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F-47 Was Born Out Of Secret X-Planes Built By Both Boeing And Lockheed​


Each firm built a demonstrator jet, one flying in 2019 and the other in 2022, that logged hundreds of hours, resulting in major program risk reduction.

We are already getting more information about the F-47’s origins. Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin built an x-plane in their quest to win the manned tactical fighter component of the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative. As we already knew, a demonstrator first flew in 2019. Now we know another one took to the skies in 2022.

 

Navy F/A-XX Stealth Fighter Selection This Week: Report​

The Navy is reportedly set to follow the Air Force’s lead and name the company chosen to develop and build its carrier-based sixth-generation fighter.

Just days after the U.S. Air Force announced that Boeing will build its next crewed stealth combat jet, now designated the F-47, the Navy looks set to confirm the choice of its own carrier-based sixth-generation fighter. The Navy’s new combat jet is often referred to as the F/A-XX and is planned to enter service in the 2030s. So far, the program has been even more secretive than the Air Force equivalent, although, as we have explored in the past, the jet will be central not only to the Navy’s future tactical aviation plans, but also to the future of the service more generally.

According to a report today from Reuters, the Navy will announce the contract award for the F/A-XX engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase “this week,” based on information the agency has received from unnamed “people familiar with the decision.” Such an announcement would come a month after Adm. James W. Kilby took up his post as the new Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The Reuters story in question is written by the agency’s Mike Stone, who last week disclosed the imminent announcement of the Air Force’s decision on its sixth-generation fighter.

 
THE F-22 RAPTOR MAY STAY IN SERVICE THROUGH THE 2040S THANKS TO THESE UPGRADES

The F-22 Raptor cost a ridiculous amount of money as it became the first fifth-generation jet fighter – one of the reasons why Lockheed Martin and Boeing discontinued production of the F-22 in 2012. There are fewer than 200 in service today, with no more on the horizon. Still, that doesn't make the F-22 a bad plane; far from it. It's a stealthy beast with impressive capabilities that make it one of, if not the, deadliest interceptors to ever take to the sky.

 

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