Boeing, rocked by a year of controversy, is being handed a lifeline by President Trump who announced on Friday that the American aerospace company has been tapped to build the next generation fighter jet, the F-47. 

“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built,” Mr. Trump, joined by Defense Secretary Hegseth, told reporters in the Oval Office. 

The Next Generation Air Dominance program will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor, the world’s fifth generation fighter jet which entered service two decades ago. The program was paused under the Biden administration which sought to review whether a new aircraft was necessary. 

During the meeting Mr. Hegseth praised Mr. Trump for reviving the program, saying that the jet “sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere, and to our enemies that we can and we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded for generations to come.” 

The future fighter jet is viewed by the Air Force as a key asset to ensuring that America maintains air superiority over Communist China, which is believed to be testing its own sixth generation military aircraft. The design of the new fighter remains a secret, but it is expected to include advanced sensors, state-of-the-art engines, and cutting-edge communications capabilities. 

“We’re going to write the next generation of modern aerial warfare with this,” chief of staff of the Air Force, General David Allvin, said. 

Boeing beat out aerospace competitor Lockheed Martin, which previously stood as the only prime contractor to produce stealth fighters in the West. Mr. Trump said that the decision came after a “rigorous and thorough competition between some of America’s top aerospace companies.”

The estimated $20 billion contract provides Boeing with a shoe-in to revitalize its defense engineering and operations. The company funneled significant investment in its campaign to secure the fighter jet contract, including launching a new factory at St. Louis which will produce the aircraft.  

It also offers Boeing a much needed win as it has struggled to recover from a string of controversies both on the defense and commercial sides of its business. 

In regards to its commercial business, Boeing was thrust into the spotlight in January 2024 when a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft blew off mid-flight. The incident prompted an investigation into the company’s manufacturing process, and in March, an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration found that Boeing failed to comply with industry quality control requirements on several occasions. 

The company found little relief in its space business which came under fire after a faulty Boeing Starliner left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for ten months. Following months of testing, NASA, lacking confidence in Boeing’s spacecraft, ultimately tapped Elon Musk’s SpaceX to charter a rescue mission. 

Fallout over the mounting safety concerns, along with a September 2024 labor strike that halted jet production, led Boeing to report an $11.8-billion annual loss this past January.