Boeing Wins Contract for Next-Gen Fighter, Shaking Up American Warplane Industry
The landscape of American warplane manufacturers has undergone significant changes in recent years. For over three decades, Lockheed Martin dominated the industry by producing stealth fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. However, a major shift occurred when Boeing won the contract for America's next fighter, the sixth-generation NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) program, also known as the F-47. This deal was worth over 20 billion dollars.
Northrop Grumman, another prominent player in the industry, has shifted its focus from building fighters to concentrating on large flying wings, such as the B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider bombers. The company withdrew from the sixth-generation NGAD competition in 2023.
The entry of new players into the market has also transformed the landscape. General Atomics and Anduril, a defense-tech start-up, have been chosen to build the U.S. Air Force's first Collaborative Combat Aircraft: semi-autonomous 'loyal wingman' jets designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. These drones are being produced at roughly a third of the price of a crewed fighter.