Air Force unveils vision for future with F-47 fighter and unmanned aircraft
The U.S. Air Force has launched a bold new strategy to maintain air superiority in the 21st century, spotlighting the development of the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet and a fleet of unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Maj. Gen. Joe Kunkel, director of Force Design, Integration and War Gaming, said the Air Force is reevaluating its posture after decades of operations in the Middle East. He compared the current shift to the transition that followed the Vietnam War and led into the Cold War.
“We are probably not the right size or shape for the fight we might face against a peer adversary,” Kunkel said. “We are designing to meet that threat.”
F-47: A new era of air superiority
The F-47, developed under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program by Boeing, is set to become the first sixth-generation air superiority fighter in the U.S. arsenal. It is expected to enter service before 2029, with a combat radius exceeding 1,100 miles and speeds above Mach 2.
While former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall questioned the program’s cost and necessity, Kunkel defended the jet’s strategic importance.
“The F-47 changes the character of the fight — not just for the Air Force, but for the joint force,” he said. “It allows us to counter adversaries in ways we cannot today.”
Collaborative Combat Aircraft: Force multiplier and enhancer
Alongside the F-47, the Air Force is advancing its CCA program. These unmanned aircraft are designed to operate in tandem with manned platforms, providing affordable mass and complicating enemy tactics.
In March, the Air Force narrowed its list of potential manufacturers to General Atomics and Anduril. Ground testing for the prototypes, the YF-Q-42A and YF-Q-44A, began in May, with flight tests expected this summer. A production decision is anticipated within the next year.
“CCA integration with the F-47 makes the F-47 better,” Kunkel said. “It complicates the adversary picture and puts us in a better position.”
Adapting to modern threats
Kunkel emphasized the need for cost-effective solutions, citing recent conflicts where expensive missiles were used against low-cost drones.
“We are in a cost imposition that does not make sense,” he said. “Affordable mass has value, and we need to figure out how to use it effectively.”
He also challenged traditional definitions of air superiority, suggesting that denying airspace to adversaries — even without full control — may be sufficient in future conflicts.
“There may be places where no one has air superiority, but we are denying the air domain to the adversary,” he said. “That may be perfectly acceptable.”
A systems-based future
The Air Force is shifting from platform-centric thinking to a systems-based approach, integrating fighters, bombers, refuelers, hypersonics Fand unmanned aircraft.
“We are on the verge of something great,” Kunkel said. “We have the right people in place to develop the right capabilities. We figured out what it takes to win, and we are aggressively pursuing those things.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
