Boeing Secures $20B Navy Contract for Sixth-Generation F/A-XX Fighter

"The F/A-XX is a critical pillar in our commitment to maintaining peace through strength," Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in the Pentagon release announcing the award.

The award and contract terms

Two sources told Breaking Defense the Navy selected Boeing over Northrop Grumman to build the sixth‑generation strike fighter known as F/A‑XX. A Pentagon release that followed the publication of that report places the agreement "at more than $20B for the full‑scale development phase" and says the contract "procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing." The release also states the F/A‑XX will fly "beginning in the 2030s" for the Navy.

Boeing’s new position: two next‑generation programs in parallel

The award consolidates Boeing as the sole supplier of sixth‑generation fighters for the United States. That position follows Boeing’s March 2025 win to develop and produce the Air Force’s next‑generation fighter, the F‑47. Breaking Defense reported the two wins together have effectively excluded both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman from the U.S. sixth‑generation fighter market for the foreseeable future, while Lockheed will continue building the fifth‑generation F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Boeing’s defense chief, Steve Parker, called the selection "an honor" and described the company as "backed by decades of work, bolstered by game‑changing innovations and solidified by the investments we’ve made in new facilities uniquely suited to build multiple products with next generation capabilities." Parker also addressed earlier concerns about parallel production, saying, "Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan, and we invested accordingly. We are ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programs."

Navy intent: range, stealth, and the carrier air wing

Navy officials have said publicly that the F/A‑XX will have greater range than current aircraft and will serve as a stealthy "tip of the spear" for the carrier air wing. The program is expected to replace the Boeing F/A‑18 Super Hornet and the EA‑18G Growler. Once operational, the F/A‑XX will operate alongside warships and complement Lockheed’s F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter and a to‑be‑determined Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Acting navy secretary Hung Cao described the program as "a generational leap in air superiority" that will "provide the world’s best aviators with unparalleled capabilities to fight, win, and come home safe." The Pentagon statement framed F/A‑XX as intended to "dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage for the warfighter."

Competition and a winding path to award

The F/A‑XX competition followed a contested and occasionally contentious development path. Shortly after Boeing’s March 2025 F‑47 award, rumors circulated that F/A‑XX would be next, but the program then stalled. In July 2025 the White House declared that moving forward with the Navy fighter would imperil the F‑47’s success, and department officials quarreled over whether to proceed. Congress and Navy leadership, by contrast, insisted the program was a crucial element of the future air wing.

Northrop Grumman, the losing competitor in this award, said in a statement that it "offered a highly survivable, digitally advanced sixth‑generation fighter to the U.S. Navy" and that it looks forward to receiving "additional information about their selection." The Navy has intentionally kept public information about many specifics of the program to a minimum.

How Boeing, the Navy, and Northrop Grumman are likely to respond

• Boeing: The company is positioned to execute development and production for both the F‑47 and F/A‑XX, and its public statements emphasize investments in facilities and the ability to produce multiple advanced fighters concurrently.
• The Navy: Service leaders will move into full‑scale development and testing activity, including production of multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration — the tasks specified in the Pentagon release — with an eye to initial flights "beginning in the 2030s."
• Northrop Grumman: The firm has acknowledged the selection and signaled it will seek further details; its statement framed the offering as "highly survivable" and "digitally advanced."

This award closes the most anticipated naval fighter competition outside shipbuilding and sets a defined path for the carrier air wing’s hardware through the coming decade. The Pentagon’s described timetable — development funded at "more than $20B" and flight tests beginning in the 2030s — now creates concrete milestones for program offices, industrial planners, and lawmakers who will oversee development and testing in the years ahead.

Original reporting: Breaking Defense, "Boeing wins Navy next-gen fighter F/A-XX competition"