The Department of War announced on Sept. 29, 2026 that Boeing will develop the Navy’s sixth-generation carrier-based F/A-XX under the Next Generation Air Dominance program. The award covers multiple test aircraft and starts the full-scale development phase.
Boeing received a contract valued at more than $20 billion for full-scale development of the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth‑generation carrier fighter.
F/A-XX is part of the Navy’s NGAD Family of Systems and will operate with F-35C and Collaborative Combat Aircraft, eventually replacing Super Hornets and Growlers in the 2030s.
The U.S. Department of War announced on Sept. 29, 2026 that Boeing won the competition to build the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX, the service's sixth‑generation carrier-based fighter. The award covers the full‑scale development phase and is valued at more than $20 billion. The contract includes production of multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing.
F/A-XX is the Navy's strike fighter component of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Family of Systems. The platform is intended to extend carrier-based power projection into more contested environments and to replace legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers beginning in the 2030s. It will operate alongside the F-35C and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
Key program priorities cited by the Navy include longer range, greater speed, passive and active sensor integration, and compatibility with longer‑range weapons planned for the future. The NGAD FoS will pair the crewed F/A-XX with unmanned platforms under a manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concept to increase capability and survivability while reducing risk to the manned aircraft.
Michael P. Duffey describing F/A-XX as a "critical pillar" for maintaining strength and delivering a combat advantage. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao framed the selection as a generational leap in air superiority. Boeing emphasized it had invested to deliver two advanced fighters in parallel and said it was ready to build concurrent future combat aircraft programs.
How F/A-XX fits into carrier air wings
Planned employment places F/A-XX as the "quarterback" in a networked carrier air wing that includes manned fighters, F-35C, CCAs, and unmanned assets. The MQ-25 Stingray was identified as the first unmanned platform to demonstrate extended strike and refueling capabilities that support this broader concept.
With the award, Boeing will proceed into full‑scale development and testing phases. The contract funds multiple test articles for ground and flight trials and weapons integration. The timeline anticipates fielding the type to begin replacing legacy fighters starting in the 2030s, while F/A-XX will operate in mixed wings with existing platforms during transition.
The award commits significant funding to develop a carrier-based sixth‑generation fighter that prioritizes range, speed, advanced sensors, long‑range weapons, and manned/unmanned teaming. Boeing now leads development for the Navy's F/A-XX within the NGAD Family of Systems, a program that shapes the future composition and reach of U.S. carrier air wings.
The service has yet to announce whether Boeing or Northrop Grumman will be awarded the contract to produce the fighter that will replace the aging F/A-18 Super Hornet
PORTFOLIO ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE AVIATION, Patuxent River, Md. (Sept. 14, 2026) - The U.S. Navy awarded a Fixed Price Incentive contract to The Boeing Company, for the MQ-25A Stingray Lot 1 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP), valued at $562,000,000.
The U.S. Department of Defense, referred to by the Trump administration as the U.S. Department of War, announced that the U.S. Navy had awarded Boeing Company the first production contract for the MQ-25A Stingray. The $562 million fixed-price incentive contract … Read More » The post U.S. Navy awards contract to Boeing
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