WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Boeing are advancing development of the F-47 sixth-generation crewed air superiority fighter under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
Detailed during an address by USAF Brig. Gen. Timothy Helfrich (Air Force Life Cycle Management Center) at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, the F-47 is engineered with a projected combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles (~1,852 kilometers)—representing a 70% increase over the F-22 Raptor (~590 NM) and nearly 50% greater than the F-35A Lightning II (~670 NM). Boeing was awarded the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract in March 2025, with first flight targeted for 2028. The program aims to field a baseline fleet of at least 185 aircraft to succeed the F-22 Raptor.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: U.S. AIR FORCE BOEING F-47 (NGAD CREWED FIGHTER) 
* Platform Class: 6th-Generation Low-Observable Penetrating Air Superiority Fighter
* Prime Contractor: Boeing (EMD Contract Awarded March 2025)
* Contracting Authority: U.S. Department of Defense / Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC)
* Target Fleet Acquisition: Baseline planned inventory of ~185 aircraft
* First Flight Target: Scheduled for 2028
* Performance & Operational Metrics:
* Planned Combat Radius: >1,000 nautical miles (>1,852 km) unrefueled
* Maximum Speed Target: Exceeding Mach 2.0+ (capable of sustained high-altitude supercruise)
* Combat Range Advantages: Unrefueled reach designed to bypass China’s long-range Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) missile umbrellas in the Western Pacific / Indo-Pacific theatre
* System Architecture & Survivability:
* Stealth Engineering: Next-generation low-observable (LO) airframe geometry and radar-absorbing material (RAM) integration for broad-spectrum signature reduction
* Software Architecture: Fully open mission systems architecture enabling rapid, modular flight-line software updates to counter emerging threats
* Human-Machine Teaming (HMT): Purpose-built command node to direct formations of uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for forward sensing, electronic attack, and weapons carriage
