Boeing Gets Nod On Jet Fighter --- Pick follows years of company problems, from crashes to quality crisis

" WASHINGTON -- Boeing won the contract to build what may turn out to be the most expensive jet fighter in history, a sophisticated air-to-air interceptor the Air Force believes is vital to deter China's military in the decades ahead.

The Pentagon's selection of Boeing to deliver its next-generation jet fighter has big implications for the aerospace giant's bottom line, its beleaguered defense unit and the jet maker's strained relationship with the Trump administration. The cost-plus contract marks Boeing's biggest win after years of problems that include a pair of fatal crashes, billions in losses and a quality crisis in the wake of last year's fuselage-panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.

Boeing shares rose 3.1% following the decision, announced by President Trump at the White House on Friday. Shares in rival Lockheed Martin, which had been vying for the project, fell nearly 6%.

Dubbed the F-47, the piloted jet with new stealth and long-range strike capabilities is designed to fight with semiautonomous drones already well into development. The Air Force expects the first jets to be in service before the end of the Trump administration, said Gen. David Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, who attended the White House meeting. Experimental prototypes have been flying for five years.

The Pentagon hasn't released cost estimates. Experts say the total research, development and acquisition costs could top $50 billion.

Boeing said that to prepare for building a sixth-generation fighter, it had made the biggest investment in the history of its defense business.

"We are ready to provide the most advanced and innovative . . . aircraft needed to support the mission," said Steve Parker, interim president and chief executive of Boeing's defense, space and security business.

Lockheed Martin said it continues to work to advance critical technologies to outpace emerging threats.

The fighter's future had been in doubt after the Biden administration opted to leave the final decision on how to proceed to the incoming Trump administration. Elon Musk, the billionaire and Trump ally, has publicly campaigned against manned aircraft, which he said were "obsolete in the age of drones."

Air Force officials have argued that piloted planes are still vital for fighting the wars of the future, especially if they incorporate cutting-edge designs, sophisticated sensors, more powerful engines and control the semiautonomous drones that operate with them.

Allvin hinted at his recommendation to Trump earlier this month at a conference organized by the Air & Space Forces Association.

"I want to give the president as many options as we possibly can. So that means, yes, keep on the modernization. Yes, NGAD," he said, using the acronym for the Next Generation Air Dominance program, which includes the new jet fighter.

For Boeing, the new contract represents a vote of confidence by the administration in a company that has been crippled by a string of crises. Boeing's defense business represents around one-third of the company's revenues but has lost billions of dollars over the past several years. The company has said it was locked into money-losing defense contracts, many of which have had costly snafus.

The jets could cost as much as several hundred million dollars each. The Air Force's current Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters cost about $80 million.

Frank Kendall, the Air Force secretary during the Biden administration, initiated a review of the program last year over soaring costs and the need to fund other Air Force priorities, such as countering Chinese space systems and protecting U.S. air bases from missiles.

In announcing the F-47, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't say what trade-off might be made within the defense budget to develop and acquire the plane. The Air Force did not say exactly how many F-47s would be produced, but said the new fleet would exceed the number of F-22s it is replacing, which was roughly 180 planes.

Hegseth has instructed the military services to identify 8% in potential cuts over the next five years, aiming to shift funds to programs the Trump administration deems more of a priority.

One new initiative that will require substantial funds is Golden Dome, an effort to enlarge the missile defense system for protecting the U.S.

The F-35, which has been a Musk target, is a multirole plane that is designed mainly for air-to-ground combat. The new fighter has been described as an air-to-air fighter that would replace the F-22 Raptor and would be able to fly in heavily defended environments.

The Raptor, the Pentagon's most advanced fighter, was curtailed in 2011 at fewer than 200 aircraft due to rising costs and the Defense Department's focus on counterterrorism.

The semiautonomous drones that the new fighter would operate with are already well into development. The first -- produced by General Atomics and Anduril Industries -- will fly this summer and is designed to carry missiles. Future versions are likely to be adapted to take on other missions, including electronic warfare and sensing.

They will be the first unpiloted aircraft to carry a "F" or fighter designation.

While the potential costs of the aircraft have sparked criticism, proponents argue that achieving air superiority is vital for U.S. national security. The Air Force's head of war gaming said last month that the new fighter and the drones it would operate with would make it much easier to prevail in the wars of the future against highly capable adversaries.

"The fight looks fundamentally different with NGAD than without NGAD," Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel, deputy chief of staff for Air Force Futures, said during an appearance last month at the Hudson Institute." [1]

Well, that's great. If only the door wouldn't fly off...

1.  Boeing Gets Nod On Jet Fighter --- Pick follows years of company problems, from crashes to quality crisis. Gordon, Michael R; Terlep, Sharon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 Mar 2025: A1.