Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin announced this week that the first F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter jet will be ready to take flight by 2028.
Speaking during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Allvin said the aircraft “is going to ensure dominance into the future.”
“We’ve got to go fast. I’ve got to tell you, team, it’s almost 2026. The team is committed to getting the first one flying in 2028,” he said, as per Air & Space Forces Magazine. “In the few short months since we made the announcement, they are already beginning to manufacture the first article,” he noted. “We’re ready to go fast. We have to go fast.”
The Air Force awarded a contract for the F-47 in March. President Trump said at the time, “I’m thrilled to announce that, at my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet. Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47.”
“In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload. And this has been in the works for a long period of time,” Trump added. “America’s enemies will never see it coming.”
Boeing will lead the fighter aircraft’s development.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time, “The name of this program is The Next Generation of Air Dominance.” He noted the announcement “sends a direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere and to our enemies that we can and will project power around the globe.”
