Air force begins manufacturing F-47 stealth fighter, eyes 2028 first flight VIDEO

The U.S. Air Force has begun manufacturing the first article of the sixth-generation F-47 stealth fighter, with hopes of a first flight in 2028, Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin revealed at the Air & Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber conference.

“We’re ready to go fast,” he said.

Details on the manufacturing stage remain unclear, though the jet has been prototyped in a secretive testing campaign, Breaking Defense writes. The ambitious 2028 flight target may put some features, like a next-gen engine, out of reach for that timeline.

The F-47, intended as the F-22 Raptor’s replacement, is expected to include advanced stealth, sensing, and communications capabilities. Development was previously paused under the Biden administration but was greenlit by Trump officials and unveiled in a high-profile Oval Office briefing. Pentagon budget documents for FY2026 indicate the development phase will run through at least FY2030, though the jet could be operational sooner.

Ahead of the F-47 award in March, Boeing announced facility expansions in St. Louis to support future fighter programs. Company representatives declined to comment on Allvin’s remarks.

Allvin’s announcement came shortly before his surprise retirement last month. He did not address his retirement or his successor.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who opened the conference, highlighted modernisation programs including the B-21 Raider and noted challenges with others like the Sentinel ICBM. “The challenge is that some of these programs have been doing really well. Some of these programs have not been doing well at all,” he said.

In a later roundtable, Meink emphasised operational realities: “There’s almost no such thing as a permissive environment… if a system in question cannot do its job unless it’s in a permissive environment, it’s probably not something that we should be focused on.”

On initiatives like the paused “reoptimisation” drive, he added officials are “getting close to making a number of those decisions… in the next couple of months.”

Regarding leadership uncertainty, Meink said, “The bottom line is we will not not have a chief. Gen. Allvin and I will make sure that we have a chief.”

By Sabina Mammadli