US President Donald Trump awarded Boeing on Friday to build the most sophisticated fighter airplane of the American Air Force to date, giving the company a very necessary victory and by increasing his actions.
The next generation air dominance program (NGAD) will replace Lockheed Martin’s Raptor F-22 with a crew aircraft built to go into battle alongside drones.
Trump, the 47th president, announced the name of the new jet, the F-47.
“We have given a lot of order. We cannot tell you the price,” Trump told journalists in the oval office.
Boeing actions increased by five percent after the American company beat Lockheed Martin for the agreement. Lockheed’s shares have dropped almost seven%.
“Our allies are constantly calling,” said Trump, saying foreign sales could be an option. “They also want to buy them.”
While Boeing pleads guilty to an accusation of criminal fraud conspiracy linked to two fatal accidents, the National breaks down what happened to the reputation of the aviation giant and if its planes are safer.
For Boeing, the victory marks a reversal of makeshift for a company that has struggled alongside trade and defense of its activities. It is a major boost for its Hunting Aircraft production activity in St. Louis.
The loss is another blow for Lockheed after being eliminated from the competition to build the furtive fighter of the next generation of the navy, and in the midst of the growing dissatisfaction of the Pentagon on the delays in the upgrading of his fighter plane F-35.
In recent weeks, Trump has met the CEO of Lockheed, Jim Taiclet, to discuss the F-35, according to three sources.
The engineering and manufacturing development contract is worth more than 20 billion US dollars. Boeing’s victory means that she will make the fighter and receive orders worth hundreds of billions of dollars during the multi-decennia life of the contract.
“We recognize the importance of designing, building and providing a sixth -generation fighter capacity for the United States Air Force,” said Steve Parker, who directs Boeing’s defense activities in a statement. “In preparation for this mission, we have made the most important investment in the history of our defense activities.”
The design of the plane remains a closely kept secret, but would probably include stealth sensors, advanced sensors and advanced engines.
“Compared to the F-22, the F-47 will cost less and will be more adaptable to future threats-and we will have more F-47 in our inventory,” said Air Force chief, General David Allvin.
NGAD was designed as a “family of systems” centered on a sixth generation fighter to counter opponents such as China and Russia.
Allvin said that the F-47 will have a much longer, more advanced scope and will be more easily supported than the F-22.
Major victory for Boeing in difficulty
Boeing’s commercial operations have experienced difficulties as it attempts to put its best-selling maximum jet production at full speed, while its defense operation was increased by underperforming contracts for oil tankers, drones and air jets.
“Victory is a major boost for the company, which has struggled to overcome cost, calendar delays and execution on other programs from the Ministry of Defense,” said Roman Schweizer, analyst at TD Cowen.
Costs overwhelmingly on the Ouest Aur Tiles Program KC-46 have exceeded $ 7 billion in recent years in recent years, while another fixed price contract to upgrade two Air Force One aircraft has created an American loss of $ 2 billion for the American defense entrepreneur among the first five.
The Boeing unit which manufactures passenger jets has been faced with a meticulous exam since a series of crises, including an outdoor emergency in January 2024 involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 missing four key bolts. In January, Boeing reported an annual American loss of $ 11.8 billion – its most important since 2020 – due to problems in its main units, as well as the spinoffs of a strike that closed the production of most of its jets.
A door cap on the flight 1282 of Alaska Airlines flew to just under 5,000 meters, creating a gaping hole in the side of the Boeing 737 Max 9. Andrew Chang crosses what happened time while the plane was making an emergency landing.
Boeing also sold the land to Airbus in the delivery race and entered the reticle of regulators and customers after missteps. The Federal Aviation Administration in early 2024 imposed a monthly production ceiling.
“Although disappointed with this result, we are convinced that we have delivered a competitive solution,” Lockheed said in a press release. “We will expect more and more discussions with the US Air Force.”
While Lockheed could still protest against the government’s price in Boeing, the fact that Trump announced the agreement in a high -level press conference could reduce the possibility of public dissemination of the arguments against the agreement of the Defense Company based in Bethesda, in Mount.
The Boeing Prize has aroused congratulations from Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, but he warned: “A program of this size and this complexity requires careful monitoring to ensure that it does not take delay or has no cost exceeding.”
The billionaire and presidential advisor Elon Musk expressed skepticism about the efficiency of high -end combatants equipped, saying that cheaper drones were a better option.
