U.S. Sixth-Generation F-47 Fighter to Take Off in 2028 as Boeing Begins Production
The race to develop and deploy a sixth-generation fighter jet is entering its next phase. The American F-47, named after the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been given an expected date for its first flight: 2028. Test flights of prototypes are already underway, and Boeing is just beginning mass production of the final version of the F-47. This comes at a time when other world powers are also developing their own aircraft of this type. China claims to be finalizing tests of its J-XDS, also nicknamed J-50, and is spreading new, allegedly genuine images of the fighter jet. The Russians, meanwhile, are boasting about progress in their MiG-41 program without providing any concrete evidence. Europe also has its own sixth-generation fighter jet programs, namely the Italian-British-Japanese Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) and the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) of France, Germany, and Spain.
The conquest of the skies by sixth-generation aircraft is in full swing, even though they have not yet been officially deployed by any of the global players. Manufacturers around the world are proclaiming a turning point in the history of military aviation and accelerating processes that once took many times longer—all in an effort to become the first military with the most advanced aircraft in its arsenal. Leading these efforts is the United States, which has announced a shift in the development of its F-47 fighter jet.
"After years of work, hundreds of test hours, and thousands of person-years in the lab, the president announced the F-47 (in March). It is a platform that, together with all other systems (Next Generation Air Dominance - NGAD), will ensure dominance in the future," said U.S. Air Force Commander General David W. Allvin at a conference of the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA). "We must act quickly. I have to tell you that it's almost 2026. The team is committed to making the first flight in 2028. Within a few months of the announcement, (Boeing) is already starting to produce the first unit. We are ready to act quickly. We must act quickly," added the Chief of the U.S. Air Force.
Meet the @USAirForce's sixth-generation fighter, the F-47, bringing next-gen technologies to ensure air dominance for decades to come.#AFANational pic.twitter.com/eUEfW2JzD8
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) September 22, 2025
Due to the high level of secrecy, there are few specific details about the F-47's equipment and capabilities. We know that it should have a combat radius of over 1,000 nautical miles and be capable of speeds in excess of Mach 2. It should be equipped with state-of-the-art guidance and weapon systems, complemented by advanced Stealth++ technology. Artificial intelligence should then be able to coordinate with unmanned aircraft, and unmanned operation of the F-47 itself is also reportedly under consideration. The Air Force plans to purchase at least 185 of them, replacing a similarly large fleet of current F-22s.
Northrop Grumman releases 6th Gen F/A-XX concept rendering on its official website pic.twitter.com/rq8IqID5WV
— Fighterman_FFRC (@Fighterman_FFRC) August 7, 2025
At the same time, the Navy is developing Northrop Grumman's F/A-XX project, which is set to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft in ten years' time. The design also envisions an integrated fuselage, room for a modern AESA radar, and artificial intelligence enabling cooperative operations with drones. However, the program does not have nearly as much financial support from the government as the F-47.
For fiscal year 2026, the Department of Defense has allocated only $74 million to the program, even though the Navy requested an additional $1.4 billion. For the F-47, the allocation for next year is $3.5 billion.
Chinese Fighter Jet First Look 🚨🚨
— Globally Pop (@GloballyPop) September 29, 2025
This is China's 6th-Gen J50 aka J-XDS Fighter jet Developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.
China’s J-50 -
6th-Gen Stealth Fighter.
Lambda wings + Thrust Vectoring.
AI-Assisted combat decisions.
Video 📷#F16 #F22 #F35 #Su57 #J20 #Rafale pic.twitter.com/Fc3hFxUcMP
China, the main geopolitical competitor of the United States, does not want to be left behind. It responded to the F-47 with a propaganda campaign on social media, where it published allegedly genuine new images and videos of its own sixth-generation fighter jet. It is called the Shenyang J-XDS, or J-50 according to military analysts, and is said to be a tailless stealth fighter jet, which Beijing claims is already in the final stages of testing, with thrust vectoring similar to the F-22 or F-35 and rotating control surfaces at the wing tips. However, commentators point out that none of the circulating images show whether these are test models, mass-produced models, or outright fakes intended to manipulate public opinion. This is probably being exploited at present by Russia, which is weary of the war in Ukraine and is currently fueling its own rumors about the development of the sixth-generation MiG-41 with a recently updated announcement by a representative of the State Duma that the alleged development has been approved by the Chief of the Russian General Staff.
[🇫🇷 FRANCE | 🇪🇺 EUROPE]
— Scoop (@Scoop__off) September 30, 2025
🔸️Le projet SCAF est à nouveau fragilisé : Dassault et Airbus restent en désaccord, poussant Berlin à envisager le GCAP, mené par Londres, Rome et Tokyo. Le Royaume-Uni a même ouvert la porte à l’Allemagne 🇩🇪, accentuant les tensions franco-allemandes.… pic.twitter.com/A9uNkWr8XH
Europe recently entered the global competition to develop the first sixth-generation fighter jet. "We must abandon generational nomenclature because aircraft will continue to evolve," says Mike Baulkwill, director of combat aircraft strategy at BAE Systems in the UK. His concept, called Combat Air Continuum, proposes a 25-year plan that will see a transition from the coexistence of fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft to a "third era" of air combat characterized by the integration of autonomous fighters and, ultimately, the complete replacement of human pilots with artificial intelligence systems. The UK, together with Italy and Japan, is developing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with the aim of entering service by 2035. There is also the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project involving France, Spain, and Germany, which currently creates competition among European allies on the old continent—although Germany is considering leaving the program and joining GCAP due to certain disagreements. Here, too, the integration of swarms of unmanned aircraft together with fighter jets is planned, with the first flight scheduled for 2028 or 2029.
