SOURCE: AFI
A recent U.S. Air Force (USAF) recruitment advertisement has sent aviation enthusiasts and defense analysts into a frenzy, featuring a fleeting glimpse of an unfamiliar aircraft that many speculate could be the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, officially designated the F-47.
Released on April 10, 2025, the ad showcases the USAF’s cutting-edge missions but includes a stunning moment where a sleek, futuristic jet appears, prompting debates on X and defense forums about whether it’s a high-fidelity render, an early technology demonstrator (TD) with vertical stabilizers, or something else entirely. While the Boeing-led F-47 program is shrouded in secrecy, this tantalizing tease raises questions about how much the USAF is ready to reveal about its sixth-generation air superiority platform.
The 60-second recruitment video, titled “Forge the Future,” highlights the USAF’s role in shaping global security, featuring F-22 Raptors, B-21 Raiders, and Airmen training for cyber and space operations. At the 42-second mark, a low-angle shot captures an unidentified jet soaring overhead, its angular design and tailless silhouette hinting at advanced stealth. Unlike prior NGAD renders, this aircraft appears to sport subtle vertical stabilizers, a departure from the canard-equipped or fully tailless concepts shown in Boeing’s March 2025 F-47 announcement. The clip, lasting mere seconds, offers no clear markings or scale, fueling speculation about its authenticity.
Posts on X, including one from aviation analyst @VinodDX9
on April 12, 2025, amplified the buzz, questioning whether the jet is “just a render or one of the early TDs with vertical stabilisers or something else.” Others, like @THEEURASIATIMES
, called it a “sneak peek” of the F-47, though no official USAF statement confirms this. The ambiguity aligns with the NGAD program’s classified nature, where even public renders are often altered to mislead adversaries, as noted by @Aviation_Intel
after Boeing’s initial F-47 reveal.
Announced on March 21, 2025, by President Donald Trump alongside Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, the F-47 is Boeing’s winning design for the NGAD’s Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform, beating Lockheed Martin’s bid. Intended to replace the F-22 Raptor, the F-47 is a sixth-generation fighter emphasizing stealth, speed (Mach 2+), long range for Indo-Pacific operations, and integration with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. Its $20 billion Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract, awarded to Boeing’s Phantom Works, builds on demonstrators flown since 2019, which logged hundreds of hours testing adaptive cycle engines, AI-driven networking, and very-low-observable (VLO) stealth.
Official renders from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) show a sleek, delta-winged jet with optional canards, though analysts like @Aviation_Intel warned that features like asymmetric canards were likely “major alterations to throw off foreign intel.” The F-47’s projected cost—$300 million per unit—reflects its advanced sensors, electronic warfare suites, and open-architecture systems, with plans for 200 fighters by the 2030s. Gen. Allvin has called it “the most advanced, lethal, and adaptable fighter ever developed,” designed to dominate peer adversaries like China’s J-36.
The jet’s landing gear, visible briefly, appears undersized for a 20-tonne fighter, supporting the render theory. As one X user quipped, “Hood’s Rule #1: Never get steamed up about CGI art.” Yet, the ad’s timing—post-NGAD contract award—suggests a deliberate tease to signal progress.
NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.