The Navy has awarded Boeing a contract worth more than $20 billion to build the F/A-XX, its first sixth-generation fighter jet — Boeing’s second win of a next-generation fighter contract in barely more than a year, after it also landed the Air Force’s F-47.
Why it matters: The F/A-XX is meant to give carrier air wings a stealthy, longer-range successor to the F/A-18 Super Hornet as China fields its own next-generation fighters — and the award cements Boeing, not Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman, as the Pentagon’s builder of choice for the next generation of American air power.
Driving the news:
The Navy announced Monday that Boeing had won the competition to build the F/A-XX under the Next Generation Air Dominance program — via Fox News.
The contract, valued at more than $20 billion, covers full-scale development, including construction of multiple test aircraft for ground testing and systems integration — via Fox News.
It’s Boeing’s second sixth-generation fighter win: the company was also selected in 2025 to build the Air Force’s land-based F-47 — via Fox News.
Operational deliveries aren’t expected until the 2030s, when the F/A-XX will begin replacing the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers — via Fox News.
By the numbers:
$20 billion+ — value of the development contract.
2030s — expected start of operational deliveries to the fleet.
2 — sixth-generation fighter contracts Boeing now holds, one for the Air Force (F-47) and one for the Navy (F/A-XX).
What they’re saying:
“F/A-XX will dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage,” said Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition — via Fox News.
“The sixth-generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority and will provide the world’s best aviators with unparalleled capabilities,” said Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao — via Fox News.
“It’s an honor to be selected to produce the Navy’s first sixth-generation platform,” said Boeing Defense CEO Steve Parker — via Fox News.
What’s next:
The F/A-XX is designed to operate alongside both manned aircraft and unmanned “Collaborative Combat Aircraft” drones as part of the carrier air wing of the future — via Fox News.
Boeing now moves from contract award into full-scale development and flight testing over the next several years before the jet is due to reach the fleet in the 2030s.
The bottom line: Barely a year after reviving its defense fortunes with the F-47 win, Boeing now holds both of the Pentagon’s next-generation fighter contracts — a notable vote of confidence for a company that has faced sharp scrutiny over its commercial and defense programs in recent years.
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