U.S. plans F‑47 fighter as Europe grapples with own projects
President of the USA, Donald Trump, officially announced that the sixth-generation American aircraft, which will be developed under the NGAD program, will be the Boeing F-47. The aircraft is set to surpass the F-35 and F-22 fighters in terms of firepower and technology, which currently form the backbone of the United States' combat aviation, along with outclassing any other fighters. What does Europe think about this?
The American announcement raises questions about the future of European sixth-generation fighter jet programs. Will Europeans once again agree to the dominance of the United States in supplying modern fighters, as was the case with fifth-generation fighters? Or on the contrary, could the changing policies of Donald Trump's administration towards European security issues provide additional momentum to programs like GCAP and FCAS?
Sixth-Generation Fighters
US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin announced that the F-47 would be the "most advanced, lethal and adaptable fighter ever developed -- designed to outpace, outmaneuver, and outmatch any adversary that dares to challenge our brave airmen." He emphasized, "We are not just building another fighter -- we are shaping the future of warfare and putting our enemies on notice."
Furthermore, Allvin stated that "the F-47 is truly the world's first crewed sixth-generation fighter." He added, "For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence." This suggests that work on the American sixth-generation aircraft is taking a tangible shape.
Europe has its own ideas
In Europe, which is conducting two advanced programs aiming to develop sixth-generation fighters, the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the situation looks a bit different. Both proposals are still in the development and design phase. The GCAP program was officially initiated on December 9, 2022, when the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan agreed to jointly develop a new sixth-generation fighter. Previous individual projects, such as the British Tempest and the Japanese F-X, were merged into a single initiative.
According to available information, GCAP is currently in the technology design and development phase, with its first flight scheduled for 2028. Meanwhile, the fighter's entry into service is anticipated for 2035. Even more distant timelines pertain to the FCAS program, a joint initiative of France, Germany, and Spain aimed at creating an advanced combat system, including a sixth-generation fighter and accompanying drones.
Airbus, one of the main partners in the project, has presented a schedule suggesting that the first prototypes may appear in the coming years, but exact dates have not been publicly disclosed. It is known, however, that the program is currently in the research and development phase, with the introduction of the fighter into service planned around 2040.
In January 2025, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury suggested the possibility of merging the two programs in the future, or at least ensuring their interoperability, as noted by the Reuters Agency at the time. Such integration could optimize the financial and technological resources of the involved countries, but no decisions have been made on this matter so far.
"The governments that are working on FCAS and GCAP need to sit down at the point in time when they have a clear view on what is FCAS, what is GCAP, what they want to achieve ... and see what they can do better together," said Faury. He also noted, that the timeline for such talks is the next few years; by then, the technology phase will likely be over. But any plans to merge the two programs will not be easy, as he noted.
It is important to note that there has been a long-standing discussion among defence experts on Europe's capability to simultaneously fund two competitive sixth-generation fighter programs. These concerns arise, among other reasons, from the fact that developing modern combat systems is extremely costly, and the defence budgets of individual countries are limited. Additionally, potential orders for new fighters may not reach a level that would justify the concurrent funding of two separate programs.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Europe is currently facing many other defence challenges requiring significant financial investment. An example is the planned, unprecedented level of investment in the European defence sector. The European Union intends to allocate 1.2 trillion Canadian dollars for this purpose over the next few years. Many sectors that were previously dependent on American security guarantees or American equipment supplies need strengthening.
