Military Intelligence Bureau: US Sixth Generation Aircraft F47 Makes a Sensational Debut

Introducing the sixth-generation fighter jet F-47 from the United States, produced by Boeing’s Phantom Works, with its maiden flight in 2019. Equipped with seagull-shaped wings and variable cycle engines, how does the performance of the F-47 compare to China’s sixth-generation jet?

On March 20th, the White House held a major press conference, announcing Boeing as the manufacturer of the US Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter jet, named F-47 in honor of the 47th US President, Donald Trump. While China conducted a test flight of its so-called sixth-generation jet at the end of last year, the US NGAD had been flying since 2020, with each prototype accumulating hundreds of flight hours. Today, let’s examine the performance of the US sixth-generation jet.

Three companies participated in the bidding process, including the renowned Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing. Notably, Northrop Grumman is known for its flying wing and blended body designs, having produced famous bombers like the B-2 and B-21. However, Northrop had announced its withdrawal from the US Air Force’s sixth-generation jet program back in 2023. Last year, Northrop Grumman released an official video revealing the design of their sixth-generation fighter jet. From the visuals, the aircraft appeared futuristic without vertical tails, with engines positioned above the fuselage.

Despite Northrop Grumman’s exit from the Air Force fighter jet project, it continues to compete with Boeing for the US Navy’s sixth-generation carrier-based fighter jet and is likely to secure the contract. Furthermore, Northrop has already obtained a large-scale production contract for the B-21 bomber, positioning it as a major winner in the US sixth-generation bomber project.

Some say, when there are winners, there are also losers, and in this NGAD bidding, Lockheed Martin undoubtedly came out as the biggest loser. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility is globally renowned, having produced the US’s current two fifth-generation fighters, the F-22 and F-35. However, after Boeing emerged as the winner of the NGAD project, Lockheed Martin released a brief video showcasing their sixth-generation fighter jet design, featuring a large triangular wing structure, no vertical tails, and twin engines with a dark paint scheme, making the details less discernible.

From the bidding, it is evident that the US NGAD project involved three companies, with prototypes flying since 2020 and accumulating hundreds of flight hours each.

Undoubtedly, Boeing emerged as the biggest winner of the bidding. The US authorities released two images of Boeing’s fighter jet.

In the first image, the jet is surrounded by smoke, making it hard to discern details except for the front fuselage and wings. However, a crucial point can be confirmed—there are evident canard wings on both sides of the front fuselage.

Canard wings design offers advantages in improving maneuverability, increasing lift, and enhancing low-speed control. Various fighter jets worldwide, such as China’s J-20, Europe’s Eurofighter Typhoon, France’s Rafale, and Sweden’s Gripen, have adopted different forms of canard wing designs.

However, canard wings design poses a crucial challenge affecting stealth capabilities. Thus, upon the release of the F-47 image, many, including myself, questioned why the US sixth-generation jet still employs canard wings.

Subsequently, the US military released a second artistic rendering, clearly showing smaller canard wings on the right side of the aircraft, with the left side’s canard wing less pronounced. Regarding this, the US officials did not provide a definitive response, merely stating that these images were artistic renditions. It remains to be seen how viewers interpret the canard wings on the US sixth-generation jet.

Another significant feature of the F-47 is its uniquely shaped wings. While the artistic renditions deliberately obscure the specific wing shapes, a key point can be observed— all wings incline upwards, contrary to traditional horizontal wings. Moreover, the wingtips are concealed in heavy smoke, with the possibility that the wingtips fold downwards into a peculiar shape.

Not to speculate, Boeing had developed a prototype YF-118 named “Raptor” in the 1990s. From the images, one can see two critical features of this aircraft:

1. The engine intake is streamlined along the aircraft’s back. This has become a standard layout for sixth-generation fighter jets, adopted by both the B-21 and Boeing’s F-47, primarily to reduce radar reflections and enhance stealth.

2. The wings are designed in a “seagull wing” configuration, angle upwards, with the rear portion folding downwards. Seen from the side, the wings are noticeably longer, almost extending to the rear of the fuselage, serving certain tail functions. This design effectively improves aerodynamic performance, reduces radar cross-section, and enhances stealth capabilities.

From a top-down view, the F-47’s wings extend backward from the midsection, with the tips potentially folding downward, incorporating functions of both horizontal stabilizers and main wings. This design ensures stealth capabilities while enhancing maneuverability. The wing shape reminiscent of seagull wings has led to it being termed as seagull-type wings.

