Military Aircraft

Trump Trumpets The New F-47 Fighter

Then wins ‘salesman of the year’ award as he sells it to allies while the F-35 ‘kill-switch’ debate rumbles on

Boeing renderings of the next-generation fighter jet, dubbed the F-47, depict a flat, tailless aircraft with a sharp nose. Image rendition: Boeing

What do we know about the F-47?

Based on the very limited information available, I’ve written a breakdown of what we know about the newly announced US F-47 fighter.

Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Program

The F-47 is the centerpiece of the U.S. Air Force’s NGAD program, which aims to replace the aging F-22 Raptor.

The program emphasises a “family of systems” approach, with the F-47 operating alongside uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

Capabilities

Designed as a sixth-generation air superiority fighter, its key features include advanced stealth technology, long-range capabilities, sensor fusion and an ability to coordinate with drone swarms.

It is also planned to have higher availability due to simpler maintenance requirements and greater component durability.

Development and contract

Boeing has been awarded the engineering and manufacturing development contract, but the development has had some prior delays due to cost concerns. Initial contract value is $25 billion.

The aircraft is designed to be a “Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA)” platform. PCA focuses on the ability to “penetrate” deeply into enemy airspace, specifically to counter and neutralise advanced air defense systems in highly contested airspace.

Design characteristics

The design is anticipated to incorporate features that enhance stealth, such as a tailless configuration.

It will be a Mach 2 class aircraft.

Context

The development of the F-47 is seen as a response to advancements in aviation and air-defense technology, particularly from potential adversaries like China. Russia’s aerospace industry appears to be in tatters and will take a generation to recover.

Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)

CCA refers to a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to work alongside crewed fighter jets in combat scenarios.

“Loyal Wingmen”: CCAs are often described as “loyal wingmen,” meaning they’re intended to augment the capabilities of crewed aircraft, acting as extensions of the pilot’s control.

Collaborative operation: They are designed to collaborate seamlessly with crewed fighters, sharing information, performing tasks, and executing orders given by pilots.

Autonomous capabilities: CCAs incorporate advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable them to perform tasks independently, reducing the pilot’s workload and increasing combat effectiveness.

Mission versatility: They’re designed to perform a wide range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare, weapons delivery and decoy roles.

Force multipliers: CCAs are seen as “force multipliers,” meaning they can significantly enhance the combat capabilities of existing fighter fleets.

Because they are unmanned they are much simpler and cheaper to build, and can outmanoeuvre manned aircraft.

Production timescale

The U.S. Air Force aims for the F-47 to achieve operational deployment before the end of the current decade. This would put it into service around the late 2020’s or very early 2030’s.

The F-35 took 23 years from initial contract to first full-rate production milestone, so the timescale for the F-47 looks to be ambitious. However it’s important to note that USAF aircraft are generally a little simpler than US Navy and USMC aircraft as they do not need to deploy from aircraft carriers. Nevertheless, the F-22 development took at least nineteen years.

It’s fair to say that we do not know how far along Boeing is with prototype development, but China appears to be ahead.

The Chinese concern

Just recently we have seen video emerging from China which purports to show a prototype 6th Gen aircraft in flight — the Chengdu J-36. I’ll write more about that in another story, but here’s an image from Chinese social media videos:

China 6th Gen aircraft. Source: Weibo

Other designs such as the Shenyang J-50 have also been observed in flight.

The ‘Kill Switch?’ question kills the US defence aircraft industry and likely F-47 exports

Recently there has been a lots of speculation about the existence of a ‘kill switch’ in the F-35 aircraft. That is generally understood to mean a facility remotely to render the F-35 inoperable or at the very least degrade its capability.

This kill switch idea has been vehemently denied by Lockheed Martin (its builder). The possibility, however remote, has struck home with potential buyers particularly in the context of the USA now being viewed as an unreliable ally by many NATO members as well as other potential customers such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Then Trump doubled down when talking about the F-47.

He said that they would sell their allies ‘toned down military planes’…’toned down by maybe ten percent’…’because someday maybe they’re not our allies’.

Given the current Trump threats about Greenland and Canada and the US’s policy shift on Ukraine/Russia, it’s hardly surprising that ‘allies’ take a suspicious view of the USA.

My view is straightforward based on my Microsoft Windows experience - no remote kill switch is required:

Author blue screen of death graphic

That’s the main reason why I no longer use Microsoft products — unreliable and intrusive updates. Other products — and aircraft — are available.

Conclusions

The F-47 is a potent aircraft in today’s context, but the F-47 will not achieve its planned availability dates. This is because aerial warfare is changing so rapidly that it’s unlikely that sufficient flexibility to accommodate 2035 requirements can be designed in right now. Requirements will shift drastically.

Trump’s idiotic presentation and commentary will mean that the costs of the aircraft will ramp up hugely, simply because Boeing will only be selling to the domestic market. Perhaps there will be some overseas buyers in small quantities simply to get their hands on some of the technology — if the US Government even permits it. Bear in mind that the F-22 Raptor is export-barred by Congress.

And China appears to be ahead of the US.

Finally, Trump wins a ‘Salesman of the Year’ prize:

[embed]

[embed]Breaking: Boeing Awarded Contract to Build U.S. Air Force's Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)… U.S. President Donald Trump personally announced the winner of the U.S. Air Force's NGAD program competition for the…theaviationist.com

[embed]Trump announces $20 billion contract with Boeing for new F-47 fighter jet. What to know. In a Friday press briefing inside of the Oval Office, President Donald Trump announced the coveted contract award for…www.usatoday.com

Follow me and I guarantee variety in your inbox with some unusual perspectives on technology, space, geopolitics and travel. I also write thrillers on those lines.

My novels are available at my Gumroad bookstore. Also at Amazon and Apple

Or maybe just buy me a coffee? and tell me what you liked reading (or not)…