The U.S. Air Force reaffirmed that the first flight target for the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet remains locked on 2028.

U.S. Air Force leadership recently disclosed that the complete production line for the sixth-generation stealth fighter F-47 is rapidly taking shape, with the aircraft's first flight still targeted for 2028. Prime contractor Boeing has invested nearly $2 billion to expand the F-47 production facility and recently won the U.S. Navy's carrier-based sixth-generation fighter program. Recently, Brigadier General Timothy Helfrich, the U.S. Air Force's program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft, said during an online forum hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association that work to establish a complete production line for the sixth-generation fighter F-47 is getting closer. Prime contractor Boeing has been expanding more than 1 million square feet of facilities in St. Louis since 2023, including an 880,000-square-foot aircraft final assembly building, hangars, radar cross-section testing facilities, and more, with the entire project planned for completion in 2030. Currently, the F-47 program is still advancing on an aggressive schedule, with the first flight target still set for 2028, while production aircraft are planned to enter operational service in the early 2030s.