The U.S. Air Force said its three highest-profile combat aviation programs — the Boeing F-47, Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) — continue to progress according to schedule despite the complexity of their development.
Speaking at the Air Force Materiel Command’s Life Cycle Industry Days conference in Dayton, Ohio, General Dale White said the F-47 had reached an “unprecedented” level of maturity as it moves through the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
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“The F-47 will fly in this administration,” White said.
His remarks are consistent with the U.S. administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, which points to a first flight in 2028.
White also said preparations for the B-21 remain on schedule. According to the general, industrial capacity for the stealth bomber has increased by 25%, while the flight-test campaign continues to achieve planned objectives.
“B-21 Raiders will be on the ramp at Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027,” he said, referring to the start of operational deployment at the South Dakota installation.
The Air Force selected Ellsworth as the first operational base for the B-21, which is expected to replace portions of the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets over the coming decades.
White also highlighted progress on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is intended to pair autonomous aircraft with crewed fighters. He said the government-owned open architecture adopted for the CCA effort is reducing dependence on individual suppliers and allowing multiple companies to compete on software and mission systems.
The Air Force has selected prototypes from General Atomics and Anduril for the program’s first increment, with flight testing expected to support the introduction of autonomous aircraft alongside frontline fighters later this decade.
