F-47 program producing test aircraft, on schedule for 2028 flight

TL;DR

The U.S. Air Force's F-47 program has entered engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) with $3.45 billion allocated in FY2026 and more than $5 billion requested for FY2027. The program will produce test aircraft, with the first flight scheduled for 2028, and the Air Force plans to procure at least 185 aircraft to replace the F-22 Raptor fleet. Boeing is identified in reporting as the prime contractor, and the program creates significant subcontracting opportunities across the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems. This is a major near‑term acquisition and budget signal that will drive large-scale capture, supply‑chain, and compliance work in aerospace and defense manufacturing. Immediate implications: contractors should prioritize pipeline reprioritization, compliance posture review for CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)/NIST/DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)/ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)/EAR exposure, and rapid capture planning using focused tools and workflows.

Key Points

• What happened: The F-47 program entered engineering and manufacturing development with $3.45 billion allocated in FY2026 and over $5 billion requested for FY2027; the program will produce test aircraft and intends first flight in 2028; the Air Force plans to procure at least 185 aircraft to replace the F-22 Raptor fleet, with Boeing reported as the prime and broad subcontracting opportunities across the NGAD family of systems.
• Who is affected: Defense and aerospace manufacturers and professional services in the listed market segments; see Segmentation (NAICS: 336411, 336412, 336413, 334511, 541330, 541712, 541715, 336414, 334220, 332995; Agencies: DOD, Air Force, Defense Contract Management Agency).
• Timeline: First flight of test aircraft scheduled for 2028; FY2026 funding allocated and FY2027 funding requested as noted.
• What contractors should do NOW: Immediately re-score and prioritize opportunity pipelines, stand up a focused capture cell, run a compliance gap assessment for CMMC/NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171)/DFARS/ITAR/EAR exposure, map potential subcontracting roles and critical suppliers, and initiate proposal skeletons and compliance matrices using Cabrillo Club platforms.

Who Is Affected

• Market segments: Defense; Aerospace Manufacturing; Aircraft Manufacturing; Advanced Air Systems; Military Aviation; Defense R&D; Avionics; Weapons Systems.
• NAICS codes (from segmentation): 336411, 336412, 336413, 334511, 541330, 541712, 541715, 336414, 334220, 332995.
• Agencies (from segmentation): DOD, Air Force, Defense Contract Management Agency.
• Contract vehicles (from segmentation): IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) - Air Force specific; Other Transaction Authority (OTA).
• Compliance surfaces (from segmentation): CMMC, NIST 800-171, ITAR, DFARS, EAR, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What phase is the F-47 program in and what funding is in place?

A: The program has entered engineering and manufacturing development (EMD). The Summary states $3.45 billion allocated in FY2026 and more than $5 billion requested for FY2027.

Q: When will the program deliver test aircraft and what is the planned first flight?

A: The program will produce test aircraft and the first flight is scheduled for 2028, per the Summary.

Q: How large is the planned buy and who is prime?

A: The Air Force plans to procure at least 185 aircraft to replace the F-22 Raptor fleet, and the Summary identifies Boeing as the prime contractor with significant subcontracting opportunities across the NGAD family of systems.

Definitions

• F-47 program: The aircraft development program described in the Summary that has entered engineering and manufacturing development and is producing test aircraft with first flight scheduled for 2028.
• Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD): The program phase noted in the Summary where development transitions toward production-capable designs and test aircraft are produced.
• NGAD family of systems: Next Generation Air Dominance-related systems referenced in the Summary as creating subcontracting opportunities.
• F-22 Raptor: The current fighter fleet the Summary states the F-47 is intended to replace.

Intelligence Response

• Cabrillo Signals War Room — Already detected this event and delivered this briefing. Continuous monitoring flagged the F-47 EMD funding actions and schedule changes and forwarded the alert to subscribed capture teams.
• Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — Rescores opportunity pipelines automatically to reflect the F-47 funding and timeline, elevating relevant prospects and partners across the defined NAICS segments.
• Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — Tracks affected agencies, NAICS codes, and contract vehicles and will run saved searches and alerts for follow-on solicitations and notices; saved searches will notify teams when new solicitations or actionable notices appear on applicable sources.
• Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) — Use to generate compliant proposal skeletons, compliance matrices for CMMC/NIST 800-171/DFARS/ITAR/EAR, and to develop win themes specific to the F-47 opportunity.
• Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — Use the 9-gate capture workflow to assign gates, automate compliance routing, and create audit‑ready capture documentation.

Who to notify immediately:

• Capture Manager — to lead bid/no-bid and capture strategy.
• Chief Growth/Business Development — to reprioritize pipeline.
• Contracts Lead — to assess vehicles and prime/sub opportunities.
• CTO/CISO — to lead compliance and cybersecurity gap assessment (CMMC/NIST 800-171/DFARS).
• Supply Chain Manager — to begin supplier mapping and critical part sourcing.
• Executive Sponsor — for resourcing and escalation.

First 48-hour response playbook

• Hour 0–4: Validate alert in Cabrillo Signals War Room; trigger Match Engine rescore; create F-47 saved search in Intelligence Hub; stand up capture kickoff call with Capture Manager, Contracts Lead, CTO/CISO, Supply Chain Manager.
• Hour 4–12: Run rapid compliance posture assessment in Proposal Studio (CMMC/NIST/DFARS/ITAR/EAR checklist); map immediate supplier gaps; generate preliminary win themes and capability statements.
• Hour 12–24: Populate Proposal Studio with proposal skeleton and compliance matrices; schedule Workflow Tracker gates and assign owners; identify subcontractor partners and begin outreach.
• Hour 24–48: Finalize bid/no-bid recommendation; lock initial capture plan and resource requests; begin draft proposal sections and compliance evidence collection.

Reference guides:

• Primary hub: Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts)
• Related guides: CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide) | CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide)