Boeing has been selected by the US Navy to develop its next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter, giving the company its second major sixth-generation combat-aircraft win in successive years.

The Pentagon announced the decision on 29 September after Boeing beat Northrop Grumman in the F/A-XX competition. The full-scale development contract is valued at more than $20 Billion and covers the production of multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems and weapons-integration trials.

Known currently as F/A-XX, the aircraft will form the central manned element of the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems. It is intended to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet over time and operate with the F-35C Lightning-II and uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft-type systems.

The selection gives Boeing responsibility for both of America’s headline sixth-generation fighter efforts. The company was chosen in March 2025 to build the US Air Force’s F-47, raising questions over whether it can simultaneously supply the engineering workforce, supplier base and production capacity required for two highly complex programmes.

Boeing’s established carrier-aircraft experience appears to have weighed heavily in its favour. The company designed and builds the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, giving it long-standing experience of naval aviation requirements, aircraft-carrier operations and naval combat-system integration.

The award is a major boost for Boeing’s St Louis fighter-aircraft operations as F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler production approaches closure. Boeing has also received a separate contract to plan and prepare for the shutdown of those production lines.

Steve Parker, President and Chief Executive of Boeing Defence, Space & Security, said Boeing had invested in new facilities suitable for building multiple products with next-generation capabilities and was ready to execute the F/A-XX effort.

Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, described F/A-XX as a crucial and non-negotiable investment in US national security and long-term air-combat capability. Pentagon statements indicate that the aircraft is expected to provide greater range, survivability and combat reach from aircraft carriers in heavily contested airspace.

The F/A-XX program had faced years of uncertainty. Some Pentagon officials had sought to defer it by as much as three years because of concerns that the US defence industry might lack sufficient engineering and supply-chain capacity to develop two sixth-generation fighters concurrently.

Lockheed Martin was eliminated from the F/A-XX contest in March 2025 after the Navy concluded that its design had not met required criteria. Boeing and Northrop Grumman subsequently became the two finalists.

The Navy is under pressure to field a more capable carrier fighter as China develops advanced combat-aircraft designs, including aircraft Beijing describes as sixth-generation systems. F/A-XX is expected to combine advanced low observability, improved combat radius and endurance, and connectivity with uncrewed aircraft and carrier-based air-defence networks.

The Navy still plans to acquire more than 270 F-35C aircraft for its carrier air wings. The F-35C, F/A-XX and upgraded Super Hornet force are expected to operate together during a lengthy transition period.

Initial production F/A-XX aircraft are expected to enter service during the 2030s. The Super Hornet fleet, which entered service in the 1990s, is expected to remain operational into the 2040s.

Agencies