Trump says Boeing will build the new generation of fighter jets, the F-47
President Trump has announced that Boeing will build the U.S. Air Force’s next generation of fighter jets.
“They will have unprecedented power,” Trump said on Friday, adding that “America’s enemies will never see [them] coming.”
Trump is the 47th U.S. president and the jet is being called the F-47.
“The generals picked a title, and it’s a beautiful number,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it.”
Known as the Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, the F-47 will join a legacy of high-performance jets, though little is known about its exact specifications, appearance or capabilities. Trump teased that the sixth-generation fighter aircraft would be “virtually unseeable” on radar.
Although details on the contract’s cost remain unclear, early estimates suggest development costs will exceed $20 billion, according to The Associated Press, while the final price tag would be in the hundreds of billions, The War Zone reported.
“We’ve given an order for a lot. We can’t tell you the price,” Trump said.
The announcement is a big win for Boeing, which has struggled to recover from a series of public relations crises and operational setbacks. The company’s reputation has taken a hit after 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, a door plug blowout in 2024, and longstanding problems with its KC-46 refueling tanker program.
The F-47 will be built at a Boeing manufacturing space in St. Louis, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
Boeing’s stock rose by about 5% on Friday, shortly after Trump’s announcement.
Its largest competitor, Lockheed Martin, saw its shares drop nearly 7%.
Lockheed Martin produces the F-35 jet, which still forms the backbone of the Air Force’s air combat capabilities. But the F-35’s have faced criticism — notably from Trump ally Elon Musk, who has called the F-35 an “expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none.”
Musk has instead called on the U.S. Department of Defense to invest more in drone technology in lieu of stealth jets.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the new warplanes would send a strong message about America’s commitment to remaining a global leader in military aviation.
The new fighter jet, he said, “sends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere.”
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador, is back in the U.S. to face smuggling charges
Abrego Garcia will face criminal charges for allegedly transporting migrants without legal status around the country, according to a Justice Department indictment.
With an eye to the World Cup, Trump signs executive order on drone risks
The risks of drones have been underscored by Russia's drone strikes in Ukraine, and Ukraine's surprise drone strikes that destroyed some aircraft deep within Russia, the White House said.
DHS memo details how National Guard troops will be used for immigration enforcement
The memo obtained by NPR says troops would be used in activities, including in "night operations and rural interdiction," as well as "guard duty and riot control" inside detention facilities.
Court fees can pile up. An effort to make a more effective system stalls after Trump administration cuts
Court fines and fees are meant to hold people accountable. But for many, they lead to debt, arrest, and a cycle that’s hard to break. A project that started in Birmingham aimed to make the system better. But recently, the Trump Administration cancelled an effort to expand the research.
On Japanese Breakfast’s melancholic record, Michelle Zauner might be ‘the happiest’ she’s ever been
Zauner joins us to talk about some of the themes behind For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).
South Korean maestro Chung will be the first Asian to head Italy’s famed La Scala
Myung-Whun Chung will be one of the first non-Italians to take the post of music director at Milan's famous opera house.
