Donald Trump and Boeing. Photo:
Anna Moneymaker/Getty; Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty
President Donald Trump announced his plans for the next U.S. Air Force fighter jet on Friday, March 21 — and revealed what he intends to call it.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump said that the contract to construct the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet will go to Boeing, Reuters reported.
The sixth-generation fighter jet — which Trump named the F-47, a nod to him being the 47th U.S. president — will be “the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” according to Trump.
“At my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet,” the president said. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it.”
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth. Anna Moneymaker/Getty
The jet’s design is being kept under wraps for security reasons, though Trump alluded to its stealth, power and agility. He added that an experimental design has “secretly been flying for almost five years.”
The fleet of F-47 jets are expected to be finished while Trump is still in office, he projected.
Hegseth, who faced many obstacles to his confirmation as defense secretary, said the new jet will reassure allies and “to our enemies, that we will be able to project power around the globe.”
The F-47 will replace the F-22 Raptor, designed by Lockheed Martin. Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Allvin said the F-47 will be more cost-effective and adaptable compared to the F-22, CBS News reported.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth. Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Boeing and Lockheed Martin were competing to complete the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, CBS reported.
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The contract, which Reuters reported is worth more than $20 billion, marks an important win for the airplane manufacturer, which has faced many problems recently regarding both its defense and commercial aircrafts.
