The United States has had Air Dominance in all conflicts since WW II. But as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. Dave Allvin, recently said, Air Dominance is not our birthright—it must be continually earned. Thus, the need for our nation’s newest, and first sixth-generation, air dominance aircraft, the F-47. Designed to replace the F-22, the F-47 will bring unmatched speed, maneuverability, range, stealth, and connectivity to the U.S. arsenal.

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The recent announcement to select Boeing as the prime contractor for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft was notable for many reasons. First, President Trump stated that a version of the fighter would also be sold to our allies.

This is a brilliant decision, as it will increase lethality and interoperability of our allies and of the alliance. It will also help ensure U.S. leadership in the aerospace industry for decades.

Second, President Trump acknowledged that the fighter will operate in concert with “many many drones.” The previous Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, should be commended for his decision to pursue the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)—a program to develop at least 1,000 advanced, unmanned, lower-cost jets to extend and dramatically amplify the NGAD’s lethality.

Third, the President recognized that only through strength can we possibly hope to deter our adversaries from attacking the U.S. and our allies. While our nuclear weapons provide the bedrock of strategic deterrence, our adversaries must know that our conventional forces will deny them victory.

The F-47 program will certainly run into technical hurdles, unforeseen costs, and schedule overruns. We should not tolerate such problems, but we should not be surprised when they occur. Rather, we must hold military, civilian, and industry leaders accountable. We must also have an acquisition strategy that incentivizes on-time, on-budget product delivery.

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And we must expect China to develop their own capability to deny and defeat the F-47. They will continue to steal our technology and seek their own advantage at every turn.

NGAD Must Not Fail 

There will come a day when we look forward to the next, Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft. For now, we must take all steps to ensure this one succeeds. It will require money, talent, creativity, accountability, and perseverance.

As Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated, this program is a gift to our children and our grandchildren.

Current leaders have no higher responsibility than ensuring a safe, secure, and prosperous future for the next generation of Americans. The Next Generation Air Dominance fighter is one key to achieving this future.