US President Donald Trump addressed the modernization of the American military during a major press conference and spoke about the progress of work on the new F-47 fighter jet.
According to Trump, the sixth-generation aircraft is already being built, and the assembly line has been launched at the plant. He also said that developers describe the F-47 as the greatest combat machine ever created, although this will only be fully clear after it is tested in practice.
The F-47, previously known as the NGAD — Next Generation Air Dominance — program, is being developed and produced by Boeing. In March 2025, the company received a contract worth more than $20 billion. The aircraft is presented as the first American sixth-generation fighter jet, which is expected to replace the F-22 Raptor.
Among the known characteristics of the F-47 are significantly enhanced stealth, a combat radius of about 1,950 kilometers, supersonic speed, increased maneuverability, strike weapons, and the ability to operate together with unmanned wingmen.
The US military expects the new aircraft to surpass fifth-generation fighters in survivability, resilience and operational availability. At the same time, the question of affordability, as with previous programs, remains ambiguous.
According to the US Air Force and Boeing, production of the first F-47 prototype did indeed begin in 2025. The first flight is scheduled for 2028, while the aircraft is expected to enter service in 2029–2030. Therefore, Trump’s statement about the start of assembly is in line with official information and does not look like an exaggeration.
Whether his description of the F-47 as the «greatest combat machine» proves true will become clear only after the fighter appears in the US Air Force. The cost of one aircraft has not yet been disclosed.