President Donald Trump on Friday touted plans to keep the Pentagon a step ahead of China, unveiling a blueprint for America’s next-generation fighter jet that aims to deliver continued U.S. military dominance in an era of great-power competition.

Trump, speaking in the Oval Office alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said the military’s sixth-generation fighter, the F-47 in an apparent nod to his status as the 47th president, would be developed by Boeing — a major coup for the troubled aircraft firm.

Trump described the stealth aircraft as “virtually unseeable” and having “unprecedented power,” suggesting that it could help the United States maintain its edge over adversaries.

“America’s enemies will never see it coming,” Trump said. “If it ever happens, they won’t know what the hell hit them.”

The designation of Boeing represents a significant milestone in the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which wants an aircraft that will replace the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor jet, provide enhanced stealth and greater range and, crucially, give the United States a boost in confronting China’s military rise.

The NGAD, envisioned as the central fixture of a network of aircraft including the manned F-47 and drones that would act as “loyal wingmen” to protect the fighter, would better compete in the Pacific than the F-22, which has a nautical range of 422 miles and relies on slower tanker aircraft for aerial refueling. China is developing its own sixth-generation planes.

Highlighting his interest in dealmaking, Trump framed the aircraft as a business opportunity for the nation, calling it a “historic investment in our industrial base.”

It was not immediately clear how much the new jets will cost or when they will become operational. The announcement comes as drones have become central in modern conflict, most dramatically in the war in Ukraine, fueling further questions about the future of manned military aircraft.

Stacie Pettyjohn, an expert at the Center for a New American Security, said the U.S. military is moving further toward unmanned aircraft but would continue to require advanced piloted planes that could, for example, fly into enemy airspace and destroy an adversary’s air defenses and shoot down its fighter jets. That is something that neither Moscow nor Kyiv has been able to do in the conflict arising from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“This is one of the U.S. Air Force’s core strengths, so continuing to invest in the high-end aircraft that allows us to do this is key to maintaining an edge over China,” Pettyjohn said.

The F-22, along with the F-35, will remain a core asset for the U.S. military for the time being. The Air Force is also developing a next-generation bomber, the B-21.

Also Friday, Trump adviser Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, visited the Pentagon for talks expected to focus on China and his efforts to cut the federal workforce.

The decision to give Boeing the F-47 contract follows years of problems for the Virginia-based company, which had catastrophic issues with its 737 Max airliner. Granting the deal to Boeing rather than competitor Lockheed Martin, which produces the F-35 stealth jet, the United States’ most advanced fighter, also avoids concentrating production of all of America’s primary combat aircraft in the hands of one company.

Development of the F-35, which also is flown by numerous U.S. allies, including Israel, Australia and Norway, has been marred by years of delays and mechanical problems. Musk has been a high-profile critic of the F-35.

“We don’t take air superiority for granted,” Hegseth said in a statement later on Friday. “We maintain it by making deliberate investments, relentlessly innovating, and harnessing the unmatched ingenuity of the American people.”

Trump also issued an implicit warning to U.S. allies who could emerge as future customers for the F-47, saying that the United States would probably sell them “toned-down” versions “because someday, maybe they’re not our allies.”

The statement is likely to deepen concerns among partners in Europe and elsewhere already unnerved by Trump’s foreign policy gyrations, including his moves toward rapprochement with Russia and his frequent attacks on core allies.