Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

President Donald Trump has tasked Boeing and the U.S. Air Force with having the first of the new F-47 fighters “built and in the air” before the end of his current administration in January 2029. The contract award for the U.S. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was announced on Friday, with around $20 billion in spending anticipated for initial engineering, manufacturing, and development of a platform that will include the piloted fighter and drones.
Boeing won the contract after a protracted competition with Lockheed Martin. The sixth-generation fighter is intended to be an eventual replacement for the latter company’s F-22 Raptor. The F-47 is expected to be powered by new XA102 or XA103 engines being developed by, respectively, GE Aerospace and Pratt &amp; Whitney through the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program.
Speaking during an event in the White House, U.S. Air Force chief of staff General David Allvin said the interaction between the new fighter and an array of drone technology will a more modern and lethal combination than current weapons platforms. “[NGAD] is allowing us to look into the future and unlock the magic that is human-machine teaming,” he commented, adding that the structure of the program will allow the platform to be updated “at the speed of relevance and the speed of technology.”
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<img alt="Boeing Next Generation Air Dominance program" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="877e9133-6312-401a-95c9-5aa62a5e9eba" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Boeing%20NGAD%201.jpeg" width="1242" height="699" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Few details about the F-47 sixth-generation fighter have been released (Boeing).</figcaption>
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According to the Air Force, the F-47 air superiority will cost less and be more adoptable than the F-22. It is being developed to support long-range missions to confront threats, including those from China’s military in the Indo-Pacific region.
Pentagon spending on the NGAD program is projected to rise from less than $4 billion this year to almost $9 billion in 2029. Development of the F-47 has evolved over the past five years with the Air Force and its partners having conducted hundreds of hours of flight testing with various X-plane concepts.
The NGAD contract is a welcome boost for Boeing’s military division. “We recognize the importance of designing, building and delivering a sixth-generation fighter capability for the United States Air Force,” said Steve Parker, interim president and chief executive officer for Boeing Defense, Space, and Security. “In preparation for this mission, we made the most significant investment in the history of our defense business, and we are ready to provide the most advanced and innovative NGAD aircraft needed to support the mission.”

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

U.S. Pushes For Air Dominance with F-47 Fighter Contract Going to Boeing

$20 billion in Pentagon funding pledged to achieve first flights by 2029

The Boeing-led Next Generation Air Dominance program is based on the sixth-generation F-47 fighter and drone technology developed with the U.S. Air Force.

U.S. Pushes For Air Dominance with F-47 Fighter Contract

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News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

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Lockheed Martin

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