US President Donald Trump entrusted Boeing (Ba.N) on Friday a contract for the construction of the US Air Force’s most advanced fighter aircraft, known as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), according to Reuters.

Trump and Defense Minister Pitt Hegschet are currently announcing the decision by the Oval Office to the White House.

In his statements, Donald Trump announced that the US Air Force was developing an six-generation aircraft, named the F-47. The contract for the construction of the aircraft was assigned to Boeing.

Trump also revealed that an experimental version of the F-47 has been flying for almost five years, saying the new aircraft will be equipped with advanced Stealth technology.

The US president also noted that the new F-47 fleet will be built in the coming years.

Her fighter Ngad will replace the F-22 Raptor of Lockheed Martin With a manned aircraft, designed to enter the battle with drones.

Boeing’s shares increased by almost 5% after the news. The Seattle -based company won the contract against Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), and its shares fell almost 6%.

The contract for the development of engineering and construction amounts to more than $ 20 billion. The contractor will receive total orders worth hundreds of billions of dollars during the long -term contract.

For Boeing, the project marks a reversal, as the company has faced difficulties in both the commercial and defense sector. This is a significant enhancement of the productive activity of fighter aircraft.

The most expensive fighter aircraft in the story

Manned aircraft is scheduled to be put into operational operation in the 2030s and will fight along with semi-autonomous drones, as the Pentagon seeks to gain a technological advantage over US opponents.

The future of the program was uncertain, as the Biden government had left the final decision on how the plan would proceed with the new Trump government. Ilon Musk, a billionaire and Trump ally, has publicly opposed manned aircraft, claiming that they are “outdated in the drones”.

Musk arrived at the Pentagon on Friday morning for sensitive discussions about China.

Air Force officials argue that manned aircraft remain vital to the wars of the future, especially if they incorporate advanced designs, sophisticated sensors, more powerful engines and the ability to control semi-autonomous drones that will accompany them.

Air Force Chief David Alvin, the Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force, implied that he made a recommendation to Trump earlier this month at a conference organized by the Aviation & Space Association.

“I want to give the president as many options as possible. This means, yes, continued modernization. Yes, Ngad, “he said, using the acronym for the Next Generation Air Dominance program, which includes the new fighter aircraft.

The development of the aircraft will be expensive, as the cost of the new fighter could rise to several hundred millions of dollars per unit. Lockheed Martin’s current F-35 fighters cost about $ 80 million each.

The F-35, which has been criticized by Musk, is a multifunctional aircraft designed mainly for air-to-ground missions. The new fighter is described as an air-to-air aircraft that will replace the F-22 and can operate in highly defensive environments.

The semi-autonomous drones that will accompany the new fighter are already at an advanced stage of development. The first drones, manufactured by General Atomics and Anduril Industries, will fly this summer and are designed to carry rockets. Their future versions will probably be adapted to other missions, such as the Electronic War and the collection of information. These drones are the first unmanned US aircraft bearing the designation “F” (fighter/fighter).