Sixth-Generation Air Dominance Fighter To Replace F-22 Raptor

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Boeing has been awarded a $20 billion contract to develop and manufacture the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter that is expected to enter service in the 2030s to replace the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

LPresident Trump made the announcement at a press briefing, saying, “After a rigorous and thorough competition between some of America’s top aerospace companies, the [US] Air Force is going to be awarding the contract for the Next Generation Air Dominance to Boeing. It will be known as the F-47.”

The NGAD program is the coordinated development of the Air Force’s strategy to maintain air dominance to counter evolving global threats. The sixth-generation jet will be the central element in a so-called ‘family of systems’ and will be designed to operate seamlessly accompanied by unmanned droneships known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft or CCA for a variety of missions.

The contract will be a game-changer for Boeing, whose defense unit has lost billions of dollars in recent years due to ill-performing fixed-price contracts. The award comes at a time when the company’s St. Louis F/A-18 line is due to be shut down soon.

Lockheed Martin lost out in the bidding, ending its run as the sole prime contractor for stealth fighters in the West, with its F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Northrop Grumman withdrew from the competition in 2023 but is expected to be in the running for a new Navy fighter jet.

FMI:  www.boeing.com/