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DONALD TRUMP HAS confirmed that Boeing will develop the US Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet, a contract worth an estimated $20 billion (€18.5 billion).
The new fighter jet, named the F-47, will be part of the Pentagon’s ‘Next Generation Air Dominance’ (NGAD) programme, aimed at securing US superiority in modern aerial warfare.
The aircraft will feature advanced stealth capabilities and be able to penetrate the most sophisticated air defences.
At a White House announcement today, Trump, alongside his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force leadership, described the F-47 as “the most lethal aircraft ever built.
“Nothing in the world comes close to it,” Trump declared, describing the F-47 as a game-changer in the military’s arsenal.
The F-47 will serve as the cornerstone of the United States’ future air fleet, which includes not only manned aircraft but also a range of drones designed to operate alongside the jet.
General David Allvin, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, explained that the new fighter would “write the next generation of modern aerial warfare,” with an emphasis on stealth, speed, and long-range operations.
The aircraft is expected to replace the Air Force’s current advanced jet, the F-22, with greater numbers to be built over time.
The aircraft is expected to have several groundbreaking features, including advanced stealth technologies that will allow it to evade detection by enemy radar, making it highly effective against advanced air defence systems.
It will be capable of penetrating enemy defences in ways that current fighter jets, such as the F-22 or F-35, cannot.
The jet will also feature state-of-the-art sensors and avionics, likely integrating AI and advanced data-sharing capabilities.
Compared to existing fighter jets, the F-47 will have a much longer operational range, reducing the need for frequent refuelling during extended missions.
Boeing’s successful bid to produce the F-47 followed a competitive process, with the company’s offering deemed the “best overall value” following an independent review.
The Pentagon has insisted that the NGAD programme is vital to maintaining US air superiority, referencing China’s “rapidly advancing” military capabilities.
“The F-47 will be able to penetrate enemy defences in a way that current aircraft cannot,” a Pentagon official said.
Despite the US Government’s enthusiasm surrounding the new jet, critics have raised concerns about the programme’s cost and timing.
Dan Grazier, a military procurement analyst at the Stimson Centre, noted that the $20 billion contract is just “seed money,” with the total cost of the project expected to run into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
He also questioned whether a manned fighter jet is still the right platform, given the growing importance of unmanned systems in modern warfare.
Trump said the jets will be built over several years and “it’s something nobody has ever seen before”.
“Our allies are calling constantly,” Trump said, adding foreign sales could be an option. “They want to buy them also.”
After saying the US would “tone down” the new jets by 10% for any sales to allies, Trump said that it “probably makes sense, because someday, maybe they’re not our allies.”
Additional reporting from PA
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Give me sunshine any day no matter how cold it is. It’s possible to miss lots of things about Ireland except the weather.
@offside again: So true… the difference it makes to your mood. Personally, I prefer to be too cold than too hot but I understand why others hate it. As my used to say ‘it’s fresh Donna’. Not sure but I think the low temperature gets rid of some germs too.
Was just thinking I hadn’t seen any sun in over a week. Glad it’s not only me that noticed
I go to work in the dark and go home when its dark,so its nothing new for me in winter,,,
@Luke Littler: I’m on to you luke LITTER. You spend your days on here fishing for likes.
Poor Dublin. God love them
@Ed H: From all of us, thank you
@Ed H: We know we live rent free in all the rest of the countries heads…..people in rural Ireland can’t finish a sentence without mentioning Dublin.
@John Paul: which countries are those Ed?
@Fionn Bohane: John Paul probably won’t understand that.
@Fionn Bohane: counties…..spell check.
@Ed H: Better than living in the “Shticks”, where it’s a 30 minute journey to the nearest town to do the shopping from the one store that has a monopoly and charges Dublin prices, seen it in many a rural area
@Ed H: hope it doesn’t affect all the cash we send your way
@Ed H: Your power been reconnected yet? Lol.
Hate to live in Dublin …. Jaysus the hours of wasted life in traffic alone heartbreak
@D: I have no problem putting up with traffic to have everything on my doorstep….pro’s and con’s to both but I’d take urban vs rural any day.
@J B: You can always stay out of it!….typical culchie up here working but wouldn’t have a good word to say about it or its people.
@J B: Good,pity you wouldn’t take the rest of them with you.typical culchie.
@D: I make it to the office in 20 minutes, can also work from home, lunchtime has a whole host of options if I fancied going out for it, the rhetoric of gridlock is in your head
@John Paul: your type are the worst thing about Dublin. West Brits with a chip on their shoulder.
@D: traffic doesn’t affect the woke dublin elites like myself who cycle to work it’s great
That’s most weeks in Leitrim but it’s news when it happens in Dublin.
@Tony: plus the west.
@brendan C5: The weather in Mayo is class.
Nothing a good carbon tax won’t fix, I’m sure.
Caller ” It’s a diiiiis..’grace Joe! They should do something about it.
Joe : “They?!?”
Caller “The government Joe!”
Why am I still living on this fkn island
@Le Merchelant: As someone who has worked mostly outside of Ireland for the past 15 years I ask myself the same EVERY SINGLE DAY – Why…….????
Got that right! Month of Mordor…. gloomy kip.
Been living under cloud in Dublin for last two weeks but we have a weekend break in Galway this weekend just as the sun moves to Dublin, it’s me, isn’t it, it’s me, I know it’s me.
Typical.
Kip will always be kip
High flying aircraft busy spreading chemicals blocking out the sun US government now banned this activity Chemtrails over whole country ..people need to know about this
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