The YF-118 verification aircraft was developed by Boeing as an independent investment project, not for bidding purposes, solely to experiment with their concepts, investing a total of $67 million USD. The aircraft had its successful maiden flight on September 10, 1996, in Area 51. Over the following three years, the YF-118 underwent 37 test flights. The F-47 seems to have drawn inspiration from Boeing’s design concepts during that period.

Additionally, the F-47 will be equipped with variable cycle engines. The earliest fighter jet to feature variable cycle engines was the US’s “Blackbird” reconnaissance aircraft. The “Blackbird” can achieve speeds up to Mach 3.2, operating with a ramjet engine at speeds of Mach 2-3, while transitioning to a turbofan engine for subsonic speeds to provide power.

The primary reason is the varying requirements of airflow, intake structure, and shockwaves at different flight speeds. Only variable cycle engines can ensure maximizing engine efficiency under varying speed conditions.

Currently, the US’s variable cycle engines are still in development competition. Earlier this year, the US signed a new contract with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, raising the research funding cap to $3.5 billion USD. Both companies are concurrently developing the next-generation variable cycle engines, known as NGAP.

General Electric’s engine is named XA100, while Pratt & Whitney’s engine is called XA101. XA100 is not only planned for installation in the F-47 but the US also considers replacing variable cycle engines in the F-35 fighter jet in the future. According to the US military three years ago, General Electric’s XA100 variable cycle engine is projected to increase the F-35’s range by 30%, boost acceleration by 20-40%, and improve fuel efficiency by 25%.

At present, the US military has only released two rendering images that do not accurately depict the aircraft. Therefore, the analysis inferred from these images is limited.

In summary, the F-47 showcases several key features:

1. It incorporates a unique seagull-type wing design, balancing stealth and maneuverability.

2. It features a variable cycle engine with the intake positioned on the aircraft’s dorsal surface.

3. The aircraft’s front displays two small canard wings.

4. The jet is expected to exceed Mach 2 in speed, offer lower costs compared to the F-22, and exhibit a longer range than the F-22.

Boeing’s win of the bid for the F-47 fighter jet has surprised many military enthusiasts for two main reasons:

Firstly, Boeing lacks recent experience in designing advanced fighter jets. Lockheed Martin had developed the US’s fifth-generation fighters, F-22 and F-35. Boeing’s fighter jets, such as the F-15 and F/A-18 Super Hornet, were originally McDonnell Douglas products, taken over by Boeing after McDonnell Douglas’ acquisition in 1997.

During Boeing’s last bid for the F-35 fighter jet program, they proposed the X-32 fighter jet design. The X-32’s massive intake located beneath the aircraft’s fuselage resembled a toad. The X-32’s appearance, if it were to enter service, would make it the ugliest fighter jet in US history, compared to the F-16, F-15, F-18, F-22, and F-14.

The second concern is Boeing’s quality control issues in the aircraft domain. Boeing’s “Starliner” spacecraft accomplished its first flight in 2019 but deviated from its intended course due to software errors, leading to a failed docking with the International Space Station. Last June, the manned mission finally docked successfully, but experienced helium leaks and mechanical failures, leaving astronauts stranded in space. Boeing has incurred over $1.5 billion USD in losses on this project. The SpaceX “Crew Dragon” successfully executed the mission this March, bringing the astronauts back to Earth ten months after the planned one-week stay in space.

Boeing has encountered quality control issues in its military projects as well. For instance, KC-46 tanker aircraft procurement personnel faced corruption allegations twenty years ago, with numerous technical problems over the past decade.

One comforting factor for military enthusiasts is that Boeing inherited the fighter jet division from McDonnell Douglas. Since World War II, McDonnell Douglas has been a renowned US fighter jet designer and manufacturer. Boeing now retains the design and production experience of models like F-15, F/A-18, and AV-8.

By the end of 2024, China’s so-called “sixth-generation fighter jet” made its debut, while the US’s NGAD fighter jet successfully flew five years earlier. Thus, how do China’s sixth-generation jet and the US’s NGAD jet compare, and which one exhibits superior performance? These aspects will be analyzed in future segments. Finally, let’s appreciate the video of Lockheed Martin’s sixth-generation jet that did not win the bid; which aircraft do you prefer?