US Navy selects Boeing for F/A-XX fighter

The US Navy’s first sixth-generation platform is intended to replace its F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet, with technical and programmatic details remaining classified.

Boeing has been awarded a multi-billion-dollar contract by the US Navy to produce the F/A-XX, the service’s first sixth-generation fighter.

F/A-XX is intended to replace the Navy’s fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets. The fighter is designed to bring advancements in open mission systems architecture, advanced mission systems and operational reach and capacity. The technical and programmatic details of F/A-XX remain classified under US national security and export laws.

Steve Parker, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, says: “It’s an honor to be selected to produce the Navy’s first sixth-generation platform.”

The contract is Boeing’s second selection for sixth-generation fighter work, following the award of the US Air Force’s F-47 programme in 2025.

Parker adds: “Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan and we invested accordingly. We are ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programmes. Investment in facilities is just one part of the story; we’re also investing in technology and people so that we can deliver for our customers.”

Construction continues on Boeing’s secure manufacturing facility in St Louis, the largest in the US. The facility will form part of an all-digital aerospace design and manufacturing system.