There was great anticipation to see what the F-47 would be like and who would build it, dubbed ‘‘the most powerful fighter aircraft ever”. After the postponement decided by the Biden presidency to make way for the next administration, President Donald Trump unveiled the sixth-generation aircraft destined to re-establish US air supremacy.

Part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme, which, according to several American experts, ”is currently the most expensive programme in the Air Force’sForce’s research and development budget” with expenses of almost 20 billion dollars over the next five years, the project aims to create the best possible solution for high-tech battles.

It will be built by Boeing, who won the contract for the aircraft that will cost between 200 and 300 million dollars, three times more than the popular F-35 single-seat fighter, just to give you a comparison.

A chameleon aircraft

The name F-47 is thought to be a choice and a tribute to Trump, who is the 47th president of the United States. In the images shown so far, the aircraft is characterised by a powerful nose that cuts through the clouds. However, no details have been revealed about the technical aspects of the jet, although former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and former Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Andrew Hunter have provided useful information to understand how the F-47 project came about.

Firstly, there was the need for an aircraft capable of commanding and coordinating swarms of collaborative drones (Collaborative Combat Aircraft – CCA). During the evaluation phase, the interoperability of the aircraft was also important, not only with the other jets in the fleet but also with future Navy platforms, taking advantage of shared sensors and communication suites.

Another important aspect of the project was the challenge between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, who presented valid, aggressive and creative ideas. According to Kendall, Boeing was more determined because it needed to win the Air Force contract more than Lockheed. The announcement that the company founded in Seattle in 1916 had won the contract was a boost for the company, whose shares immediately shot up on the stock market, giving it a lifeline after a difficult year due to numerous strikes by employees and safety problems found in some civilian airliners.

Sustainability and the push to replicate China

What is certain is that the F-47 will be the successor to the F-22 Raptor, with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General David W. Allvin, who has spoken clearly about costs and functions: ‘The F-47 will cost less than its predecessor and will be more adaptable to future threats, because it will have a significantly longer range and more advanced stealth. It will also be more sustainable and have a longer lifespan compared to fifth-generation fighters. As for the timeframe, the fighter will fly before the end of the Trump administration.

Together with the F-47, the Ngad programme foresees the arrival of a swarm of drones equipped with AI capable of providing the battle squadron with various advantages, such as increasing the range of action on the field, framing targets, or providing additional defences.

It should also be considered that the desire to accelerate the plan also derives from the continuous growth of China in the aeronautical sector, which recently unveiled two sixth-generation aircraft without tails and vertical and horizontal stabilisers so as to ensure greater manoeuvrability and total control of the aircraft’s attitude by very sophisticated flight computers. As history teaches us, and even more so in the complicated contemporary geopolitical scenario, when the enemy moves, it’s time to work even harder.