 "Donald Trump sits next to an image of the F-47 fighter jet. Source: Reuters")
US President Donald Trump on Friday (March 21) unveiled the country’s F-47 fighter jet programme, which he said would produce a “state of the art” stealth jet.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built. An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years, and we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation,” Trump said in an Oval Office address.
“The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technology. It’s virtually unseeable and unprecedented power, the most power of any jet of its kind ever made,” Trump announced.
Boeing awarded the contract
Trump also announced that the contract to build the future fighter jet has been awarded to Boeing.
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme will feature a manned jet acting as the central command for a fleet of advanced drones. These aircraft are designed to evade enemy air defences, particularly those of China and other potential adversaries.
The initial contract for the Air Force variant is estimated to be worth $20 billion, marking a significant step toward its production.
Trump made the announcement alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force leadership.
David Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force, said, “We’re going to write the next generation of modern aerial warfare with this.” Hegseth said the future fleet “sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere.”
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The NGAD programme has faced criticism from experts and analysts, especially as Pentagon struggles to fully produce its current most advanced jet, the F-35. Adding to that, US is also planning to build a fleet of about 100 future B-21 stealth bombers, with expected cost estimated at $130 billion.
Now, experts are questioning whether another advanced fighter jet programme is required.
$20 billion is “just seed money. The total costs coming down the road will be hundreds of billions of dollars,” Grazier, director of the national security reform program at the Stimson Center was quoted as saying by AP.
Last year, the administration of former president Joe Biden had ordered a pause on the programme to see whether a review was required to reflect the past few years of warfighting advances.
(With inputs from agencies)