The U.S. Department of Defense has taken a significant early step toward operationalizing the Boeing F-47 next-generation fighter by launching a market research effort for major infrastructure development at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. A notice issued on February 2, 2026, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) seeks industry input for what it describes as an F-47 “bed-down” project, marking the first publicly visible government document to explicitly reference the aircraft by name in connection with a specific operational base.
USACE, which oversees large-scale construction projects for the wider Department of Defense, clarified that the notice is not a contract solicitation but rather a request for information designed to identify capable contractors. Companies that demonstrate they can meet the project’s demanding requirements may be placed on a Prequalified Sources List (PQSL), which will later serve as the foundation for formal competitive tenders once funding lines and detailed requirements are finalized.
The anticipated period of work runs from 2026 through 2033, with follow-on contracts expected to range in value from $10 million to as much as $500 million. The scale and duration of the effort underline the importance of the F-47 within the U.S. Air Force’s long-term modernization plans and strongly suggest that Nellis could become one of the first operational homes for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter.
While initial flight testing of the F-47 is still expected to take place at Edwards Air Force Base in California, as is tradition for new U.S. combat aircraft, the appearance of Nellis in this early infrastructure planning points to a rapid transition from test to operational evaluation. Edwards, with its existing test infrastructure and relatively small numbers of early production aircraft, can likely accommodate early flight trials without major new construction.
Nellis, by contrast, is designed to host large, diverse, and highly complex air operations. The base is already synonymous with advanced tactical training and evaluation, most famously through the Red Flag exercises, which bring together U.S. and allied aircrews to rehearse high-intensity conflict scenarios. The prospect of F-47 units operating from Nellis aligns closely with the base’s role as a proving ground where new aircraft are tested not just for technical performance, but for how they integrate into real-world combat concepts.
The USACE notice explicitly states that no contracts will be awarded on the basis of this market research. Instead, it aims to “scope out the available market” and assess industry capacity ahead of future solicitations. To that end, an industry day is scheduled for March 5 in Las Vegas, near Nellis AFB, where the F-47 project will be discussed alongside other planned infrastructure developments at the base.
The proposed construction program at Nellis is divided into three distinct phases, each reflecting a different stage of the F-47’s maturation and operational needs.
Phase I focuses on the core facilities required to support flight operations and day-to-day squadron activity. Plans include the construction of new aircraft apron areas, a dedicated maintenance hangar, a squadron operations building, a flight simulator facility, an avionics laboratory, and communications equipment. Supporting infrastructure such as water and drainage systems, blast deflectors, and other base utilities is also included.
These elements mirror the infrastructure built at other stealth fighter bases, such as those supporting the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, but are expected to incorporate lessons learned from those programs. In particular, the integration of advanced simulation and avionics labs points to the F-47’s likely reliance on rapid software updates, digital mission rehearsal, and networked operations.
Phase II expands the focus to sustainment and survivability. Central to this phase is the construction of a corrosion control facility capable of maintaining the radar cross-section-critical coatings used on stealth aircraft. These coatings, while increasingly durable compared to early stealth designs, still require specialized environments and processes to preserve their low-observable properties.
Phase II also includes facilities for fuel storage and supply, weapons storage, and additional maintenance areas. Taken together, these elements indicate preparation for sustained, high-tempo operations rather than limited testing or demonstration flights.
Phase III addresses personnel requirements, with plans for a dormitory capable of housing up to 240 personnel. This suggests that a substantial, permanently assigned F-47 unit – including pilots, maintainers, engineers, and support staff – is envisaged as part of the Nellis bed-down.
Beyond Red Flag, Nellis is also home to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and the headquarters of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group (TEG). Under the 53rd TEG sits the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), which since 1969 has served as the primary unit responsible for operational testing and evaluation of the Air Force’s newest fighter designs.
The 422nd TES currently operates a wide range of aircraft, with dedicated elements for the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, as well as legacy platforms such as the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and A-10 Thunderbolt II. The squadron’s mission is not basic flight testing, but the development and validation of combat tactics, techniques, and procedures before aircraft are fully fielded across the force.
