OAN Staff Gabriella Sable
10:35 AM – Friday, March 21, 2025
President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Boeing as the Next Generation Air Dominance competition winner. The competition was between Lockheed Martin and Boeing to determine which company would secure the contract to develop the sixth-generation fighter jet to replace the F-22 Raptor.
By surpassing Lockheed Martin, Boeing disrupted Lockheed’s long-standing role as the sole prime contractor for stealth fighter jets in the West. The initial contract value of at least $20 billion and potential orders worth hundreds of billions over decades. Trump asserted that the new F-47 fighter jet will be the most advanced aircraft ever created.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” argued Trump. “An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years. And we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation.”
Trump went on to explain what makes the aircraft state of the art.
“They say the F 47 is equipped with state of the art stealth technology,” added Trump. “It’s virtually unseeable and has unprecedented power. It’s got the most power of any jet of its kind ever made. Maneuverability, likewise, there’s never been anything like it.”
Hegseth described the F-47 as an aircraft far ahead of its time.
“Mr. President, because of your leadership, your clarity, uh, we are going to, America is going to have a generations in the future of air dominance because of this sixth generation fighter,” Hegseth said.
“We’ve had the F-15, we have the had the F-16, the F-18, the F-22, the F-35,” continued Hegseth. “Now we have the F 47, which sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere. And to our enemies that we can, we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded for generations to come.”
Hegseth said this investment will restore warrior culture to the military.
“This is a historic investment in the American military,” Hegseth exclaimed. “In the American industrial base, in American industry that will help revive the warrior ethos inside our military, which we’re doing, rebuild our military, which the previous administration did not do.”
The winner of the NGAD competition was expected to be announced in 2024, but the decision was delayed due to concerns over cost. Following Trump’s victory in the November election, former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall deferred the decision to the Trump administration.
General David Alvin, who was also present at the announcement, underscored the need for constant vigilance in maintaining U.S. air dominance.
“You know, air dominance is not a birthright, but it’s become synonymous with American air power. But air dominance needs to be earned every single day. And since the earliest days of aerial warfare, brave American airmen have jumped into their machines, taken to the air, and they’ve cleared the skies.”
“And whether that be clear in the skies so we can rain down, destruction on our enemies from above, or we can clear the path for the ground forces below,” continued Alvin. “That’s been our commitment to the fight. And that’s really been our promise to America. And with this at 47, as the crown jewel in the next generation air dominance family of systems, we’re gonna be able to keep that promise well into the future.”
The announcement comes after China recently announced its own sixth-generation aircraft the J-36. This administration believes the NGAD is critical to maintaining U.S. air superiority in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Reports indicate the Air Force plans to allocate $28.48 billion over five years toward NGAD and collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), with $19.6 billion dedicated to NGAD research, development, testing, and evaluation (USAF Budget Plans).
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