US Air Force says the F-47 'will fly in this administration' — new super jet set to replace the F-22 is still set to arrive in 2028

Air Force confirms F-47 remains on schedule for planned 2028 first flight The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 185 advanced F-47 fighter aircraft Billions in funding continue supporting America's future air superiority fighter program The US Air Force says development of the Boeing F-47 remai

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Air Force confirms F-47 remains on schedule for planned 2028 first flight</strong></li><li><strong>The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 185 advanced F-47 fighter aircraft</strong></li><li><strong>Billions in funding continue supporting America's future air superiority fighter program</strong></li></ul><p>The US Air Force says development of the Boeing F-47 remains on schedule, with the first flight still expected during 2028 under the Next Generation Air Dominance program.</p><p>Designed to replace the F-22 Raptor, the sixth-generation fighter has entered engineering and manufacturing development.</p><p>Senior Air Force officials maintain that the program remains sufficiently advanced for the aircraft to take flight during the current United States administration.</p><h2 id="production-plans-move-forward">Production plans move forward</h2><p>The engineering and manufacturing development phase focuses on integrating aircraft systems, refining performance, and producing a limited number of test aircraft for evaluation activities.</p><p>Officials have not disclosed how many aircraft will be built during testing, although the current phase also includes options supporting low-rate initial production.</p><p>According to General Dale White, Director of Critical Major Weapon Systems, the program has benefited from "extreme teaming" with industry partners.</p><p>White also said the program entered this development stage with "unprecedented maturity."</p><p>This suggests that the engineering work had already progressed significantly before manufacturing activities expanded.</p><p>"The F-47 will fly in this administration," White said, reinforcing earlier commitments regarding the aircraft's planned launch.</p><p>The Air Force currently intends to purchase at least 185 F-47 fighters, matching the number of F-22 aircraft the new platform is expected to replace.</p><p>The program received $3.45 billion for fiscal year 2026, while the fiscal year 2027 budget request exceeds $5 billion.</p><h2 id="part-of-a-wider-air-superiority-strategy">Part of a wider air superiority strategy</h2><p>The F-47 represents one element within the broader Next Generation Air Dominance program, which combines crewed aircraft with Collaborative Combat Aircraft supporting future air superiority operations.</p><p>Air Force officials describe the initiative as a family of systems designed to operate together across contested environments instead of relying on a single aircraft platform.</p><p>The new F-47 incorporates a modular design intended to accommodate future technologies.</p><p>It will also support longer-range strike capabilities as operational requirements continue to evolve.</p><p>President Donald Trump described the aircraft as unmatched across several performance measures compared with existing fighter platforms.</p><p>“In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload,” Trump said.</p><p>“And this has been in the works for a long period of time…America’s enemies will never see it coming.”</p><p>The US Air Force and the US government remain confident the program will meet its planned development milestones.</p><p>However, advanced combat aircraft programs have historically encountered technical, financial, and production challenges before successfully entering operational military service. </p><p>Via <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/07/30/f-47-program-producing-test-aircraft-on-schedule-for-2028-flight/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Defense News</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:676px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:31.51%;"><img id="diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78" name="tr-g_news" alt="Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="676" height="213" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div></figure> </article> ]]>