Overview
- Rep. Rob Wittman said the F‑47 under the NGAD program will not reach operational availability until the mid‑2030s.
- Program leaders still target a first flight in 2028, with Boeing in Engineering and Manufacturing Development and initial airframes being built in St. Louis.
- The Air Force is using a government‑owned reference architecture and modular open systems approach to retain upgrade control and avoid vendor lock seen on the F‑35.
- Sustainment and life‑extension efforts for the limited F‑22 fleet and Navy F/A‑18 Super Hornets are being emphasized to bridge the timeline to NGAD.
- Early descriptions point to a combat radius beyond 1,000 nautical miles, speeds above Mach 2, and operations with Collaborative Combat Aircraft, while a Pratt & Whitney XA103 video showing a tailless delta shape remains an unconfirmed link to NGAD.