Boeing wins next-generation jet fighter contract

Donald Trump says Boeing has been selected to build what may turn out to be the most expensive fighter in history

US President Donald Trump announced the award to Boeing of a major contract for the Air Force's high-tech next-generation F-47 fighter plane. Picture: Annabelle Gordon / AFP

Boeing has been selected to build what may turn out to be the most expensive fighter in history, a sophisticated jet the Air Force believes is vital to deter China’s military in the decades ahead.

President Trump made the announcement at the White House Friday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The piloted planes are to be fielded in the 2030s and would fight alongside semiautonomous drones, as the Pentagon seeks to gain a technological edge over US adversaries.

The Pentagon hasn’t released cost estimates for the program. But experts say the total research, development and acquisition costs could top $50 billion. Lockheed Martin had been vying with Boeing for the contract.

The fighter’s future had been in doubt after the Biden administration opted to leave the final decision on how to proceed to the incoming Trump administration. Elon Musk, the billionaire and Trump ally, has publicly campaigned against manned aircraft, which he said were “obsolete in the age of drones.”

Musk attended a meeting at the Pentagon Friday morning.

Air Force officials have argued that piloted planes are still vital for fighting the wars of the future, especially if they incorporate cutting-edge designs, sophisticated sensors, more powerful engines and control the semiautonomous drones that operate with them.

Air Force chief of staff David Allvin hinted at his recommendation to Trump earlier this month at a conference organized by the Air & Space Forces Association.

“I want to give the president as many options as we possibly can. So that means, yes, keep on the modernization. Yes, NGAD,” he said, using the acronym for the Next Generation Air Dominance program, which includes the new jet fighter.

Fielding the plane will be expensive, as the new fighters could cost as much as several hundred million dollars each. The Air Force’s current Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters cost about $80 million.

The F-35, which has been a Musk target, is a multi-role plane that is designed mainly for air-to-ground combat. The new fighter has been described as an air-to-air fighter that would replace the F-22 and would be able to fly in heavily defended environments.

The semiautonomous drones that the new fighter would operate with are already well into development. The first of the drones—produced by General Atomics and Anduril Industries—will fly this summer and are designed to carry missiles. Future versions are likely to be adapted to take on other missions, including electronic warfare and sensing. Those drones are the first US unpiloted aircraft to carry a “F” or fighter designation.

While the potential costs of the aircraft have sparked criticism, proponents argue that achieving air superiority is vital for the US military’s broader plans to deter Chinese aggression. 

The Air Force’s head of war gaming said last month that the new fighter and the drones it would operate with would make it much easier to prevail in the wars of the future against highly capable adversaries.

“The fight looks fundamentally different with NGAD than without NGAD,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel, deputy chief of staff for Air Force Futures, in an appearance last month at the Hudson Institute. “I won’t go into the details on how the fight looks different, but the fight looks much better when NGAD is in it.”

The Wall Street Journal