US Navy’s next-generation fighter decision to be unveiled soon, sources say

The Pentagon has decided which company will make the U.S. Navy’s next-generation stealth fighter and could announce the winner in the coming weeks or sooner, two people briefed on the matter said.

Boeing and Northrop Grumman are competing for the contract, which previous programs of similar scope suggest could be worth tens of billions of dollars over its lifetime.

The program, currently unnamed but designated F/A-XX, has been buffeted by delays and funding disputes for years. Some Pentagon officials had sought to delay it by up to three years, citing concerns about engineering and supply chain capacity. Congress pushed back, earmarking $750 million for F/A-XX in the massive tax-cut and spending bill signed into law in 2025 and an additional $1.4 billion in fiscal 2026.

With China rapidly fielding advanced combat aircraft — including ones Beijing describes as sixth-generation — the stakes of further delay are high, leaving the Navy without a modern fighter capable of operating from carriers in the 2030s and beyond, potentially undermining its ability to project power in contested environments, a U.S. official has said.

A Pentagon spokesperson said, “We continue work to award the F/A-XX contract in the near future. There is no additional information at this time.”

The carrier-borne fighter jet will be the centerpiece of the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, intended to replace the aging F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet that has been in service since the 1990s.

It is expected to feature advanced stealth capabilities, improved range and endurance, and the ability to integrate with uncrewed combat aircraft and the Navy’s carrier-based air defense systems. The first production jets are expected to enter service in the 2030s, while F/A-18s are expected to remain in service into the 2040s.

两名知情人士透露，五角大楼已经决定由哪家公司制造美国海军的下一代隐形战斗机，并可能在未来几周或更早宣布中标者。

波音公司和诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司正在竞标这份合同，此前类似规模的项目表明，该合同在其生命周期内的价值可能高达数百亿美元。

该项目目前尚未正式命名，代号为F/A-XX，多年来一直受到延误和资金纠纷的困扰。一些五角大楼官员曾试图将该项目推迟三年，理由是担心工程和供应链能力。但国会予以否决，在2025年签署生效的大规模减税和支出法案中为F/A-XX项目拨款7.5亿美元，并在2026财年追加拨款14亿美元。

一位美国官员表示，随着中国迅速部署先进战斗机（包括北京所称的第六代战斗机），进一步延迟的后果将十分严重，这将使美国海军在 2030 年代及以后没有能够在航母上作战的现代化战斗机，从而可能削弱其在对抗环境中投射力量的能力。

五角大楼发言人表示：“我们将继续努力，争取在不久的将来授予F/A-XX战斗机合同。目前没有更多信息。”

这款舰载战斗机将成为海军下一代空中优势系统的核心，旨在取代自 20 世纪 90 年代以来一直在服役的老旧的 F/A-18E/F 超级大黄蜂机队。

预计该战机将具备先进的隐身能力、更远的航程和更长的续航时间，并能与无人作战飞机和海军舰载防空系统协同作战。首批生产型战机预计将于2030年代服役，而F/A-18战机预计将服役至2040年代。