The U.S. Navy has selected Boeing to develop and build its next-generation carrier-based fighter, known as F/A-XX, under a contract valued at more than $20 billion.
The sixth-generation aircraft is intended to begin replacing the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers in the 2030s. It will operate alongside the F-35C and is being designed to work with unmanned aircraft as part of the Navy’s future carrier air wing.
Boeing beat Northrop Grumman for the contract after the competition was narrowed to the two companies. Lockheed Martin had previously been eliminated from the program.
The full-scale development contract includes multiple test aircraft for ground testing, airworthiness testing, mission-system work and weapons integration. Technical details of the aircraft remain classified.
The Navy has said F/A-XX will provide greater operational reach and be capable of working with Collaborative Combat Aircraft, allowing the piloted fighter to operate alongside and control unmanned systems. Boeing also highlighted an open mission systems architecture intended to support future upgrades.
The award gives Boeing responsibility for both of the U.S. military’s crewed sixth-generation fighter programs. The company was selected in 2025 to develop the Air Force’s F-47 under the Next Generation Air Dominance program.
Boeing said its work on F/A-XX will be supported by investments in new manufacturing facilities and digital production capabilities in St. Louis.
The program has faced funding and schedule uncertainty in recent years as the Pentagon weighed the cost and industrial capacity needed to develop two new sixth-generation fighters at the same time.
The Navy expects F/A-XX to become a central part of its future carrier aviation fleet as the Super Hornet and Growler fleets are eventually retired. Boeing and the Navy have not disclosed specific technical or program details.
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