Israel wants America’s secret F-47 fighter jet as global arms race heats up | Gravitas

It is something that nobody has seen before. From speed to maneuverability to payload, no existing jet in the world even comes close to it.

These words of US President Donald Trump continue to resonate as anticipation builds around America's F-47 stealth fighter jet. As the global arms race heats up, Israel is now reportedly eyeing this jet.

Take a look at this.

In March last year, Trump along with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth showed an artistic rendering of this sixth-generation aircraft. However, only a small part of the aircraft and the landing gear was visible.

The jet is named after Trump, who is the 47th president of US.

While the F-47 programme remains mired in secrecy, a few details have come to the fore. This will be the world's first sixth-generation jet, and shall be manufactured by Boeing, with its first flight likely in 2028.

According to US Air Force Chief Ken Wilsbach, it is being designed to achieve top speed exceeding Mach 2 while maintaining extreme stealth.

It can also strike targets at least 1,850 kilometres away, and will have capabilities to counter the most sophisticated adversaries.

This is intended to replace the F-22 fighter jet, which is a fifth-generation jet potent for ground attack and electronic warfare.

Now, F-47 will also have a new generation of sensors, capable of fusing battlefield data across land, sea and space domains.

According to reports, a budgetary allocation of 3.45 billion US dollars was made towards the F-47 programme in fiscal year 2026.

While the aircraft price hasn't been revealed yet, the US Air Force has decided to procure at least 185 F-47 jets.

However, there is one more reason why this aircraft will stand out.

According to reports, F-47 is expected to feature advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. It will also have the ability to control a swarm of AI-driven drones from its cockpit.

These drones can perform tasks such as penetrating high-threat areas, conducting reconnaisance, jamming enemy systems and acting as decoys.

This will allow F-47 jets to operate at a safe distance from its bases.

This is not all.

Some experts have also suggested that this aircraft could potentially be operated remotely. However, it is worth noting that the US has long refused to sell its F-22 fight jets to any other country with an aim to preserve its air superiority over other militaries.

In case of F-47 though, reports indicate that Japan may be allowed to acquire these jets.

But, why is Israel interested in purchasing this jet?

Although F-47's weapon arsenal is yet to be disclosed, it might be used to fire air-to-air missiles as well as precision-guided air-to-surface missiles.

According to some experts, fast and precise ballistic missiles launched from an aircraft are more difficult for air defence systems to counter, as compared to ground-launched ones.

Additionally, by acquiring this aircraft, Israel can potentially target Iran and Houthis in Yemen from a safe distance, as they approximately fall within the striking capacity of this jet.

Now, Israel has already approved a plan to purchase two combat squadrons of F-35 and F-15 advanced fighter jets from US.

However, it is apparent that the country is looking for more options to shore up its defence capabilities at a time when Iran's military poses a realistic challenge in West Asia.