The award caps more than two years of competition between the defence giants for the full-scale development phase of the Next Generation Air Dominance manned fighter, or NGAD. The jet, which will replace the F-22 Raptor, is envisioned to operate in tandem with drones, which are being developed in a separate programme.
Boeing Co won a contract to design and build the US’s next-generation stealth fighter jet, beating out rival Lockheed Martin Corp for the multibillion-dollar programme aimed at preparing the military for possible conflict with China.
The new sixth-generation fighter jet, whose overall cost is expected to run in the hundreds of billions of dollars, “will ensure that the USA continues to dominate the skies,” President Donald Trump said in an unveiling at the White House. Trump, the 47th president, said with a smile that it will be dubbed the F-47.
