Overview
- Speaking at Davos, President Trump said he might remove the number from the F-47’s name if he decides he does not like it.
- The Air Force has said the F-47 designation references the P-47 Thunderbolt and the service’s 1947 founding, with an added nod to the 47th president.
- No official change to the designation has been announced, and the program remains a top priority with a prototype under construction.
- The service plans to buy at least 185 aircraft as the manned centerpiece of NGAD, operating alongside large numbers of Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones.
- Congress is moving to add roughly $505 million to the F-47 line this fiscal year, even as engine plans remain unsettled due to delays in the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion effort.