President Donald Trump, joined by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office on Friday, announced that the U.S. Air Force is moving forward with the production of a new U.S. Military jet called the F-47.
Trump said the sixth-generation aircraft has “secretly been flying” over the past five years and is now ready for the U.S. Military. The contract for the F-47’s development was awarded to Boeing, which was competing with Lockheed Martin for the government deal. The new fighter jet will have a human pilot but will be made to operate alongside drones.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” Trump said, adding, “We’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation. … This is next-level,” the president told reporters.
“The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technology. It’s virtually unseeable,” Trump continued.
NEW: Trump says DOD has awarded the contract for the next generation of air dominance to Boeing: pic.twitter.com/JFwCkEbUNG
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The F-47 will replace the F-22 Raptor, which was the world’s first fifth-generation fighter jet, according to Business Insider. The sixth-generation fighter jet is set to hit the skies in full force in the 2030s, The Wall Street Journal reported. Trump did not say what the new fighter jet program will cost, but the WSJ reported that experts predict the price tag could top $50 billion.
Hegseth added that the new fighter jet “sends a clear message” to the world and continues America’s air dominance “for generations to come.”
“This is a big day for our warfighters. This is a big day for our country, a big day in the world,” Hegseth said. “The name of this program is the Next Generation of Air Dominance.’ And Mr. President, because of your leadership, your clarity, America is going to have generations in the future of air dominance because of this sixth-generation fighter. We’ve had the F-15, we’ve had the F-16, the F-18, the F-22, the F-35, now we have the F-47.”
The Defense Secretary praised Trump for pushing the F-47 program forward, saying the Biden administration “paused this program and were prepared to potentially scrap it.”
“Under the previous administration, we looked like fools. Not anymore,” Hegseth added. “President Trump has reestablished American leadership. The F-47 is part of it.”
