Boeing Wins 6th Generation Fighter Contract With Its F-47

[MIflyer]

From Avweb:

Boeing will build what is widely believed to be the Air Force's last crewed fighter air craft. President Donald Trump told reporters in an Oval Office briefing that the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is designated the F-47. The aircraft is a sixth-generation design incorporating stealth aerodynamics with advanced threat detection and precision weapons systems. The Air Force hopes to begin fielding the new aircraft in the mid-2030s. Each aircraft could cost as much as $300 million. Boeing edged Lockheed Martin for the lucrative contract, which neither company had publicly acknowledged before Friday's announcement.

As has become the norm for new fighter designs, the F-47 is depicted as a flying wing with a radar-repelling matte black finish. When it goes to work it will not be alone. It will fly with a squadron of drones that will mostly autonomously support the mission and presumably protect the crewed aircraft. The plane itself will have new engines, weapons, electronics, sensors and networking technology. Boeing is getting $20 billion to develop all these systems to build the first plane.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That artist rendering is for the Navy F/A-XX program, not the USAF NGAD program.

Having said that…

This was very welcome news on Friday. Go Boeing!

 

[Snautzer01]

Last chewed.. sound as last ..gunner.

Well ..for what opponent are you building...

 

[pinehilljoe]

What happened to the F-36 through F-46?

 

[tomo pauk]

Who knows?
But, on a related note, Boeing has an excellent track record when it is about the fighters - P-51, F-4, F-15 were all Boeing designs, if you didn't know. So, no worries.

 

[buffnut453]

Who knows?
But, on a related note, Boeing has an excellent track record when it is about the fighters - P-51, F-4, F-15 were all Boeing designs, if you didn't know. So, no worries.

And so was this...perhaps not so excellent:

 

[tomo pauk]

And so was this...perhaps not so excellent:

I was just trying to point to a multi-billion company sprouting lies blatantly...

 

[pinehilljoe]

Who knows?
But, on a related note, Boeing has an excellent track record when it is about the fighters - P-51, F-4, F-15 were all Boeing designs, if you didn't know. So, no worries.

P-51 Heritage is key for a Gen6 Fighter!

 

[MIflyer]

So the F-47 is due out in the mid-2030's?

Therefore the next buy of further improved F-15's should be around 2040?

Having been in USAF Systems Command for 10 years, I have to wonder if this will be better than the ATF/F-22 effort. When I was at the Pentagon the ATF was so important to the USAF that when that program's costs got out of control the Air Force TWICE cancelled the new USAF/NASA space booster that was supposed to replace both the Space Shuttle and the 1950's era modified ballistic missiles that were were still relying on. And since that time the USAF downsized significantly, with a special emphasis on getting rid of acquisition and engineering personnel in order to preserve more pilots. One result was that the F-22 is a magnificent unequaled aircraft that has proved to be too expensive to procure in sufficient numbers and so expensive to operate that the USAF is eager to get rid of it and replace it with the F-47 ASAP. And we were forced into the unprecedented procurement of new F-15's a mere FIFTY YEARS after the first one flew. Is the Air Force any better at doing the job than it was before it got rid of so many of its acquisition people?

What happened to the F-36 through F-46?

Same thing that happened to the P-67, P-79, P-83, F-109, F-110 .....

What will the F-47 really look like? We have people out looking.

 

[tomo pauk]

P-51 Heritage is key for a Gen6 Fighter!

Probably longer ranged than the P-47? Although we don't know whether the Bomber Mafia is spiking P-47's wheels wrt. the drop tanks ...

 

[SaparotRob]

Who knows?
But, on a related note, Boeing has an excellent track record when it is about the fighters - P-51, F-4, F-15 were all Boeing designs, if you didn't know. So, no worries.

I must admit I wasn't thrilled with Boeing using DC-3 images in their promotional material.
I am, however, thrilled that Boeing is building the F-15EX.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

And so was this...perhaps not so excellent:

View attachment 822827

The design actually performed well. The only reason it lost was that it was too ugly to be flown by USAF pilots.

 

[SaparotRob]

No one could take that thing seriously. Ward Carroll did a video on that.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

No one could take that thing seriously. Ward Carroll did a video on that.

It truly was ugly. I get the technical reasoning for the scoop, but they had to know from the beginning it would not win.

 

[SaparotRob]

It does make me think that it was secretly a submission from Blackburn.

 

[SaparotRob]

So the F-47 is due out in the mid-2030's?

Therefore the next buy of further improved F-15's should be around 2040?

Having been in USAF Systems Command for 10 years, I have to wonder if this will be better than the ATF/F-22 effort. When I was at the Pentagon the ATF was so important to the USAF that when that program's costs got out of control the Air Force TWICE cancelled the new USAF/NASA space booster that was supposed to replace both the Space Shuttle and the 1950's era modified ballistic missiles that were were still relying on. And since that time the USAF downsized significantly, with a special emphasis on getting rid of acquisition and engineering personnel in order to preserve more pilots. One result was that the F-22 is a magnificent unequaled aircraft that has proved to be too expensive to procure in sufficient numbers and so expensive to operate that the USAF is eager to get rid of it and replace it with the F-47 ASAP. And we were forced into the unprecedented procurement of new F-15's a mere FIFTY YEARS after the first one flew. Is the Air Force any better at doing the job than it was before it got rid of so many of its acquisition people?


Same thing that happened to the P-67, P-79, P-83, F-109, F-110 .....

What will the F-47 really look like? We have people out looking.

View attachment 822834

Photo is reversed.

 

[Denniss]

That ugly Boing thing looks like a pregnant A-7 with an F-22 nose/cockpit section.

 

[special ed]

It truly was ugly. I get the technical reasoning for the scoop, but they had to know from the beginning it would not win.

The articles I read back then, indicated it excelled, as well as equaled it's competition.

 

[buffnut453]

The articles I read back then, indicated it excelled, as well as equaled it's competition.

They were just saying that to be nice….kinda like "that girl's got a really great personality."

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The articles I read back then, indicated it excelled, as well as equaled it's competition.

It did. It actually outperformed the competition from all the things I have read, and from talking with people who were on the program. It was literally an aesthetic thing.