Xinhua News Agency, Washington, March 21 Hot Questions and Answers: What is the origin of the US sixth-generation fighter F-47
US President Trump announced at the White House on the 21st that he would select Boeing to carry out the production of the “next-generation air superiority” fighter jet, the sixth-generation fighter jet project of the United States, and named the new generation of fighter jets F-47. The fighter will replace the F-22 Raptor fighter and become the most important “air superiority” fighter in the United States in the next decades.
How is the performance
Trump said that the F-47 will be “the most advanced, most capable and most lethal aircraft ever”, and will lead other fighters significantly and comprehensively in terms of flight speed, maneuverability and payload.
The US Air Force released a promotional video on social media under the title of “Dominate the Sky”, reviewing the development history of the United States from the first to sixth generation fighter jets. The frontal picture of a highly stealthy design, flat fuselage, and tailless fighter jet appeared in the video.
Both Trump and the U.S. Air Force claimed that the F-47 was the world’s first sixth-generation manned fighter. US Air Force Chief of Staff David Alvin said in a statement on the 21st that the F-47’s technology verification aircraft has completed hundreds of hours of test flights in the past five years to test cutting-edge technologies and concepts. Compared with the existing fifth-generation fighter jets of the US military, the F-47 will have longer ranges, more advanced stealth capabilities, better sustainability and maintainability, and can be competent for more scenarios.
According to media disclosures, the F-47 project also includes the development of highly autonomous collaborative combat drones, as well as new jet engines, weapons, electronic warfare kits, sensors, combat management capabilities, etc.
When to serve
Trump did not disclose how many F-47 fighter jets the United States intends to purchase, saying that the fighter jet “will be built and put into service during our administration.” According to US media estimates, this kind of warplane will not be put into use until the 2030s. Trump also proposed that allies may be allowed to purchase “low-fit” F-47 fighter jets in the future.
Olwin’s statement also said that the number of F-47s purchased will exceed the existing fifth-generation fighter F-22. The latter currently has about 180 aircraft in service.
Olwin also said that the price of the F-47 will be lower than the F-22. However, the media disclosed that the F-47 project is expensive, with the value of engineering and manufacturing development contracts alone exceeding US$20 billion, and the total value of the entire fighter jet project is as high as hundreds of billions of dollars. It is expected that after mass production, the stand-alone price will be at least US$300 million. The most expensive fighter in history was owned by the F-22 and cost about $143 million on a single aircraft.
Research on the U.S. “Next Generation Air Advantage” (NGAD) fighter project began in 2007. In 2010, the US Air Force established the Sixth Generation Fighter Office and officially launched the concept research of the sixth generation fighter. In September 2020, the US Air Force began test flights of the first full-size flight demonstration aircraft. However, the project faces many controversies such as excessive cost and insufficient technological innovation. The U.S. Air Force announced a suspension of the project in May 2024, leaving it to the new administration after the election to decide.
The cost and necessity of the US “next-generation air superiority” fighter project has been widely questioned. US media pointed out that the F-47 will form the main force of the future US air combat power along with the B-21 stealth bomber, as well as a naval version of the sixth-generation fighter F/A-XX that Boeing and Northrop Grumman are bidding for, but the huge expenditures of these projects may overwhelm the Pentagon.
[Editor in charge: Yan Yujie]
