we knew we were making the right investment for America.” General Allvin’s comments hint at the maturity of Boeing’s F-47 aircraft despite its youth.
Perhaps the most logical conclusion behind the Air Force’s carefully tight-lipped introduction of the F-47 can be chalked up to the fact that the first iteration of the aircraft hasn’t yet been built — and that the images that have been released are provisional only.
Another possibility is that the secrecy is an attempt to throw off adversaries’ analyses of the aircraft, and that some visible aspects of the F-47, such as its canards, are nothing more than a red herring.
Why the Big F-47 Secret?
Given the limited information about the F-47 fighter, the few renderings of the jet are provisional.
The U.S. Air Force has previously pinned 2028 as the year when the F-47 will make its first flight.
But the lack of information about the F-47 could be because multiple increments, or versions, of the aircraft will be built as increasingly sophisticated technology becomes available.
Either way, with the F-47’s first flight over two years away, it will be some time before more information about the United States’ newest jet comes to light.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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