PRESIDENT Donald Trump has publicly unveiled his plans to develop the most lethal fighter jet in history with its own drone swarm as he awards Boeing a contract reportedly worth billions.
Trump met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office on Friday to announce the project, which has a nod to himself in the name.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he plans to produce the F-47, a sixth-generation manned fighter jet that would act as the quarterback for a fleet of defense drones.
He’s reportedly shelling out $20 billion to the Next Generation Air Dominance program to develop the “family” of air systems, Air and Space Forces reported.
A key part of that system is drones, which will likely be expanded to embark on missions such as electronic warfare, sensing, and more, the outlet reported.
The drones, called collaborative combat aircraft, will take to the skies alongside the jet and its highly skilled pilot.
Program coordinators plan to use sophisticated robotic wingmen designed by Anduril Industries and General Atomics in the drones, according to Axios.
General Atomics has made huge waves inventing air combat drones for the Air Force, which the company calls the “first of a second generation.”
Speaking on the jets, Trump said, “The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technologies, virtually unseeable and unprecedented power,” as he called the title a “beautiful name.”
He described it as “the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” saying, “There’s never been anything like it.”
The president insisted that generals devised the name, which is a nod to his tenure as the 47th president.
Trump said the fleet would be built in the next “couple of years” and revealed that production is already underway.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Thrilled Donald Trump honoured with second state visit as King’s signed note sparks White House love-in with Starmer” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”pV1KxHf2t” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370299132112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]He said the plane has “secretly been flying for almost five years,” and will rule the skies with “many drones, as many as we want.”
“Our allies are calling constantly, they want to buy them all,” he said.
According to Hegseth, the project will establish “the next generation of air dominance.”
He listed all of the fighter jets flown by the US military before saying, “Now we have the F-47, which sends a very direct clear message to our allies that we aren’t going anywhere.”
[boxout headline=”List of fighter jets used by the Air Force” intro=”THE US Air Force uses four different F-series fighter jets.”]Here is an inside look at the top-tier weapons.
- F-15 Eagle – This is an extremely maneuverable fighter built to operate in all weather conditions. According to the Air Force, the Eagle can, “penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outright any current enemy aircraft.”
- F-16 Fighting Falcon – This craft is more compact and can have several roles in the Air Force. It’s quick and excels in air-to-air combat. The Falcon, “provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.”
- F-22 Raptor – The Raptor is the pinnacle of US air combat excellence. This model takes a more operational role in the skies with stealth capabilities that are ideal for recon missions. The jet assists multiple military branches and “cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.”
- F-35A Lightning II – This model is an upgraded version of the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s. The jets, “bring with it an enhanced capability to survive in the advanced threat environment in which it was designed to operate.”
Boeing has beat out rival Lockheed Martin for this newest contract, which will replace the latter’s design the F-22 Raptor.
NGAD provided a rendering for the briefing, which showed a futuristic jet hovering below an American flag.
Trump granted the program a massive payout to ensure that America is keeping up with air defenses being used by China and other potential foes.
The president didn’t publicly share the price of the project because he said it would reveal too much about the jet’s technology, but sources close to the plan said it was upwards of $20 billion, Reuters reported.
NGAD was put on the backburner last summer after cost projections were deemed too steep, as it’s still struggling to produce the latest high-tech jet, the F-35.
Over 1,110 of those aircraft have been produced, and the project is expected to cost $1.7 trillion throughout its lifespan.
Last year, Biden’s Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall paused NGAD to analyze whether the Pentagon needed to keep producing the jets.
He decided to leave the future of the program in the incoming administration’s hands.
BOEING’S PAST
Boeing suffered a major setback before being selected for the ambitious defense plan.
The company built the Starliner spacecraft, which failed at the International Space Station and left two astronauts stranded for nine months.
The rocket successfully returned to Earth in September, but the astronauts were on the flight.
And before the Starliner could even blast off in the first place, the mission was abruptly canceled several times due to last-minute safety failures.