The F-47 MAGA?
By 
The Next Generation Air Dominance project has a number:
Questions about the need for a new manned fighter have plagued the NGAD project over the past year.
Experience in the Russia-Ukraine War has raised concerns over whether a crewed fighter can have much of an impact on the modern battlefield.
Both Russia and Ukraine have struggled to use manned aircraft in contested airspace, with both instead relying on standoff weaponry (such as glide bombs) to affect the battlefield.
Extensive wargaming, however, suggested that the NGAD could still play a critical role in a fight in the Western Pacific, now understood to be the central theater for strategic competition with China.
With China developing its own sixth generation fighter projects, the announcement of the F-47 thus comes as little surprise.
If you’re wondering about that F-47 designation… the answer is yes:
The Air Force later issued a statement saying the number 47 was chosen for a number of reasons: “It honors the legacy of the P-47, whose contributions to air superiority during World War II remain historic. Additionally, the number pays tribute to the founding year of the Air Force, while also recognizing the 47th President’s pivotal support for the development of the world’s first sixth-generation fighter.”
For fuck’s sake. Other links:
- Really terrific article on how the war in Ukraine has changed over the last three years. The expansion of the drone war *does not* mean that infantry have become irrelevant.
- On the logic of Ukraine’s deep strike operations into Russia.
- More on China’s sixth gen fighter.
- A little bit more on the process of getting to the F-47…
Some further contributions…
No F-14 or F-15 because Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan are bullshit and the Tomcat and Eagle deserve better.