F-47? Next gen fighter? (1 Viewer)

[Rexedgar]

I watched the news when he made the announcement. No, he did not specifically say he dubbed it as such, but did not say who did. However what you said makes sense.

What “news” did you watch?

 

[gman]

What “news” did you watch?

It was onNewsNation, but not the same as the NBC clip you posted. The one I saw he was standing outside, not at his desk.

 

[iguanaman]

Charged not convicted.

Not acquitted either. His case has not gone to trial yet.

 

[gman]

Not acquitted either. His case has not gone to trial yet.

You’re on the wrong thread.

 

[Bodi]

Because that’s what Trump told you, right?



How do you jump 12 numbers?

By being able to count?

 

[Bodi]

How did we go from the F-22 to the F-35?

The flow of time?


.

 

[Bodecea]

The plane is a already lot further along than I would have thought. I always suspected they were working something in Secret, and this was 10 years ago.

 

[KevinKohler]

Did the F35 ever see action?

 

[The Mark]

Because that’s what Trump told you, right?



How do you jump 12 numbers?

It's not a jump, there was almost surely a test plane for each of those numbers, or a least a proposal or project.

I'm not entirely sure how the numbering works but it's something like that.

 

[ataraxia]

Did the F35 ever see action?

“In another post, the Israeli Air Force said that, since the outbreak of the latest war in the Middle East, in October 2023, the service’s F-35Is have flown more than 15,000 operational flight hours, taking part in “thousands of sorties in all theaters.”

Israeli F-35s First To Use ‘Beast Mode’ In Combat

The “thousands of sorties” flown by Israeli F-35Is in the latest Middle East conflicts have included the first combat use of external offensive stores. The “thousands of sorties” flown by Israeli F-35Is in the latest Middle East conflicts have included the first combat use of external offensive...

www.twz.com

 

[ataraxia]

It's not a jump, there was almost surely a test plane for each of those numbers, or a least a proposal or project.

I'm not entirely sure how the numbering works but it's something like that.

So how is it that we had f-104s and f-111s back in the 1960s and 70s?

 

[Airyaman]

So Trump just announced what he dubbed as the F-47 next generation fighter. The contract has been awarded to Boeing. Any bets on how soon China will have the plans or maybe already have them?

In this case, the "F" is "****ed" because of "47".

 

[JMB1911A1]

Because that’s what Trump told you, right?



How do you jump 12 numbers?

Because we have other things that we have developed and they did not pan out.

The two CCA prototypes are the YFQ-42A (General Atomics) and the YFQ-44A (Anduril). Does take much to get from 44 to 47 and I expect the Lockheed Martin design had a number in there as well.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4092641/air-force-designates-two-mission-design-series-for-collaborative-combat-aircraft/

 

[JMB1911A1]

Did the F35 ever see action?

Been seeing lots of combat. Israelis have been using theirs in “beast mode” with external stores.

Israeli F-35s First To Use ‘Beast Mode’ In Combat

The “thousands of sorties” flown by Israeli F-35Is in the latest Middle East conflicts have included the first combat use of external offensive stores. The “thousands of sorties” flown by Israeli F-35Is in the latest Middle East conflicts have included the first combat use of external offensive...

www.twz.com

 

[JMB1911A1]

So how is it that we had f-104s and f-111s back in the 1960s and 70s?

Because that was prior to the Tri-Service Aircraft System started in 1962.

For example, the F-4 Phantom II was originally designated F4H by the U.S. Navy, and F-110 Spectre by the U.S. Air Force.

The F-111 was one of the few not to be redesignated.

 

[Oozlefinch]

How do you jump 12 numbers?

I already provided a clear example. They are numbered as they are in development.

The Joint Strike Fighter program developed two prototypes, the X-32 and X-35. The X-32 was not accepted, while the X-35 was and became the F-35.

Before the X-32 you had the X-31, a proposal by Rockwell and Messerschmitt for a thrust vectoring aircraft.

The X-36 was a tailless research program by Boeing in the 1990s to develop future aircraft from.

Not all X fighters are actually accepted into service. Those that do not never get an F to replace the X. But the number remains associated to the project.

