US says F-47 will be first sixth-gen jet. China’s J-36 and J-50 are already flying

The United States is on the verge of entering production for its F-47 sixth-generation fighter, according to a senior Air Force official. Brigadier General Timothy Helfrich stated that the F-47 would be the world's first jet of this generation and that its first flight was targeted for 2028, before President Donald Trump's term ends in January 2029.

Meanwhile, China has been advancing with its own next-generation fighters, the J-36 and J-50, which have been observed on test flights since December 2024. The comparison between the two countries' aircraft is challenging due to the secrecy surrounding their programs. The US Navy recently awarded Boeing a contract worth over US$20 billion for its F/A-XX carrier-based fighter, placing both US sixth-generation fighter programs under the same roof.

Helfrich emphasized that the US had only three active fighter lines - for the F-35, F-15EX, and F-16, highlighting the strategic significance of fighter production capacity. However, aviation analyst Andreas Rupprecht cautioned that Helfrich's comments might not mean serial production was imminent, as the first development aircraft for the F-47 is still in completion.

Both the J-36 and the smaller Shenyang aircraft, or J-50, have distinct characteristics compared to the F-47, with Rupprecht noting that the J-50 appeared closer to the F-47 in size and configuration. The J-36 is a large, tailless aircraft with a side-by-side cockpit, while the J-50's design is still being refined through successive prototypes.

The J-50 may incorporate greater autonomy, satellite-independent navigation, and reconfigurable formations of unmanned aircraft. Despite the progress being made, experts are cautious about drawing definitive conclusions about which country is further ahead, as there is limited information available on the respective programs.