US sixth-generation stealth fighter to take flight in 2028

The US Air Force’s next-generation air superiority fighter, the F-47, remains on schedule for its first flight by 2028, with the initial aircraft already in production, according to senior acquisition officials.

Speaking on February 25 at the AFA Warfare Symposium, Air Force Gen. Dale White, who oversees critical major weapon systems, said the programme is progressing “exceptionally well” and remains on track to achieve a maiden flight within the next two years. The contract for the sixth-generation fighter was awarded to Boeing in March 2025, according to Air & Space Forces magazine.

The 2028 first-flight goal was initially set in September 2025 by then-Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. Now, roughly six months closer to that target, White confirmed there have been no delays.

According to the Air Force, the F-47 will feature a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles and a top speed greater than Mach 2 — nearly doubling the combat range of the current premier air superiority platform, the F-22 Raptor. The service plans to procure at least 185 aircraft, matching the size of the existing F-22 fleet, with the possibility of expanding that number.

While the timeline is ambitious compared to previous crewed aviation programmes, the development effort builds on years of groundwork. The Pentagon began conceptual work in the 2010s under what later became the Next-Generation Air Dominance initiative, including experimental X-plane prototypes that helped mature key technologies.

For comparison, the F-22 was selected as the winner of the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition in 1991 and first flew a production model six years later. If the current schedule holds, the F-47’s development pace would mark one of the fastest transitions from contract award to flight for a modern US fighter aircraft.

White credited Boeing’s early personnel ramp-up and programme management, noting that staffing levels have kept pace with the development timeline. He added that the first F-47 airframe is already under production.

“We are still on time and on target,” White said.

By Vugar Khalilov