U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday the signing of a contract with Boeing for a next-generation fighter aircraft, named F-47, reports AFP.
More advanced, the new aircraft will replace the previous generation F-22 Raptor produced by Lockheed Martin and in service for about 20 years.
"The Air Force will award the contract (...) to Boeing," announced the American president in the Oval Office, in front of reporters, specifying that, for security reasons, the contract amount cannot be disclosed.
"Nothing in the world can rival" this new generation of aircraft, F-47, assured Trump.
"The generals chose this name and it's a nice name, F-47," said the 47th President of the United States.
Trump described the high-speed stealth aircraft, named F-47, as "the most lethal aircraft ever built" and said that a version has been flying secretly for the past five years, as reported by BBC.
This announcement comes as a breath of fresh air for Boeing, which has been going through a deep crisis since last year due to production quality issues and a strike lasting over 50 days that paralyzed its main two plants.
Around 4:25 PM GMT on Friday, Boeing's shares rose by 4.78% on the New York Stock Exchange, reaching $181.09.
The U.S. program to replace the F-22 aircraft was halted in 2024 under the Biden administration due to cost concerns, a major concern of the Trump administration, which mandated billionaire Elon Musk to drastically reduce government spending.
The Congressional Budget Office, a Congress-affiliated entity, estimated in 2018 that the next-generation aircraft could cost up to $300 million each, much more than several aircraft in the current arsenal of the U.S. forces.