Pentagon Awards Boeing $20 Billion Contract For Navy’s Next-Generation F/A-XX Fighter Jets

The Pentagon has selected Boeing to develop and build the US Navy’s next-generation F/A-XX fighter aircraft under a contract valued at approximately $20 billion, US officials announced Tuesday. The programme is part of the Navy’s broader effort to modernise its carrier-based fighter fleet and introduce a new generation of combat aircraft. The F/A-XX is intended to eventually replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, with the transition expected to begin in the 2030s as the existing aircraft reach the later stages of their service lives.

The aircraft will be developed under the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance programme, which is focused on creating advanced capabilities for future naval air operations. The Pentagon described the F/A-XX as a “strike fighter” and said the programme would provide a new combat aircraft for the Navy as it prepares to move beyond the Super Hornet era. The sixth-generation aircraft is expected to become an important component of the Navy’s future air-combat architecture, although detailed specifications and capabilities of the platform have not been publicly disclosed. The programme comes as the US military continues investing in advanced aircraft designed for future operating environments.

The Boeing contract also represents a significant expansion of the company’s role in the US military’s next-generation fighter programmes. It is the second time Boeing has been selected during President Donald Trump’s second administration to develop a sixth-generation fighter for a US military service. In March 2025, Trump announced that the US Air Force had selected Boeing to develop a new stealth fighter under its own Next Generation Air Dominance programme. The Air Force and Navy programmes are separate efforts, with each service pursuing aircraft tailored to its operational requirements.

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Boeing said it had been preparing to develop multiple advanced combat aircraft programmes simultaneously. Steve Parker, head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said the company had invested in its capabilities with the expectation that it would support more than one future fighter programme at the same time. He said Boeing was prepared to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft programmes, highlighting the company’s effort to expand its position in the next generation of US military aviation. The F/A-XX award gives Boeing another major defence programme alongside its existing fighter and military aircraft work.

Pentagon Undersecretary Michael Duffey described the F/A-XX platform as an important investment in US national security and long-term air-combat capabilities. The Pentagon said the programme would be developed in partnership with Boeing as the Navy works toward fielding the new aircraft. While the full technical configuration of the fighter has not been disclosed, sixth-generation combat aircraft programmes generally involve efforts to incorporate advanced sensors, networking, survivability and other capabilities intended for increasingly contested airspace. Specific features of the Navy aircraft, however, remain subject to development and future Pentagon disclosures.

The F/A-XX programme is also tied to the Navy’s long-term plans for its carrier air wings. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has served as a central component of US Navy carrier aviation, but the service has been preparing for a future fleet that includes newer aircraft and expanded unmanned capabilities. The F/A-XX is expected to operate as part of that future force rather than simply represent a one-for-one replacement of existing aircraft. Its development is therefore being pursued alongside broader changes to naval aviation and the way carrier-based forces are expected to conduct operations.

Boeing said construction was continuing at its secure manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri, which the company described as the largest facility of its kind in the United States. The facility is expected to support Boeing’s work on advanced military aircraft as the company moves forward with its next-generation fighter programmes. The $20 billion F/A-XX contract marks a major commitment by the Pentagon to the Navy’s future fighter capability and sets Boeing at the centre of the programme. The new aircraft is expected to begin replacing Super Hornets in the 2030s as the Navy gradually transitions to its next generation of carrier-based combat aviation.

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