Trump's F‑47 unveils new era in US and European airpower
President of the USA, Donald Trump, has officially announced that the sixth-generation American aircraft, developed under the NGAD programme, will be the Boeing F-47. This aircraft is expected to surpass the F-35 and F-22 fighters, which currently form the backbone of the United States' combat aviation, as well as any other fighters in terms of firepower and technology. But what does Europe think about this?
The American announcement raises questions about the future of European sixth-generation fighter jet programmes. Will Europeans once again agree to the dominance of the United States in the supply of modern fighters, as was the case with fifth-generation fighters? Or, on the contrary, might Donald Trump's changing policies toward European security issues give programmes like GCAP and FCAS additional momentum?
Sixth-generation fighters
US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin described the F-47 as the most sophisticated, powerful, and adaptable fighter jet ever created, built to surpass any opponent in speed, strategy, and endurance. He stressed that this isn’t merely the development of a new aircraft, but a step toward redefining modern warfare and sending a clear message to potential adversaries.
Allvin also highlighted that the F-47 represents the world’s first manned sixth-generation fighter. He noted that over the past five years, experimental aircraft have been instrumental in paving the way for its development—logging hundreds of flight hours, trialing advanced technologies, and validating bold innovations. These efforts, he explained, have directly contributed to enhancing the F-47’s capabilities. This indicates that the United States’ sixth-generation fighter program is now progressing in a concrete and measurable way.
Europe has its own ideas
In Europe, which is conducting two advanced programmes aiming to develop sixth-generation fighters - the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and Future Combat Air System (FCAS) - the situation is a bit different. Both proposals are still in the development and design phase. The GCAP programme was officially initiated on 9th December 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, and its first flight is scheduled for 2028. Meanwhile, the fighter's entry into service is anticipated for 2035. Even more distant timelines pertain to the FCAS programme, 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 project's main partners, has presented a schedule suggesting that the first prototypes may appear in the coming years, but exact dates have not been publicly disclosed. The programme is currently in the research and development phase, with the fighter's introduction into service planned around 2040.
In January 2025, the CEO of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, suggested the possibility of merging the two programmes in the future or at least ensuring their interoperability, as reported by the Reuters agency at the time. Such integration could optimise the financial and technological resources of the involved countries, but no decisions have been made on this matter so far.
"Governments working on FCAS and GCAP need to sit down when they have a clear view of what FCAS is, what GCAP is, what they want to achieve, and see what they can do better together," said Faury. He also noted, "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 programmes will not be easy."
It is worth noting that defence experts have long discussed Europe's ability to simultaneously fund two competitive sixth-generation fighter programmes. These concerns stem, 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 programmes.
The situation is further complicated because 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 £694 billion for this purpose over the next few years. Many sectors that were previously dependent on American security guarantees or American equipment supplies need strengthening.