So the answer why skip 12 numbers? Those projects were not accepted.

Tell me, did you ask the same question for the F-35? Or the F-22? Why in the hell did they jump 13 numbers between the two?

 

[Oozlefinch]

I watched the news when he made the announcement. No, he did not specifically say he dubbed it as such, but did not say who did. However what you said makes sense.

For almost every "Missing F", there is a previous X fighter program that never saw any kind of production. Case in point, the JSF with the X-32 and X-35. If the government had gone with Boeing instead of Lockheed, then the military would be using the F-32, and the X-35 would have been retired to a museum.

List of X-planes - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The above is a decent list of what is known about the "Missing numbers". And sometimes the Pentagon simply picks a number almost at random or to purposely confuse I believe. For example, the F-117. As it was called a fighter, but has no real capabilities of a fighter. Even given an F designator, even though the appropriate designator would have been A. And assigned a three digit number, a scheme that had been phased out in 1962.

One thing I learned a hell of a long time ago, the military often does things like this for their own reasons. Kinda like how they love to name a system, then invent some silly backronym to try and justify that name.

 

[Oozlefinch]

Did the F35 ever see action?

Oh yes, it has.
Israel has been using them in combat for over 7 years now. The September 2024 attacks by Israel against Yemen, and the October 2024 attack on Iran. Those were conducted with F-35A fighters (Israeli variants known as the F-35I).



Nobody else has really had any combat that has involved aircraft since the F-35 was introduced really.

 

[uptower]

Did the F35 ever see action?

Yes they have proven adept at bombing both Iranian military installations, Lebanese guerilla camps and countless schools, hospitals and refugee facilities.

 

[uptower]

They've already codenamed the Su-57 Felon.

What are they gonna call this one, the Convict?

 

[WorldWatcher]

They've already codenamed the Su-57 Felon.

What are they gonna call this one, the Convict?

I'm kind of leaning toward either "Assaulter" or "Grabber".

WW

 

[The Mark]

So how is it that we had f-104s and f-111s back in the 1960s and 70s?

They changed the numbering system at some point, or maybe reset it?
I could probably look it up but frankly I don't care enough to put in the effort.

 

[gman]

So how is it that we had f-104s and f-111s back in the 1960s and 70s?

There were the F-105 fighter bombers and the F-106 fighter interceptors.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

Àpĺlpl

Because that’s what Trump told you, right?



How do you jump 12 numbers?

Entirely optional

F4 F5 F14 F15 F16 F18 F20 F22 F35

For older ones you had the F86.

 

[ataraxia]

Àpĺlpl


Entirely optional

F4 F5 F14 F15 F16 F18 F20 F22 F35

For older ones you had the F86.

I don't know about that. Since there seems to be some confusion here (including myself- I have always wondered this since I was a kid), I asked ChatGPT. Below is what it said (does it jibe with what everyone else here knows?):

"The numbering of U.S. military aircraft follows different systems depending on the era. The apparent "decline" in numbers from older aircraft like the F-104 and F-111 to newer ones like the F-22 and F-35 is due to a reset in the numbering system in 1962.

Pre-1962 System​

Before 1962, different branches of the U.S. military (Air Force, Navy, etc.) had their own designation systems. The Air Force used a sequential numbering system for fighter aircraft, which is why you see high numbers like F-86, F-100, F-104, and F-111.

1962 Standardization (McNamara's Reform)​

In 1962, then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara introduced a Tri-Service Aircraft Designation System to standardize aircraft naming across all branches. As part of this, the numbering was reset, and the sequence restarted from F-1. That's why post-1962 aircraft have lower numbers—F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, etc.

Why F-22 and F-35?​

• The F-22 Raptor was the 22nd fighter aircraft to receive a designation under the new system.
• The F-35 Lightning II follows the F-22, even though there was no F-23, F-24, etc., because of how programs were named.

What About the F-117?​

The F-117 Nighthawk (a stealth attack aircraft, not technically a fighter) was given a misleading number to confuse foreign intelligence during development."

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So, the "higher" numbers of older jets are a result of the pre-1962 system, while the newer jets reflect the reset numbering from 1962 onward.