Trump awards Boeing contract to build F-47, US Air Force’s future fighter jet

President Donald Trump on Friday said that the US Air Force is advancing with its next-generation fighter jet program, officially designating the aircraft as the F-47.

The Air Force has selected Boeing to lead the production of the F-47, awarding the aerospace giant a highly anticipated contract.

The Next Generation Air Dominance program will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a crewed aircraft built to enter combat alongside drones.

“We’ve given an order for a lot. We can’t tell you the price,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“Our allies are calling constantly,” Trump added, saying foreign sales could be an option. “They want to buy them also.”

While specific details about its capabilities remain classified, analysts believe the aircraft will feature stealth technology, advanced AI integration, and hypersonic capabilities.

For Boeing, it is a reversal of fortune for a company that has struggled on both the commercial and defense sides of its business. It is a major boost for its St. Louis, Missouri, fighter jet production business, reports news agency Reuters.

The engineering and manufacturing development contract is worth more than $20 billion. The winner will eventually receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract’s multi-decade lifetime.