What Boeing’s New Rendering Of Its Winning F/A-XX Fighter Tells Us

Published Sep 29, 2026 8:22 PM EDT

We have officially received our second rendering of Boeing’s F/A-XX concept, which has now officially won the tender, beating out Northrop Grumman to build the Navy’s next-generation stealth fighter. Let’s take a look at what we can see in this new image and discuss what insights it may provide.

Before we start, it’s worth reminding our readers that we are basing this analysis on two publicly released renders of a highly classified aircraft design. There are deliberate choices made in these renderings to obscure critical features and capabilities and mislead foreign intelligence as to the jet’s intended capabilities. So please keep in mind that the details are bound to change. This is also just a preliminary analysis. We will expand on it once we have more time to digest what we are seeing.

The front quarter view of the jet taxiing to a catapult aboard a carrier shows us a very broad, tailless, heavy tactical aircraft. This is a large jet. Clearly internal volume was a driving design factor, as it should be. You can read more about this in our past reporting here .

Boeing’s new F/A-XX render. Boeing

The aircraft is depicted with what appears to be a large single-piece canopy with a cockpit for just a pilot. Visibility to the rear looks limited at best. There has been much speculation about the possibility that F/A-XX will have the provisions for two crewmen in order to better take on its complex roles over long distances — in particular acting as a battle manager, including for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and other drones . This appears not to be the case, and a high degree of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will have to help with what will be extremely complex tactical problems the single pilot will face. It’s also worth noting that U.S. Navy carrier air wings have retained two-seat tactical jets for frontline use, with the F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler serving today. If F/A-XX replaces these aircraft, it will be the end of frontline two-seat tactical jet operations for the seagoing service.

Boeing’s only other F/A-XX render, released months ago. Boeing

We see a very broad nose section, which could (and likely would) contain a relatively giant active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. There is also a prominent chine-line edge wrapping around the forward fuselage, which is a normal trait of low-observable (stealthy) aircraft. The nose looks a bit more contoured, similar to the only other rendering we have of Boeing’s F/A-XX , compared to the shovel-like design of the company’s F-47 for the U.S. Air Force . Below the rear of this visible chine-line appear to be the engine intakes, mounted on the sides of the lower fuselage. They look to be a blended trapezoidal arrangement and are also set far back from the nose.

The F/A-XX’s extremely stout landing gear are depicted prominently in this new image, with a twin-wheel nose gear and thick mains. These are customary features for a carrier-based fighter and especially a heavy one like this.

The USAF’s second rendering of Boeing’s F-47. Secretary of the Air Force Publi

The jet’s wings have a positive dihedral just like the F-47 renders, which seems to be something of a trademark of Boeing’s next -generation fighter design. This Klingon Bird of Prey look harkens back to the Boeing Bird of Prey demonstrator, which you can read more about here . We also see the wing’s large trailing edge flaps extended, which would be critical to slow-speed terminal operations around the carrier.

Finally, one thing we don’t see clearly is of particular note: the canard foreplanes that have been featured in F-47 imagery, as well as hinted at in Boeing’s only other F/A-XX rendering. It isn’t clear if they may be blended with the fuselage above the inlet areas and are obscured by the steam, or if they simply do not exist in this rendering. The inclusion of canards has been one of the most debated aspects of the F-47 and Boeing’s F/A-XX design, although they seem to make more sense for a naval fighter considering the tailless jet’s low-speed requirements that are needed to fly off the carrier. Again, you can read our past feature about the canards and our follow-up here and here .

The USAF’s first rendering of the Boeing F-47. s

While the aircraft clearly shares distinct attributes with the F-47, it isn’t clear exactly how far the commonality between them goes. We could end up with a literal navalized F-47, which would leverage as much efficiency as possible between the two designs, or we could see major design elements and even proportional changes. The requirements imposed by carrier operations do dictate size and weight, to a certain degree. What lives beneath the jet’s skin – hardware and software – will have the most commonality regardless.

There is also the question of the aircraft caught on a thermal imager flying outside of Area 51 , which was likely a Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) demonstrator from Boeing, or at least an aircraft related to those efforts based on how unique Boeing’s design clearly is. It’s always possible that the Navy flew its own NGAD demonstration program. The service has been notoriously tight-lipped about its NGAD risk reduction efforts.

A craft the public has never seen before… Video out this Friday. #ProjectFear #Area51 pic.twitter.com/8eOSJSUX1g — Project Fear (@ProjectFearX) June 2, 2026

A craft the public has never seen before… Video out this Friday. #ProjectFear #Area51 pic.twitter.com/8eOSJSUX1g

The matter of the F/A-XX aircraft’s formal designation is also a question that remains unanswered. If this is a navalized F-47, then F/A-47 could be the jet’s official designation. If it differs substantially, or just the Navy wants to differentiate their design for whatever reason, we could see a different moniker applied. F/A-45 is possible, too, considering the F-47 was partially named in honor of President Trump, who approved the decision to move the Air Force’s program forward. Trump is the 45th and 47th President of the United States.

So, even on this day of long-awaited F/A-XX revelations, it’s also a reminder of just how much we do not know about both the Navy and the Air Force’s NGAD enterprises and their resulting designs, both of which will now be officially brought to you by Boeing.

Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年9月29日晚上8:22

我们正式收到了波音公司F/A-XX概念机的第二张渲染图，波音公司已正式中标，击败诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司，将为海军建造下一代隐形战斗机。让我们来看看这张新图的内容，并探讨它可能带来的启示。

在开始之前，值得提醒各位读者，我们的分析基于两张公开发布的、高度机密的飞机设计渲染图。这些渲染图刻意模糊了关键特征和性能，旨在误导外国情报机构对该战机实际性能的判断。因此，请记住，细节随时可能发生变化。此外，这只是初步分析。待我们有更多时间消化所见信息后，我们将展开更深入的探讨。

从航母上滑行至弹射器的喷气式飞机前侧四分之一视角可以看出，这是一架非常宽大、无尾翼、重量级的战术飞机。这是一架大型喷气式飞机。显然，内部空间是其设计的主要考量因素，这也理所当然。您可以在我们之前的报道中了解更多相关信息（点击此处）。

波音公司最新发布的F/A-XX渲染图。

该机模型似乎采用大型一体式座舱盖，仅供一名飞行员使用。后方视野极其有限。此前有诸多猜测认为，F/A-XX可能会配备两名机组人员，以便更好地执行其在长距离作战中的复杂任务——尤其是在指挥作战方面，包括协调协同作战飞机（CCA）和其他无人机。但事实并非如此，高度自动化和人工智能（AI）将不得不辅助飞行员应对极其复杂的战术难题。值得注意的是，美国海军航母舰载机联队目前仍保留着用于一线作战的双座战术喷气机，例如F/A-18F“超级大黄蜂”和EA-18G“咆哮者”。如果F/A-XX取代这些飞机，则意味着美国海军舰载机一线作战将彻底告别双座战术喷气机。

波音公司几个月前发布了另一张F/A-XX渲染图。

我们可以看到非常宽阔的机头部分，其中可能（而且很可能）会安装一个相对巨大的有源相控阵雷达（AESA）。此外，机身前部还有一条明显的折线，这是低可探测性（隐身）飞机的典型特征。与波音公司为美国空军设计的F-47的铲形机头相比，这款飞机的机头轮廓更加流畅，类似于我们目前所掌握的波音F/A-XX的另一张渲染图。在这条清晰可见的折线后方下方，似乎是位于机身下部两侧的发动机进气口。它们看起来像是梯形组合，并且位置也远离机头。

这张新图片清晰地展现了F/A-XX极其坚固的起落架，包括双轮前起落架和粗壮的主起落架。这些都是舰载战斗机，尤其是像F/A-XX这样重型战斗机的典型特征。

美国空军发布的第二版波音F-47效果图。空军部长办公室

这架喷气式飞机的机翼拥有与F-47渲染图类似的正上反角，这似乎是波音下一代战斗机设计的标志性特征之一。这种类似克林贡猛禽战机的外观让人联想到波音猛禽战机验证机，您可以在这里了解更多信息。我们还可以看到机翼后缘的大型襟翼展开，这对于航母周围的低速航站楼作业至关重要。

最后，还有一点值得特别注意，那就是F-47图像中出现的鸭翼，以及波音公司另一张F/A-XX渲染图中也略有提及的鸭翼。目前尚不清楚鸭翼是否与进气口上方的机身融为一体，被蒸汽遮挡，或者它们是否根本就不存在。鸭翼的加入一直是F-47和波音F/A-XX设计中最具争议的方面之一，尽管考虑到无尾舰载机从航母上起飞所需的低速飞行要求，鸭翼对于舰载战斗机来说似乎更为合理。您可以点击此处和此处阅读我们之前关于鸭翼的专题报道及后续文章。

美国空军首张波音F-47战斗机的效果图。

虽然这架飞机与F-47有着明显的共同特征，但它们之间的通用程度究竟有多高尚不清楚。最终我们可能会看到一架名副其实的舰载版F-47，它将尽可能地融合两种设计的优势；或者我们也会看到一些重要的设计元素，甚至比例上的变化。航母作战的要求在一定程度上决定了飞机的尺寸和重量。无论如何，飞机内部的硬件和软件——也就是机身内部的结构——将具有最大的通用性。

此外，还有一架飞机在51区外被热成像仪拍到，这很可能是波音公司的下一代空中优势（NGAD）验证机，或者至少是与该项目相关的飞机，因为波音公司的设计显然非常独特。当然，海军也可能进行了自己的NGAD验证项目。众所周知，海军对其NGAD风险降低工作一直讳莫如深。

公众从未见过的飞行器……视频将于本周五发布。#ProjectFear #Area51 pic.twitter.com/8eOSJSUX1g — Project Fear (@ProjectFearX) June 2, 2026

公众从未见过的飞行器……视频将于本周五发布。#ProjectFear #Area51 pic.twitter.com/8eOSJSUX1g

F/A-XX战机的正式命名问题目前仍未有定论。如果它是舰载版的F-47，那么F/A-47可能是其正式名称。但如果它与F-47有显著差异，或者海军出于某种原因想要区别对待其设计，那么我们可能会看到不同的名称。考虑到F-47的命名部分是为了纪念特朗普总统，而特朗普总统批准了空军推进该项目的决定，因此F/A-45也并非不可能。特朗普是美国第45任和第47任总统。

所以，即使在期待已久的 F/A-XX 揭晓之际，这也提醒我们，对于海军和空军的下一代航空发展计划及其最终设计，我们仍然知之甚少，而这两款产品现在都将由波音公司正式推出。

联系作者：Tyler@twz.com

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