F-47's mission is to take on China: 'You have to have it'

President Donald Trump likes American combatant planes, and he’s conscionable made the biggest combatant level determination successful astir 25 years. Awarding the F-47 declaration to Boeing for the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance combatant puts America backmost successful the pb for ascendant airpower. 

"Nothing successful the satellite comes adjacent adjacent to it," Trump said. 

This is besides Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s archetypal large acquisition decision, and it’s a bold one. By moving swiftly, the Trump medication has corrected yet different inexplicable Biden-era gaffe that delayed a programme determination past summer. 

President Donald Trump delivers remarks, arsenic an representation of an F-47 is displayed adjacent him, successful the Oval Office astatine the White House, March 21, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

Word is that President Donald Trump was personally involved. He’s Making Airpower Great Again.

I WAS BIDEN'S MAN IN THE ROOM AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL. DON'T LET RUSSIA, CHINA TAKE OVER

The U.S. has the stealthy B-21, a new, sixth-generation bomber, which archetypal flew successful 2023 and is present successful low-rate accumulation successful California. Trump says the F-47 volition beryllium successful the aerial "during my administration." Next up? A brand-new Navy craft bearer combatant plane, which the Navy says they volition denote aboriginal this year.

All this comes not a infinitesimal excessively soon. China has been investing successful aggregate sixth-generation designs, and flew not 1 but 2 advanced, caller craft precocious past year. As I wrote Jan. 29, the Chinese J-36 and J-50 planes sent shockwaves done the Pentagon due to the fact that their ngo is long-range hunting and sidesplitting of American combat planes and ships. 

Here are 8 things to cognize astir the F-47, the Air Force’s newest star.

The F-47 is fast. "Its velocity is top, implicit 2," Trump said connected Friday. Wow. He’s implying a Mach 2 speed, doubly the velocity of sound. 

WHY US MUST ASSERT INDUSTRIAL DOMINANCE IN LIGHT OF CHINA-EUROPE TIES

The F-47 volition person a pilot. Yes, Elon Musk has trash talked manned fighters for years, but that was earlier helium knew astir the F-47. According to erstwhile Air Force statements, this is simply a crewed aircraft. But fto maine say, determination is truly nary level retired determination contiguous that can’t beryllium adapted for unmanned flight. 

The F-47’s ngo is to instrumentality connected China. China has spent years gathering up aircraft, physics warfare, long-range missiles and drones truthful they tin enactment up antiaircraft bubbles to fastener the U.S. Air Force retired of the skies implicit the Pacific. Well, excessively bad. Once called the penetrating combat aircraft, the F-47’s ngo is to get weapons into the Chinese bubble and interruption it up.

Stealth each the way: Take different look astatine the representation brought by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin to the Oval Office connected Friday. You tin spot the cautious shaping wherever the cockpit canopy joins the fuselage. The melodramatic expanse of the wings fades retired for security, but the space implies a delta-wing, lifting assemblage shape, chosen to summation range. The trailing borderline won’t beryllium revealed for a agelong time, due to the fact that that’s wherever you’d spot galore secrets of debased observability to radar and clever enactment with motor exhaust. The F-47 apt makes usage of precocious composites, replacing metallic successful superior structures.

Shown is simply a graphical creator rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, highlighting the Air Force’s sixth procreation fighter, the F-47. ( U.S. Air Force)

THIS IS HOW WE PROTECT US DOLLAR DOMINANCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The F-47 volition spell beyond the F-22. "Level 5 is good, this is Level 6," Trump said. "Level 5," arsenic Trump enactment it, includes the F-35 and F-22. Lucky him, work into each the trial data. What the aerospace engineers telephone "sixth-generation" includes stealth but besides a scope of different capabilities, including networked accusation flows, astute weapons, capableness for combat teaming with drones, and overmuch more. 

When Trump says the F-47 is "producing numbers nary 1 has seen before" helium is referring to verification of its stealth "signature" via operational valuation connected stealth trial ranges, a cardinal discriminator successful Boeing’s win. The F-47 volition look infinitesimal to force occurrence power radars, and erstwhile combined with tactics, that makes it precise pugnacious to people and sprout down. 

Advanced engines. Mach 2 velocity with stealth and scope included comes courtesy of precise precocious engines. While details connected the powerplant stay secret, the Air Force has been investing successful precocious propulsion for good implicit a decade. Fighter engines indispensable nutrient unthinkable powerfulness successful a precise compact size. New exertion allows some supersonic speeds without afterburner and an businesslike cruise mode that extends scope implicit the Pacific, each portion masking the blistery infrared signature. Expect the F-47 to person an motor that makes China weep.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The F-47 is astir acceptable to go. Yes, determination volition beryllium much testing, but the F-47 was digitally designed and has been flying successful concealed since the autumn of 2020. In the past, stealth craft took years to mature, but the F-47 breaks this pattern. Like the B-21 bomber, the F-47 should determination rapidly astatine the factory. 

Chief of Staff of the Air Force David W. Allvin speaks astir the F-47, portion President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen, successful the Oval Office astatine the White House, March 21, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

The grant of a $20 cardinal declaration implicit 5 years signals that accumulation is close. Trump says he’s ordered "a lot." Smart. The F-47 should beryllium bought arsenic accelerated arsenic possible, to support acquisition costs successful enactment and astir of all, due to the fact that F-47s are needed successful the Pacific ASAP.  Sales to allies – astir apt apical aerial forces similar Britain, Australia, Japan and others – whitethorn beryllium approved to bargain the F-47 down the line

A clump of bombs. The F-47 is simply a highly maneuverable combatant but it tin transportation bombs, too. The designation of F-47 echoes the rugged World War II P-47 Thunderbolt, lovingly known arsenic "the jug." The archetypal P-47 entered combat successful 1943 and its turbocharged Pratt & Whitney R-2800 "Double Wasp" motor gave it a work ceiling of 40,000 feet with a weaponry load astir fractional that of a B-17 bomber. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Like its namesake, I stake the F-47 excels astatine higher altitudes and carries an awesome ordnance load of air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons successful interior bays and connected outer helping stations if needed. 

"You person to person it," Trump summed up. "We’ll guarantee the USA continues to predominate the skies." 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT