Boeing Picked to Build Navy’s F/A-XX Carrier Fighter in Estimated $20B Deal

Boeing concept for F/A-XX. Boeing image Boeing will build the Navy’s next-generation fighter after decades of indecision on the future of the carrier air wing, according to a Tuesday Pentagon announcement.

“The contract is valued at more than $20B for the full-scale development phase. The contract procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing,” reads the announcement.

The new tactical aircraft is set to enter the fleet as the first Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets leave the fleet in the 2030s. A primary mission for the new fighter will be to extend the effective strike range of the U.S. carrier air wing that has steadily shrunk over the last 20 years.

“The F/A-XX is a critical pillar in our commitment to maintaining peace through strength. F/A-XX will dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage for the warfighter,” Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said in a statement. “The F/A-XX platform represents a crucial, non-negotiable investment in America’s national security and long-term air combat capabilities.”

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said earlier this year the choice for the F/A-XX contract came down to the capacity of the builder.

“The Navy’s got a lot of demand… making sure that we don’t, again, fall into a trap of oversubscribing,” he said. “One of the contractors who would make this plane for us is in a place where they really can’t deliver in the timeframe we need it. So, there was a ‘check twice, cut once’ kind of mentality here on this decision.”

The sea service has shifted its position on what the role of the F/A-XX will be from a “missile truck” to a stealthy penetrator that would command swarms of armed drones against enemy air, land and sea targets as part of a next-generation air dominance from work that would create a “family of systems,” according to reports in USNI News over the last decade.

“This achievement marks a new era for the U.S. Navy,” said acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. “The sixth-generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority and will provide the world’s best aviators with unparalleled capabilities to fight, win, and come home safe. We are excited to partner with Boeing, and for our warfighters to continue to dominate the skies and defeat our nation’s enemies.”

In the last several years, the Navy has said little about the current requirements or detailed the cost of the program, only recently disclosing its asks for the program.

As part of the Fiscal Year 2026 defense budget, Congress approved $1.7 billion for the F/A-XX program, according to Pentagon budget documents.

In April, Caudle said the F/A-XX would fold in with the Navy’s naval collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) in which armed robot aircraft will carry out missions in tandem with manned aircraft.

“The CCA concept is all part of our sixth-generation concept. It’s tied with the overall air wing of the future concept,” he said. “It is a program that we’re working very hard trying to do that in learning with the Air Force on what CCAs look like in the future and the way we’re going to command and control those, how many, what’s the number that a pilot can reasonably control and task. AI is part of that.”

The Navy has four CCAs under contract from General Atomics, Boeing, Anduril and Northrop Grumman. In addition, Lockheed Martin is under contract to develop a ground control system. Earlier this month, the Navy submitted a request for information for additional CCAs.

Integration of the unmanned MQ-25A Stingray carrier tanker that is set to refuel the carrier air wing is also part of the Navy’s future air wing, but the development of the Boeing-built drone has faced production delays.

Naval analyst Bryan Clark with the Hudson Institute told USNI News on Tuesday the most important characteristic for the F/A-XX absent drone cooperation was range, and the Navy would have to balance that requirement with the size limitations of an aircraft carrier.

“For the Navy, the range constraints are significant. The Navy is going to have to have an aircraft that’s very efficient,” Clark said.

The Air Force announced its own sixth-generation air superiority fighter with a range of 1,000 nautical miles in a White House ceremony last year. According to Clark, a land-based fighter has some range advantages over a naval fighter.

“If you look at the F-47, it generates the range by just being big and having more gas in it,” he said. “They just make a bigger airplane.”