NGAD Timeline: From a 2014 Study to the F-47 Fighter

The F-47 took eleven years to go from a study to a signed development contract, and for one of those years it was close to being cancelled. Next Generation Air Dominance, the programme behind the aircraft, started as a DARPA study in 2014. It passed through classified demonstrators, a contest between Boeing and Lockheed Martin and a pause ordered by the Air Force’s own secretary before the award on 21 March 2025.

This timeline sets out the dated events that are on the public record. Much of the programme is classified, so there are gaps, and we say where they are.

NGAD key dates at a glance

For the wider programme and its parts, see our explainer on what NGAD is.

2014 to 2019: studies and secret aircraft

The effort began when DARPA examined how the United States would keep control of the air after the F-22. Its Air Dominance Initiative concluded in 2014 that no single aircraft would be enough, and pointed towards a family of systems.

In 2015 the Pentagon’s acquisition chief at the time, Frank Kendall, set up the Aerospace Innovation Initiative to build and fly experimental aircraft. A year later the Air Force’s Air Superiority 2030 plan described a long-range aircraft that could operate inside heavily defended airspace.

The X-planes stayed secret for years. DARPA confirmed in March 2025 that two had flown, the first in 2019 and the second in 2022, and that each had logged several hundred hours. Reports attribute one to Boeing and one to Lockheed Martin. No photographs have been released.

2020 to 2023: from disclosure to competition

The public first heard of a flying aircraft in September 2020. Will Roper, then the Air Force’s acquisition chief, said a full-scale flight demonstrator had already flown and that “we broke records in doing it”. He gave no details.

In May 2023 the Air Force sent industry a classified solicitation for the production fighter and said it intended to choose a winner in 2024. Two months later Northrop Grumman said it would not compete as a prime contractor, which left Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Boeing was already preparing. It had begun a $1.8 billion expansion in St. Louis before it had a contract to justify it, a bet we cover in our piece on who builds the F-47.

2024: the pause

In July 2024 Kendall, by then Air Force secretary, halted the competition. He said he was no longer sure the design matched the threat, and that a unit cost of “multiple hundreds of millions” of dollars was more than the service could afford.

A panel of former senior officials reviewed the options, including a cheaper fighter and a force that relied more on bombers and drones. The Air Force’s analysis came back in favour of a crewed penetrating fighter. In December 2024 Kendall said he would leave the choice to the next administration, and the two bidders’ contracts were extended.

2025 and 2026: award and first aircraft

President Donald Trump announced the decision at the White House on 21 March 2025: Boeing would build the aircraft, and it would be called the F-47. The Air Force said Boeing offered the best overall value. Lockheed Martin said in April that it would not protest. The origin of the designation has its own explanation.

In May 2025 the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. David Allvin, published a graphic that gave the first official figures, including a combat radius above 1,000 nautical miles. That September he said the first aircraft was already in build and that the team was committed to flying it in 2028.

Progress in 2026 has been steady in public. The first Collaborative Combat Aircraft production contracts were signed in June. In July Gen. Dale White said the 2028 first flight was on track. In September Brig. Gen. Timothy Helfrich said the Air Force was “not too far away from an F-47 production line”. On 29 September the Navy chose Boeing for F/A-XX, giving one company both sixth-generation fighters.

Frequently asked questions

When did NGAD start?

The programme traces back to a DARPA study completed in 2014. Demonstrator work began in 2015.

When did the first NGAD aircraft fly?

DARPA says the first X-plane flew in 2019 and a second in 2022. These were demonstrators, not the F-47 itself.

When was the F-47 contract awarded?

On 21 March 2025, to Boeing.

Why was NGAD paused in 2024?

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall questioned whether the design matched the threat and whether the service could afford it. A review supported going ahead.

Who competed for NGAD?

Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Northrop Grumman withdrew as a prime bidder in July 2023.

When will the F-47 fly?

The Air Force is aiming for 2028. The first aircraft has been in build since 2025.