F-47 First Flight Targeted for 2028

The U.S. Air Force’s F-47 program has a first-flight target of 2028, according to reporting on the program. The reporting identifies the F-47 as the successor effort to the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter platform.

Key details

• Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in 2023 that the service expected to acquire about 200 aircraft for the program then called NGAD.
• Reported F-47 unit-cost estimates range from below $100 million to around $300 million per aircraft.
• From 1973 to 1991, the Air Force bought more than 1,000 F-15s, at an estimated average cost of nearly $84 million each in fiscal year 2027 dollars. Those purchases averaged about 32% of the service’s aircraft procurement budget.
• Between 1999 and 2009, the Air Force bought fewer than 200 F-22s. Their average price was reported as $291 million per aircraft in fiscal year 2027 dollars, and F-22 spending represented 27% of the aircraft procurement budget.
• Commentary cited in the reporting recommends at least 200 F-47s, while recent analysis cited there recommends at least 300. Neither figure represents a confirmed Air Force purchase plan.

The F-47’s first flight is targeted for 2028.

Why it matters

The F-15 and F-22 procurement figures offer historical context for the cost and scale of U.S. fighter purchases. For aviation readers, the F-47’s planned flight-test milestone and the wide range of reported unit-cost estimates frame the questions around the program’s eventual fleet size.

What happens next

The 2028 first-flight target gives the F-47 program a clear milestone to track as it develops. What details about the aircraft’s testing and planned fleet would you most like to learn?