US Navy selects Boeing to build next-generation F/A-XX fighter

Boeing has been selected to build the Navy’s sixth-generation carrier-based strike fighter, dubbed F/A-XX, icing out what was considered to be its biggest competitor in late-stage negotiations, Northrop Grumman.

Inked at $20 billion for the full-scale development phase, the contract, according to a Pentagon release, “procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing.”

“The F/A-XX is a critical pillar in our commitment to maintaining peace through strength,” Michael P. Duffey, under secretary of defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said in the release. “F/A-XX will dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage for the warfighter.”

Equipped with an extended range to provide power projection from U.S. carriers, Boeing has promised that the F/A-XX will, crucially, be interoperable with both manned and unmanned platforms such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

“This achievement marks a new era for the U.S. Navy,” said acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. “The Sixth-Generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority and will provide the world’s best aviators with unparalleled capabilities to fight, win, and come home safe. We are excited to partner with Boeing, and for our warfighters to continue to dominate the skies and defeat our nation’s enemies.”

Boeing’s contract award marks another milestone victory for the company, which has now all but guaranteed its monopoly on sixth-generation fighters across the services.

Artist rendering of the carrier-based Boeing F/A-XX, intended to replace the service’s fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets. (Boeing via NAVAIR)

In 2025, Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin for the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter under the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD.

That aircraft, since dubbed the F-47, has entered its engineering and manufacturing development phase, one service official announced in July, with first flights expected as early as 2028.

The Air Force at the time announced plans to purchase at least 185 of the next-gen fighters, a number designed to replace the F-22 Raptor fleet.

The F/A-XX program, meanwhile, which has yet to receive its official designation, has been the subject of funding disputes for years, with engineering and supply chain concerns prompting some Pentagon officials to push for delaying the program.

The carrier-based fighter jet is slated to anchor the Navy’s next-generation fighter fleet — operating alongside the F-35 — and is expected to replace the aging inventory of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers beginning in the 2030s.

“It’s an honor to be selected to produce the Navy’s first sixth - generation platform,” Steve Parker, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in a release announcing the deal. “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, our dedicated and talented team is ready to execute this critical program.”

Claire Barrett is an editor and military history correspondent for Military Times. She holds a master's degree in military history from King's College, London, and is also a World War II researcher with an unparalleled affinity for Sir Winston Churchill and Michigan football.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

波音公司被选中建造海军第六代舰载攻击战斗机，代号为 F/A-XX，从而击败了在后期谈判中被认为是其最大竞争对手的诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司。

根据五角大楼发布的消息，这份价值 200 亿美元的合同将用于全面开发阶段，“采购多架测试飞机，用于地面测试、适航性测试、系统测试和武器集成测试”。

“F/A-XX是我们致力于以实力维护和平的关键支柱，”负责采购和保障的国防部副部长迈克尔·P·达菲在新闻稿中表示。“F/A-XX将主导敌对空域，扩大作战范围，并为作战人员提供决定性的作战优势。”

波音公司承诺，F/A-XX 战机配备了更远的航程，可以从美国航母上投射力量，而且至关重要的是，它将与有人和无人平台（例如协同作战飞机）实现互操作。

“这一成就标志着美国海军进入了一个新时代，”代理海军部长洪曹表示。“第六代战斗机在空中优势方面实现了代际飞跃，将为世界顶尖飞行员提供无与伦比的作战能力，帮助他们赢得胜利并安全返航。我们很高兴能与波音公司合作，并期待我们的战士们继续称霸天空，击败我们国家的敌人。”

波音公司获得这份合同，标志着该公司又取得了一项里程碑式的胜利，这几乎确保了该公司在各军种第六代战斗机领域的垄断地位。

这是波音F/A-XX舰载机的艺术效果图，该机旨在取代美国海军现役的F/A-18“超级大黄蜂”战斗机。（波音公司供图，经美国海军航空系统司令部授权使用）

2025 年，波音公司击败洛克希德·马丁公司，赢得了根据下一代空中优势计划（NGAD）为美国空军建造第六代战斗机的合同。

一位军方官员在7月份宣布，该飞机（后被命名为F-47）已进入工程和制造开发阶段，预计最早将于2028年进行首次飞行。

当时，美国空军宣布计划购买至少 185 架下一代战斗机，这一数字旨在取代 F-22 猛禽战斗机机队。

与此同时，尚未获得正式名称的 F/A-XX 项目多年来一直受到资金争议的困扰，工程和供应链方面的问题促使一些五角大楼官员推动推迟该项目。

这款舰载战斗机计划成为海军下一代战斗机机队的主力——与 F-35 并肩作战——预计将从 2030 年代开始取代老旧的 F/A-18E/F 超级大黄蜂和 EA-18G 咆哮者。

“能够被选中为海军生产首个第六代平台，我们深感荣幸，”波音防务、航天与安全公司总裁兼首席执行官史蒂夫·帕克在宣布该协议的新闻稿中表示。“凭借数十年的努力、颠覆性的创新以及我们对全新设施的投资（这些设施非常适合生产多种具有下一代能力的产品），我们敬业且才华横溢的团队已准备好执行这项至关重要的项目。”

克莱尔·巴雷特是《军事时报》的编辑和军事历史记者。她拥有伦敦国王学院军事历史硕士学位，也是一位二战研究员，对温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士和密歇根大学橄榄球队有着无与伦比的热爱。

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。