TRUMP ANNOUNCES F-47 AS WORLD’S FIRST SIXTH-GENERATION FIGHTER JET AMID CHINA’S RAPID ADVANCEMENTS

An Emirati Magazine publication – Released on April 10, 2025 | www.emiratimagazine.com

Last month, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the approval of the F-47, a next-generation fighter aircraft he called the world’s “first sixth-generation fighter jet.” Trump assigned Boeing to lead the development and claimed no other country comes close in capability. While he emphasized the aircraft’s superiority, he did not elaborate on how the Pentagon plans to achieve this ambitious goal. The U.S. had already flown a full-scale prototype under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program back in 2020, but progress slowed afterward.

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Trump recently reiterated that an experimental version of the jet has been flying for nearly five years. Reports suggest that three defense giants—Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman—may have flown separate prototypes under NGAD, though details remain classified. Meanwhile, China, America's key rival, is rapidly advancing its own sixth-generation fighter program and has reportedly conducted multiple successful test flights of its prototypes, challenging the U.S. lead.