Boeing Making Unprecedented Investments in F-47 Sixth Generation Fighter Program: Can it Match Chinese Competitors?

Boeing has committed highest level of internal investment in its history to developing the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/boeing-selected-develop-f47-sixth-generation-fighter-turning-point" target="_blank">F-47 sixth generation fighter </a>for the U.S. Air Force, according to a statement from CEO Kelly Ortberg. Speaking at the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 29, he observed: “Well, first of all, it is a huge win for us, and very important for our St. Louis operations. As you know, we do the F-15 and F-18 there.” “To be a part of the next-generation first sixth generation fighter really sets the stage for decades to come for our Saint Louis operation,” he added. Ortberg stressed not only the benefits of the F-47 program for the St. Louis facility, but also its unprecedented scale, stating: “We invested in this area more than any investment we’ve ever made in our defence business, and that investment paid off.” Regarding&nbsp; the readiness and technical maturity of the firm’s pitch for the program, he elaborated: “We had a superior product, very mature in where we are in terms of the design of the product. Can’t talk a lot more about it, but we’re excited to have that program… In our defence portfolio and our team, [this win] puts a boost to energy.” “It proves that we still have the technology capability to go do that,” he concluded.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/31/article_683b1178d56341_65828838.png" title="Boeing F-47 Official Artwork">The scale of the F-47 program partly reflects the fact that it is the only fighter of its generation that the U.S. Air Force intends to procure. The Air Force commissioned two separate fifth generation fighters under the F-22 and F-35 programs, and initially intended to field them under a complementary high-low combination before <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/25-f22-maiden-flight-looks-like-failure" target="_blank">major issues with the F-22</a> led to an early termination of production, and eventually to efforts by the service to retire the aircraft decades ahead of schedule. In the preceding fourth generation, the service commissioned a high-low combination of F-15s and F-16s, alongside the F-111 and F-117 strike fighters, while the separate F-20 fighter program was developed in parallel specifically for export. Reliance on a single fighter is thus unprecedented, with the possibility that the Navy could eventually procure a derivative of the F-47, rather than developing an <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/delays-contact-award-many-sixthgen" target="_blank">entirely separate fighter</a> under the F/A-XX program, potentially further contributing to the Air Force program’s scale.&nbsp;It remains uncertain whether the primary contracts for the F/A-XX will be awarded to Boeing, or to its competitor Northrop Grumman, although Lockheed Martin has <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/lockheed-sixth-generation-fighter-design-rejected-navy" target="_blank">already been excluded</a>.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/31/article_683b1259878d59_79466091.JPG" title="Chinese Sixth Generation Fighter Prototype">Unlike the F-22 and F-35, which were developed at a time of relative complacency in the aftermath of the USSR’s disintegration, and which as a result were allowed to suffer considerable delays, the F-47 is being developed at a time of high geopolitical tensions and in the face of an <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-sixth-generation-heavyweight-fighter-fourth-flight" target="_blank">imminent challenge</a> from the major advances being made by Chinese fifth and sixth generation fighter programs. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/chinese-sixth-generation-cut-pentagon-demand-f35s-lockheed" >unveiling</a>&nbsp;of flight prototypes for two separate <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-air-force-leadership-confirms-tough-choices-china-develops-first-sixth-gen" target="_blank">sixth generation fighter programs</a> in December 2024, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-sixth-generation-heavyweight-fighter-fourth-flight" >intensive flight testing&nbsp;</a>of both since then,&nbsp;has further contributed to the urgency of bringing the F-47 into service quickly and with the most advanced capabilities possible. China’s demonstrated ability to bring new generations of fighters into service rapidly, and to quickly realise major incremental upgrades, has set a strong precedent for the country’s sixth generation fighter programs to outpace their American competitors, with the East Asian state having significant advantages both in the scale and efficiency of its industrial base and in the scale on which it conducts research and development.&nbsp;