Boeing Lands the Navy's F/A-XX: What We Know About the Sixth-Generation Carrier Fighter
Boeing says the US Navy selected it to design, build and deliver the F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter, its second sixth-generation win after the Air Force F-47. The deal is not yet in Boeing's backlog while the source selection review is completed.
Boeing now holds both of America's sixth-generation fighter programs. The company says the US Navy selected it to design, build and deliver the F/A-XX, the carrier-based fighter that will replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the 2030s. It follows the Air Force's choice of Boeing for the F-47 in 2025.
The selection was made in the third quarter of 2026 and first reported at the end of September. Boeing confirmed it in its third-quarter results, with one important caveat: the order is not yet included in its backlog, pending completion of the source selection and evaluation review process. In practice, that leaves room for a protest or further review before the money is formally committed. No contract value has been published.
What F/A-XX is meant to do
F/A-XX will fly from Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers alongside the F-35C. It is expected to replace the Super Hornet and eventually take on roles of the EA-18G Growler electronic attack jet. Reports describe it as optionally manned and designed to act as a "battlefield commander" for uncrewed aircraft, including collaborative combat aircraft and the MQ-25 tanker drone.
The Navy's main driver is range. In a Pacific war, carriers would have to operate far from China's long-range anti-ship missiles, and today's carrier air wing cannot reach far enough without heavy tanker support. A larger, longer-legged fighter that can control drones forward is the Navy's answer.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet, the jet F/A-XX is meant to replace, launches from a carrier. File photo: U.S. Navy (public domain).
A long road to a decision
F/A-XX was one of the Pentagon's most delayed programs. Boeing and Northrop Grumman competed for it for years while Congress pushed the Navy to commit funding and the service weighed shipbuilding and readiness bills against a new fighter. Steve Parker, head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, called it an honour to be selected to produce the Navy's first sixth-generation platform.
Most technical details remain classified. The next milestones to watch are the formal contract award, the size of the development deal, and whether Boeing can run two sixth-generation programs in parallel at its St. Louis plant, where it also builds the F-15EX and the MQ-25.
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