The Pentagon may be ready to name its selected defense contractor to oversee the design and build of the U.S. Navy’s next-gen carrier-based stealth fighter program. An announcement may come as soon as this week, according to a Reuters report. Boeing and Northrop Grumman are competing for the multibillion-dollar F/A-XX program, which will replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly approved the decision to proceed last week.
The new fighter, expected to enter service in the 2030s, will feature enhanced stealth, range, and endurance, and is designed to operate alongside uncrewed combat aircraft and the Navy’s air defense systems. Reuters reported that the decision comes after months of funding disputes between Congress and the Pentagon that slowed progress on the program. Congress allocated $750 million to accelerate F/A-XX development as part of this summer’s tax-cut and spending bill and added $1.4 billion in the 2026 fiscal year defense budget.
“The Navy has a validated requirement for carrier-based sixth-generation aircraft, and it is critical that we field that capability as quickly as possible to give our warfighters the capabilities they need to win against a myriad of emerging threats,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, told The War Zone.
Although it has already faced significant delays at this stage, the Navy has said the program will be vital for ensuring carrier strike effectiveness into the 2040s and beyond, particularly in light of China’s growing fleet of advancing fighters and bombers. Details on production timelines and total program value remain classified, though comparable efforts, such as the F-35, have carried lifetime costs in the tens of billions of dollars.
From the artist sketches at least it will have two engines…..
There is a lot of water out there and regardless of how reliable modern engines are, two are significantly better than one engine when you are strapped into it.
Sparky
Yeah, but … a design that deletes the vertical stabilizer in the interest of stealth isn’t going to get far with asymmetric thrust. If you lose one engine, you’re a frisbee pretty quickly. Balance with a fully deployed split aileron brake on the powered wing? Now how do you control roll (or for that matter, yaw) anymore? Maybe it can fly on one engine (if at a high enough speed when the trouble starts) but I don’t think it would get onto a carrier with only one turning.