How the Air Force Designated Its Next Fighter Jet ‘F-47’
The Air Force may have been caught off guard or was just unprepared when President Donald Trump said the next generation fighter jet would be called F-47, documents obtained by FOIA Files suggest.
A rendering of the new F-47 fighter jet displayed in the Oval Office, March 21. Boeing won a contract to design and build the US's next-generation fighter jet, beating out rival Lockheed Martin for the multibillion dollar program.
Photographer: Yuri Gripas/AbacaWelcome back to another edition of FOIA Files! This week, I’m going to take you behind the scenes as US Air Force officials, in late March, prepared to discuss the name of the next-generation fighter jet: the F-47. Any guess what—or who—it’s named after? If you’re not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here.
I’ve long been fascinated with the military’s naming conventions. More than a decade ago, US Central Command unveiled “Operation Inherent Resolve,” its campaign to defeat the Islamic State. Right after, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request with CENTCOM to find out how the military settled on that name. Two years later, I ended up with an incredible set of documents that detailed the discussions that took place between the Joint Chiefs of Staff, experts and top military brass as they debated three different names for the operation.