Trump champions Boeing as the architect of the Air Force’s forthcoming F-47 fighter jet and drone coordinator.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump bestowed upon Boeing the contract to construct the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced fighter jet, providing the company with a significant boost it has been seeking.

The Next Generation Air Dominance program aims to supplant Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a manned aircraft designed to engage in combat alongside drones. The design of the aircraft is shrouded in secrecy, yet it is expected to incorporate stealth capabilities, sophisticated sensors, and state-of-the-art engines.

Trump, the 47th president, has announced that the new jet will be designated the F-47.

“We have placed an order for a substantial quantity.” “I’m afraid we can’t disclose the price,” Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office.
“Our allies are in constant communication,” Trump remarked, suggesting that foreign sales might be a viable option. “They are also looking to purchase them.”

Boeing’s shares experienced a notable increase of 5% following the announcement. The Seattle-based firm has outperformed Lockheed Martin in securing the deal. Lockheed’s shares experienced a decline of nearly 6%.
Boeing’s triumph was reported by Reuters ahead of the official announcement.

“In contrast to the F-22, the F-47 is expected to be more cost-effective and better suited to address future threats – and we will have a greater number of F-47s in our arsenal,” remarked Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin.

Boeing and Lockheed have yet to provide a response to the requests for comment.

The victory signifies a notable turnaround for Boeing, a company that has faced challenges in both its commercial and defense sectors. This marks a significant enhancement for the fighter jet production operations based in St. Louis, Missouri.

The contract for engineering and manufacturing development is valued at over $20 billion. The eventual victor will secure hundreds of billions of dollars in orders throughout the multi-decade span of the contract.

The NGAD initiative was envisioned as a cohesive “family of systems,” primarily focused on a sixth-generation fighter designed to address challenges posed by adversaries like China and Russia.

Boeing’s commercial operations are facing challenges as the company strives to ramp up production of its best-selling 737 MAX jet. Meanwhile, its defense sector is hindered by lackluster contracts related to mid-air refueling tankers, drones, and training jets.

In recent years, the KC-46 mid-air refueling tanker program has seen cost overruns exceeding $7 billion, while a fixed-price contract for upgrading two Air Force One planes has resulted in a staggering $2 billion loss for one of the leading defense contractors in the United States.

Lockheed, having recently been ousted from the race to develop the Navy’s next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter, now confronts a precarious future in the high-end fighter market following this setback.

Elon Musk, the billionaire and presidential adviser, has expressed doubts regarding the efficacy of manned high-end fighter jets, suggesting that more economical drones present a superior alternative.

Although Lockheed may still contest the award given to Boeing, the announcement made by Trump during a prominent press conference in the Oval Office could diminish the likelihood of public objections from the defense company based in Bethesda, Maryland.