When will F-47, US’ first 6th-gen fighter jet, be operational? US Air Force makes BIG announcement, says first prototype will be ready in…
Developed and manufactured by American aerospace giant Boeing, the F-47 fighter jet is the US' first officially-announced 6th-generation fighter aircraft.
F-47 fighter jet: The F-47, US’ first sixth-generation fighter jet, is expected to undertake its first test flight in 2028, US Air Force (USAF) Chief General David Allvin has said. Speaking at the 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference of the Air and Space Forces Association (AFA), General Allvin said that US aerospace giant, Boeing, has begun manufacturing a prototype of the F-47 fighter jet for the USAF.
When will F-47 fighter become operational?
According to the US Air Force chief, an experimental F-47 prototype has already tested, with first flight dating as far back as 2019. General Allvin said that Boeing started work on building the first airframe of the F-4, six months after US President Doland Trump gave it the contract to build a crewed fighter aircraft for the USAF under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
“In just a few months, Boeing started building the first prototype. They’ve worked for years to get to this point… With years of research, hundreds of test hours, and the efforts of thousands of people in the lab, President Trump announced the F-47. This is the platform that, along with the rest of the next-generation air dominance system, will ensure our advantage in the future,” General Allvin said, adding that he expects the first prototype to take flight by as early as 2028.
Will F-47 replace older gen US fighters?
Developed and manufactured by American aerospace giant Boeing, the F-47 is the US’ first officially-announced 6th-generation fighter jet designed to supplement and support its older platforms, such as the F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and F-35 fighters.
The F-47 stealth fighter will be the first aircraft completely designed and developed by Boeing in-house since the merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing had previously developed several fighter aircraft in-house, including F-15EX fighter, but these were updates to older McDonnell Douglas models.
Notably, China is already developing two two sixth-generation fighter jet prototypes, the J-36 and J-50, one of whom was showcased at the Zhuhai Airshow in late 2024. The Chinese 6th-gen fighter jets feature advanced stealth capabilities with a unique tailless airframes, and will be powered by three engines.
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