The F-47’s ability to cross stretches of ocean and reach its targets even in contested airspace would be critical.
The U.S. Air Force’s upcoming Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program has been clouded in mystery since its conception more than a decade ago. While President Donald Trump recently revealed the sixth-generation fighter jet’s designation in March, the majority of the aircraft’s specs and capabilities remain under wraps. However, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin divulged that the platform will possess a combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles. In a post made on X, the Air Force official also said that the F-47 would feature stealth capabilities and the ability to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.0 (times the speed of sound). While military experts and aviation buffs alike have long believed that NGAD would be equipped with all the latest and greatest emerging technologies and cutting-edge attributes, these impressive figures really highlight the potential of the F-47.
When it comes to range, the sixth-generation jet’s ability to be able to cross stretches of ocean to reach its targets even in contested airspace would be critical. Considering escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea, the potential for an all-out war sometime in the next decade or so seems more likely than not. In such a conflict, the Air Force’s ability to reach further targets where aerial refueling may not be possible would be imperative. China’s next-generation H-20 stealth bomber program could particularly pose a threat to American forces in the region. While exact details and specs surrounding this platform have not been confirmed, some analysts believe that the stealth bomber could possess an extended range of 8,500 kilometers, which would enable China to be able to reach well into Japan, the Philippines, and even the U.S. territory of Guam. Essentially, range would arguably represent the most significant capability when it comes to a potential China-America kinetic conflict.
What Else We Know about the F-47 Fighter
When Trump announced the F-47 designation earlier this year, he also noted that the upcoming next-gen fighter would incorporate unmanned drones in some capacity. “It flies with many, many drones, as many as you want. And it’s a technology that’s new, but it doesn’t fly by itself. It flies (with a pilot) but with many drones, as many as we want,” Trump said. “And that’s something that no other plane can do.” These highly autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are expected to serve in a “wingman drone” capacity alongside the sixth-generation aircraft. Cheaper to field and able to engage in riskier operations than a manned aircraft, these Collective Combat Aircraft (CCAs) will certainly serve as a game changer when introduced. NGAD will also feature a host of emerging technologies ranging from propulsion, advanced weapons, and stealth. Currently, proposed engine types from GE Aerospace and RTX’s Pratt & Whitney are under development. Whichever engine is selected will have to provide long-range and exceptionally fast speeds to the upcoming fighter.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
