Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the updated figure on 10 June during testimony before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. “The F-47 will significantly strengthen America’s air power and improves our global position,” Hegseth stated. “It will keep our skies secure—even as it ensures we are able to reach [our] adversaries wherever they may hide.”
Hegseth also described the F-47 decision as “the first of several decisions to maintain air dominance into the future,” though no further information was provided about upcoming steps. A detailed breakdown of the NGAD programme funding has not yet been published.
In parallel with the NGAD effort, the U.S. Air Force is expected to reach a production decision on the first increment of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme later this year. The department is also planning to move forward with a second increment and intends to include $804 million for the CCA in its fiscal year 2026 budget.
While work on the fiscal 2026 budget has begun, the Department of Defense continues to operate without an approved budget for the remaining months of fiscal 2025. Of the proposed NGAD funding, $400 million for the F-47 is expected to be part of a $150 billion reconciliation package that has passed the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate.
