If there is one area in which American technology continues to maintain an overwhelming advantage, it is military aviation. The fighter F-47, just announced by the Trump administration, it is not simply the latest addition to the American arsenal: it represents a generational leap that could redefine the rules of air combat for decades to come.
This is the world’s first true sixth-generation fighter, an aircraft that fuses artificial intelligence, advanced stealth, and autonomous combat capabilities into a package that, in the words of the President, “America’s enemies will never see coming.” While China and Russia are still working to produce truly competitive fifth-generation fighters, the U.S. is already looking beyond, with a project that has been hidden from view for years.
The three features that make the F-47 unmatched
When Trump he said that “nothing in the world even comes close,” he wasn’t exaggerating. The F-47 (which would have this name, a bit for “vanity metric,” in honor of the 47th American president) has at least three revolutionary features that place it on a completely different level compared to any other existing military aircraft.
First of all, its propulsion system Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) represents an epochal technological leap. Not only does it allow the fighter to exceed Mach 1 without the use of afterburners (a capability known as “supercruise”), but also generates a surplus of electrical energy sufficient to power directed energy weapons such as lasers and microwave beams. Such a combination of power, efficiency and energy versatility is completely beyond the reach of international competitors.
Second, advanced integration with artificial intelligence transforms the F-47 from a fighter to a command platform. The aircraft does more than just fly and fight: it makes real-time tactical decisions, coordinates other weapons systems, and maintains situational awareness of the battlefield that no human pilot could match. The fusion of advanced sensors and AI represents perhaps the most significant announced advantage over competitors.
Third, the completely rethought stealth design. With a tailless diamond wing configuration, next-generation radar absorbent materials and integrated electronic warfare capabilities, the F-47 reduces its radar signature to levels never seen before. An “invisibility” that, combined with the ability to operate even without a pilot, makes it devastating in scenarios of penetration into enemy territory.
A project born in the shadows
What makes the announcement even more surprising is that this program has been around much longer than previously thought. DARPA e US Air Force They conducted flight tests with F-47 prototypes for five years, keeping the project shrouded in utmost secrecy.
The choice of Boeing as the prime contractor, with a $19,6 billion contract for development and production, is a significant surprise. The company, which lost the F-35 order to Lockheed Martin in 2001, it takes a historic revenge, although many analysts predict that Lockheed will still be involved as a subcontractor thanks to its experience in stealth fighters.
The initial unit price of $300 million is a testament to the level of technology packed into this aircraft, even if the Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has stated a goal of reducing it to about $100 million, comparable to that of the F-35.
Long-term strategic implications
The arrival of the F-47 (by the end of this decade) will radically change the balance of power in the skies, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, where its ability to operate at long range makes it particularly suited to countering Chinese expansionism.
But the implications go beyond tactical advantage. With this aircraft, the United States is setting a new technological standard that will take years, if not decades, to match. The combination of advanced AI, next-generation stealth, and revolutionary energy capabilities could represent a strategic advantage comparable to that achieved with the development of the first atomic bombs.
Other military powers now face a tough choice: undertake expensive development programs to try to fill the gap, or completely change strategy by focusing on alternative systems. Either way, the F-47 has just rewritten the rules of the game.
