Boeing Wins Navy F/A-XX Fighter Contract Worth More Than $20 Billion

Boeing has won the US Navy’s F/A-XX competition, taking a development contract valued at more than $20 billion to build the service’s first sixth-generation carrier fighter. The Department of War announced the award on September 29, ending a selection process that ran months behind schedule and left Northrop Grumman as the losing bidder.

The full-scale development contract covers multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems and weapons-integration testing, according to Breaking Defense and Defense News. The Navy expects the jet to begin replacing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers in the 2030s, flying alongside the F-35C.

Boeing Ends Up With Both Sixth-Generation Fighters

The win gives Boeing the crewed fighter work for the Navy and the Air Force. It already builds the Air Force’s F-47, awarded in March 2025, and Defense News reported that the Air Force plans to buy at least 185 of them, with first flight expected by 2028. Lockheed Martin was cut from the F/A-XX field in March 2025, leaving Northrop Grumman as the only rival in the final round.

Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in the company’s announcement that building two advanced fighters in parallel “was always our plan, and we invested accordingly.” Boeing pointed to its new secure manufacturing facility in St. Louis, which it says is still under construction. Details of the aircraft remain classified, and the Navy has not yet given it a formal designation.

Northrop Grumman responded briefly. “We offered a highly survivable, digitally advanced sixth-generation fighter to the U.S. Navy,” the company said, according to Breaking Defense.

Boeing’s earlier fighter effort is covered in our report on the F-47 program’s move into test production.

A Program That Nearly Stalled

F/A-XX spent much of the past year in doubt. The Pentagon moved in 2025 to freeze the effort over concerns about the industrial base’s ability to support two sixth-generation fighters at once, and Congress stepped in to keep money flowing. The Navy had also hoped to announce a winner in August, a deadline that passed without a decision, The War Zone reported.

Navy leaders framed the award as a step up in capability. Hung Cao, who leads the Navy Department, called the aircraft “a generational leap in air superiority.” Michael Duffey, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said F/A-XX will “dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach” and deliver a decisive combat advantage.

Reporting on the design is thin because so much is classified. Breaking Defense described a stealthy aircraft with more range than current Navy fighters, meant to serve as the leading edge of the carrier air wing. The War Zone and Defense News both noted that it is expected to work with Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the uncrewed wingmen the Navy is also developing.

What Happens to the Super Hornet Line

The award also points to the eventual end of Super Hornet production. The War Zone reported that Boeing received a separate $16.67 million contract tied to shutting down the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G production line.

Carrier work is a growing part of Boeing’s defense portfolio. The company recently landed $562 million for the first MQ-25A Stingray production lot, the carrier-based refueling drone that will free up Super Hornets from tanker duty.

On the weapons side, the Navy recently revealed the AIM-424 Malice long-range air-to-air missile, part of its push for greater reach in air combat.

Development Timeline and Funding

The $20 billion figure applies to the development phase only. Production contracts will come later, and neither the Navy nor Boeing has said how many aircraft the service intends to buy or when a first flight will take place. Reports so far say only that the first flight is expected in the 2030s.

Boeing released only an artist’s rendering with the announcement, and the company has not said whether it reflects the final configuration. The next visible step will be the build of the test aircraft.

Sources

• Boeing, “U.S. Navy Selects Boeing for F/A-XX Program” (September 29, 2026)
• Breaking Defense, “Boeing wins Navy next-gen fighter F/A-XX competition” (September 2026)
• Defense News, “US Navy selects Boeing to build next-generation F/A-XX fighter” (September 29, 2026)
• The War Zone, “Boeing Wins F/A-XX Next Generation Navy Stealth Fighter Contract”