F-47 vs F-35: Different Jobs, Different Prices, One Air Force

The F-47 and the F-35 are not rivals for the same job. The F-47 is a large air-superiority fighter that the US Air Force will buy in small numbers; the F-35 is a multirole strike fighter bought by the thousand. On the published figures the F-47 goes about 50 per cent further, is faster and is rated stealthier. It is also expected to cost two to three times as much.

This comparison sets out the numbers, explains how the two aircraft are meant to work together, and looks at the argument that an upgraded F-35 could do much of the F-47’s job for less.

The short answer

The F-47 is designed to win control of the air over long distances against the most capable opponents. The F-35 is designed to do many things well, above all to strike ground targets in defended airspace, and to be affordable enough to buy in quantity. The F-47 replaces the F-22. Nothing is planned to replace the F-35 for decades.

The Air Force has paired fighters this way since the 1970s, with the F-15 and F-16 and then the F-22 and F-35. The expensive aircraft clears the way; the cheaper one does most of the work.

F-47 and F-35A side by side

For the detail behind each column, see what the F-47 is and what the F-35 is.

Range and speed

The gap in reach is the main difference in the air. A radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles lets the F-47 operate from bases beyond the range of most Chinese missiles and still reach the fight, as we explain in F-47 range. The F-35A’s 670 nautical miles is good for its size but leaves it dependent on tankers in the Pacific.

Speed follows the same pattern. The F-35 was never meant to be fast; its single engine and broad fuselage limit it to Mach 1.6 and it cannot cruise supersonically without afterburner. The F-47 is listed at above Mach 2, and its adaptive engines are suited to supersonic cruise, although that has not been confirmed. See how fast the F-47 is and how fast the F-35 is.

Stealth and sensors

The F-35 is optimised against the high-frequency radars that guide weapons and is stealthiest from the front. The F-47 is described as low-observable from all aspects and across more frequencies, helped by a design that the official renderings show without vertical tails. We cover this in F-47 stealth explained.

Sensors are the F-35’s strength. Its fused picture from radar, infrared cameras and electronic warfare systems is the best in service anywhere. The F-47 will presumably go further, but nothing has been disclosed, and the F-35’s long struggle to upgrade its computers is a reminder that such systems arrive late.

Cost and numbers

An F-35A costs about $92 million in the latest production lots. Outside estimates for the F-47 run from $180 million to $300 million, as set out in how much the F-47 will cost and how much an F-35 costs. For the price of the planned 185 F-47s the Air Force could buy several hundred more F-35s.

That is the choice Congress faces each year. The fiscal 2027 request asks for about $5 billion to develop the F-47 and for 38 F-35As. Both aircraft also share a weakness: sustainment. The F-35 fleet’s mission capable rate fell to 44 per cent in 2025, and the Air Force’s promise that the F-47 will be easier to keep flying is untested.

Could a better F-35 do the job?

Lockheed Martin thinks so. After losing the contract, chief executive Jim Taiclet said the company could give the F-35 about 80 per cent of sixth-generation capability at half the cost by adding technology developed for its own bid.

The argument has limits. Software, sensors and coatings can be upgraded. Airframe size cannot. The F-35 cannot be given the fuel volume for a 1,000 nautical mile radius, a second engine or an all-aspect stealth shape without becoming a different aircraft. The Air Force’s view is that those are exactly the qualities the Pacific demands.

How they will work together

The plan is for F-47s to push ahead, find and destroy enemy fighters and the aircraft that support them, while F-35s follow to attack air defences and other targets. Both are intended to direct Collaborative Combat Aircraft, as described in F-47 and its drone wingmen.

In practice the F-35 will carry most of the load for years. Even on the current schedule the F-47 will not be in squadron service before about 2030, and then only in small numbers.

Frequently asked questions

Is the F-47 better than the F-35?

It is designed to fly further and faster and to be stealthier, for the air-superiority mission. The F-35 is a multirole aircraft and far cheaper. They are meant to complement each other.

Will the F-47 replace the F-35?

No. The F-47 replaces the F-22. The F-35 is due to remain in service into the 2070s.

How much more does the F-47 cost than the F-35?

Estimates put the F-47 at $180 million to $300 million, against about $92 million for an F-35A. No official F-47 price exists.

Is the F-47 faster than the F-35?

Yes. The Air Force lists the F-47 at above Mach 2 and the F-35 at Mach 1.6.

Which has the longer range?

The F-47, with a stated combat radius of more than 1,000 nautical miles against 670 for the F-35A.

Can the F-35 be upgraded to match the F-47?

Lockheed Martin says an upgraded F-35 could deliver about 80 per cent of the capability at half the cost. It could not match the F-47’s range, speed or shape.