Boeing wins historic fighter jet contract

US President Donald Trump announced on March 21 that he has awarded Boeing a contract to build a sixth-generation fighter jet for the US Air Force. The new-generation manned fighter jet will be called the F-47. Mr. Trump is the 47th president of the United States.

According to the military magazine The War Zone, the F-47 developed by Boeing is the central fighter in the Next Generation Air Superiority (NGAD) program that the US is building, including drones and many other related systems. The F-47 will replace the F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin.

Graphic image of 6th generation fighter F-47

President Trump said the F-47 program has been in development for a long time and Boeing's design was chosen after a fierce competition among leading US aerospace companies. According to The War Zone , Northrop Grumman dropped out of the race in 2023 to focus on other programs, so Boeing and Lockheed Martin have been competing so far.

According to President Trump, the F-47 is in a different league than any other fighter jet in the world with the most advanced stealth features, high maneuverability and speed over Mach 2 (2,450 km/h). He said that the F-47 prototype has been flying for nearly 5 years and the production facility is nearly complete. Mr. Trump hopes that Boeing will mass produce this fighter jet before the end of his term in January 2029. The leader did not disclose the price of the aircraft but said that there will be an export version with less capabilities than the domestic version. The US has never exported the F-22 because of the sensitive technology of this aircraft line.

Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin said the F-47 is cheaper than the F-22 but will be better suited to counter future threats. The general said the F-47 has significantly longer range, is stealthier and easier to support. In addition, the Air Force will buy more F-47s than the approximately 180 F-22s it currently has.

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This is a major victory for Boeing, which has struggled in both its commercial and defense businesses. The F-47 design and development contract is worth more than $20 billion, but Boeing could receive orders worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the program’s decades-long life.

Boeing shares rose 5% while Lockheed Martin's fell nearly 7% after the White House announcement, Reuters reported.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/boeing-trung-goi-thau-chien-dau-co-lich-su-18525032222164918.htm