Given this mandate, it would be a logical progression for the F-47 to join the 422nd’s inventory once it reaches a suitable level of maturity. Doing so would allow the Air Force to rapidly explore how the NGAD fighter fits into existing and future force structures, including joint and coalition operations.
The U.S. Air Force continues to state that it is aiming for the F-47’s first flight in 2028, with initial production of airframes reportedly beginning in 2025. This is an aggressive timeline by any measure, particularly for a sixth-generation combat aircraft expected to incorporate cutting-edge propulsion, sensors, networking, and low-observable technologies.
Some risk has been mitigated by the extensive prototype and demonstrator testing that is believed to have taken place prior to Boeing being awarded the NGAD contract. Even so, one major uncertainty remains: the exact engine that will power the F-47 has yet to be selected. Competing adaptive cycle engine designs promise significant gains in range, efficiency, and thermal management, but integrating such systems into an operational aircraft is a complex and high-risk undertaking.
The decision to begin planning permanent infrastructure at Nellis despite these uncertainties suggests confidence within the Air Force that the overall program is sufficiently mature to justify long-term investment.
Nellis Air Force Base is enormous, and despite its proximity to Las Vegas, it offers ample opportunities to conduct sensitive activities away from prying eyes. While aircraft arrivals and departures are clearly visible, much of the work associated with supporting advanced platforms can be concealed within the base’s vast footprint and high level of routine activity.
This is particularly relevant given that, despite official renderings, the exact external configuration of the F-47 remains unclear. Publicly released imagery offers only broad hints about its shape and design philosophy, leaving many details open to speculation. Conducting early operational activities at a base already accustomed to hosting classified and semi-classified programs allows the Air Force to blend new developments into an environment where unusual aircraft and restricted areas are the norm.
One of Nellis’ greatest strategic advantages is its immediate access to the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). Covering vast areas of restricted airspace, the NTTR is widely regarded as the most sophisticated environment in the world for evaluating advanced air combat systems, particularly stealth aircraft.
The range is equipped with a dense array of instrumentation, threat emitters, and test assets, some publicly acknowledged and others almost certainly classified. Aircraft operating from Nellis, Creech, Tonopah Test Range, and Groom Lake can be exposed to highly realistic threat environments that replicate, and in some cases directly use, adversary systems.
Notably, the NTTR includes genuine examples of Russian-designed air defense radars and missile systems acquired from various sources over decades. Many of these systems are operational and provide invaluable insight into how U.S. aircraft might perform against air defenses built on very different technological and doctrinal foundations.
Nellis and its associated ranges are also home to some of the world’s most experienced aggressor units, flying fourth- and fifth-generation fighters configured to replicate potential adversaries. There have long been indications that these units may also operate foreign-built or highly modified aircraft, as well as classified designs flying from Groom Lake.
For a new platform like the F-47, exposure to such a diverse and realistic adversary ecosystem is critical. It allows tactics to be stress-tested against credible threats long before any potential conflict.
Looking further ahead, the F-47 is expected to operate closely with unmanned systems, particularly under the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) concept. In line with this, Nellis is now home to an Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) dedicated to exploring how crewed and uncrewed platforms can fight together.
This EOU is widely expected to work hand-in-hand with any future F-47 unit at Nellis, developing and refining concepts of operation for a rapidly evolving aerial battlespace. The co-location of NGAD fighters, advanced aggressor units, and CCA experimentation creates a uniquely powerful environment for shaping the future of air combat.
While the February 2 USACE notice is, on paper, a routine piece of market research, its implications are significant. By naming the F-47 and tying it to concrete infrastructure planning at Nellis Air Force Base, the Department of Defense has offered its clearest public signal yet about where the NGAD fighter may first take root operationally.
If the plans outlined in the notice proceed as expected, Nellis is poised to become a central hub for the F-47’s transition from an ambitious development program to a fully integrated element of U.S. airpower. In doing so, the base would once again reinforce its role as the place where the Air Force tests, refines, and ultimately proves the combat aircraft that will define the next era of aerial warfare.
