America’s F-47 Sixth Generation Fighter Program Falls Four Years Behind Chinese Rivals

Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force General David Allvin has confirmed that the service’s first sixth generation fighter the F-47 is scheduled to make its first flight some time in 2028, with the aircraft expected to enter service sometime in the mid-2030s. The Air Force had previously stated that the F-47 was expected to make its first flight before the end of President Donald Trump’s term in office on January 20, 2029, with confirmation that the aircraft would not fly before 2028 placing the program four years behind China’s two known rival programs developed by the Chengdu and Shenyang aircraft corporations, which were both confirmed in December 2024 to already be in flight testing.“We [have] got to go fast. I got to tell you, team, it’s almost 2026. The team is committed to get the first one flying in 2028,” Allvin stated, adding: “In the few short months since we made the announcement, they [Boeing] are already beginning to manufacture the first article. We’re ready to go fast. We have to go fast.”

In September 2022 head of the U.S. Air Combat Command General Mark Kelly warned that China was well positioned to begin fielding sixth generation fighters before the United States. Officials have widely made similar warnings, with China’s ability to bring its first fifth generation fighter, the J-20, from its first demonstrator flight to service entry in just six years, drawing a highly unfavourable precedent when compared to the F-35 and F-22, which both took 15 years. Alluding to the speed at which China is working to develop its rival fighters, Allvin noted: “The adversary is not taking a knee. They’re not stopping and saying, ‘well, maybe the U.S. slows down, we’ll slow down too.’ Maybe we can take a knee, and that’s not what they’re doing.”“As we look into the future, when we develop all of the next-generation capabilities, we can’t get enamored with the platforms. It’s not just the weapons and the weapon systems. We’ve got to understand systems over platform. It’s the things that links them together that makes it work,” he added.