About the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. A successful high-altitude bomber and America's leading fighter in the ground-attack role, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt served the USAAF from 1941 to 1945.

The designation is a nod to the P-47 fighter, the Air Force's founding year, and the 47th president. See the competing NGAD fighter designs proposed by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.