The race to build the fighter planes of the future

They can hold more fuel, carry more weaponry and boast more computing power

A man stands under the wing of a model of Tempest, which will be the next-generation RAF fighter jet.
Photograph: News Licensing

“THERE’S NEVER been anything even close to it—from speed to manoeuverability…to payload,” gushed Donald Trump, as he announced on March 21st that America’s future fighter jet, the F-47, would be built by Boeing, an aerospace giant. The jet is one of several so-called sixth-generation aircraft on drawing boards around the world.

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The English Channel as the sun rises above, seen from the port of Dover

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