The U.S. Division of Protection has launched a market analysis mission looking for sources for the event of amenities for the Boeing F-47 at Nellis Air Pressure Base, Nevada.
Posted on behalf of the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers (ACE), who oversee many giant building initiatives for the broader Division of Protection (DoD), the Feb. 2, 2026 discover asks for proposals from trade contractors for an F-47 bed-down mission at Nellis Air Pressure Base.
Contractors in a position to meet the necessities can then be compiled right into a Prequalified Sources Record (PQSL) that may later be used as the start line for full contract tender processes. The anticipated interval of works runs from 2026 via to 2033, and contracts anticipated to be awarded beneath follow-on processes may vary in worth between $10,000,000 and $500,000,000.
The discover seems to be the primary that mentions the next-generation Boeing F-47 fighter, suggesting that Nellis Air Pressure Base in Nevada – residence of the well-known Pink Flag workout routines – might be the primary station to host important numbers of the Subsequent Era Air Dominance (NGAD) jet. Preliminary testing will nearly actually nonetheless happen at Edwards AFB, California, although the small numbers of plane concerned on this course of can probably be accommodated by present amenities there.
The #B21 Raider continues to conduct flight checks at Edwards with the B-21 Mixed Check Pressure, together with floor testing, taxiing, and flying operations. The Raider continues to make progress towards changing into the spine of the #USAF bomber fleet. #AFMC @usairforce pic.twitter.com/u03HsnTKwd
— Edwards Air Pressure Base (@EdwardsAFB) Could 22, 2024
No direct contracts might be awarded primarily based on this discover, as it’s solely meant to scope out the out there marketplace for future contractors who might be invited to bid for the contracts after they do turn into out there. An trade day in Las Vegas, close to Nellis AFB, on Mar. 5 will embrace dialogue of this proposal in addition to different future works on the base.
Section I of the proposed developments at Nellis will embrace building of recent apron areas, upkeep hangar, squadron operations constructing, flight simulator facility, avionics laboratory, and communications gear, in addition to all the required infrastructure – water, drainage, blast deflectors – that associate with these.
Section II will then see the event of a corrosion management facility outfitted to take care of the nonetheless comparatively delicate radar cross-section coatings featured on stealth plane. Amenities for gas storage and provide, weapons storage, and additional upkeep areas may also be included in these works.
Lastly, Section III seeks the development of a dormitory that may home as much as 240 personnel.
Nellis AFB
In addition to being the house of Pink Flag and of the U.S. Air Pressure Weapons Faculty – each of which see the Nevada base host an enormous array of plane sorts – Nellis additionally hosts the headquarters of the 53rd Check and Analysis Group (TEG). Below the 53rd TEG’s umbrella is the 422nd Check and Analysis Squadron (TES), which since 1969 has been the first unit tasked with operational testing and analysis of the U.S. Air Pressure’s latest fighter designs.
The necessity for pace! 💪
A @usairforce F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 422nd Check and Analysis Squadron, takes off for a mission at @NellisAFB, Nevada pic.twitter.com/teJA9bOlNW
— F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Workplace (@theF35JPO) June 29, 2023
Parts of the squadron are devoted to the operation of particular person fighter sorts, together with the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, in addition to older sorts just like the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Preventing Falcon, and A-10 Thunderbolt II. It could be a pure transfer, then, for the F-47 to quickly be part of the 422nd’s roster of plane.
The U.S. Air Pressure continues to be aiming for the F-47’s first flight to happen in 2028 and the primary airframes started manufacturing in 2025. This already bold goal, although having some threat mitigated by the quantity of prototype testing recognized to have taken place upfront of Boeing being awarded the contract, is made much more attention-grabbing when you think about that the precise engine that may energy the fighter has but to be chosen.
Boeing F-47 Subsequent Era Air Dominance #NGAD
🔸Mach 2+ pace🔸Advances in VLO & Vary relative to #F22🔸A102 or A103 Adaptive Engine🔸Supported by 5 yrs of full-scale X-plane demo🔸EMD flight inside 4 years🔸LRIP presumably by 2029? pic.twitter.com/9ELVVzrAz6
— AirPower | MIL-STD (@AirPowerNEW1) March 21, 2025
Nellis is a large facility and – regardless of being on the outskirts of Las Vegas – can supply many areas away from prying eyes. Whereas arriving and departing plane might be clearly seen, extra delicate actions concerned in supporting the brand new plane will have the ability to be hidden in plain sight camouflaged by the already sprawling and extremely lively airfield. Notably, regardless of having official renderings depicting the F-47, we’re nonetheless not totally positive what the plane will seem like.
After departing from Nellis, F-47s can have quick access to the huge areas of segregated airspace within the Nevada Check and Coaching Vary (NTTR). The NTTR might be probably the most well-equipped location on this planet for evaluating the efficiency of stealth plane, with many amenities – each recognized to the general public in addition to others which can be nearly actually unknown – in place throughout the vary and usually used ‘in opposition to’ plane flying from Nellis, Creech, Tonopah Check Vary, and, after all, the well-known base at Groom Lake (Space 51).
In addition to U.S. techniques, the vary is suffering from real examples of adversary gear within the type of Russian-designed air defence radars and missile techniques acquired from varied sources all through the world. Many of those are operational and might supply some perception into how U.S. plane designs would fare in opposition to air defence system that originate from very totally different technological and tactical ideas.
Nellis – and the opposite bases – are additionally residence to an array of skilled, specialist aggressor models working fourth and fifth technology fighter plane. This will nonetheless embrace overseas plane sorts, in addition to categorized designs, working from Groom Lake.
F-35 of the sixty fifth Aggressor Squadron taxiing at Nellis AFB on Aug. 13, 2024. This was among the many plane I badly needed to see in motion. Beloved the very fact it wasn’t outfitted with RCS enhancers… pic.twitter.com/OxhO9Lf2pd
— David Cenciotti (@cencio4) August 24, 2024
Moreover, with the F-47’s deliberate shut cooperation with unmanned plane in thoughts, Nellis is now residence to an Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) for the Air Pressure’s Collaborative Fight Plane (CCA) initiatives.
One other milestone down in delivering CCA to our warfighters! We activated an Experimental Operations Unit @NellisAFB to be an operational squadron. This unit is devoted to testing and refining human-machine teaming ideas to dominate the battlespace. pic.twitter.com/6wSqNRBIiA
— Basic Ken Wilsbach (@OfficialCSAF) June 6, 2025
This EOU would nearly actually find yourself working intently with any F-47 unit at Nellis because the USAF develops its practices and ways for the quickly evolving aerial theater.
