On April 28, 2025, the Pentagon announced the allocation of an additional budget of $400 million for the F-47 sixth-generation fighter development program as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. Information about this was published in a government document regarding additional funding, as reported by the Militarnii publication. The funds are intended to supplement Boeing's ongoing work on creating the F-47 prototype and preparing for its serial production. The program, which has already cost the US Department of Defense a record $8,73 billion, continues to be a priority for the US Air Force.

As The War Zone reports, the NGAD program, launched to replace the aging fleet of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighters, involves developing a “family of systems” with the F-47 as the centerpiece, interfacing with drones and advanced sensors. In March 2025, US President Donald Trump announced Boeing as the winner of the NGAD competition, beating out Lockheed Martin, which had previously dominated the F-22 and F-35 programs. The contract to develop and produce the F-47 is valued at more than $20 billion, and the total cost of the program, including maintenance, could reach hundreds of billions.

The additional $400 million in funding, according to Defense News, is aimed at accelerating testing and addressing technical risks. The NGAD program has already received $2,33 billion in 2024, with total spending since 2019 totaling $8,73 billion. However, as Reuters notes, that amount does not include infrastructure, training, and other indirect costs, making the program’s true cost even higher.

The F-47, America’s first sixth-generation fighter, is being developed as a multirole aircraft with improved stealth technology, increased range, and greater adaptability to future threats. General David Alwin, the Air Force chief of staff, has said the F-47 will “outperform the F-22 in every way while remaining cheaper to build and operate.” He said NGAD prototypes, known as X-Planes, have flown hundreds of hours since 2019, mitigating risks. Boeing unveiled its demonstrator in 2019, and Lockheed Martin will follow in 2022.