Boeing beats Northrop to build the US Navy’s $20bn F/A-XX fighter

Artist's rendering of a tailless stealth fighter on a misty aircraft carrier deck as a flight director in a yellow vest signals — **Artist’s rendering of the Boeing F/A-XX, released by the US Navy**

*Credit: NAVAIR / US Navy*

Image Credits — **Artist’s rendering of the Boeing F/A-XX, released by the US Navy**

*Credit: NAVAIR / US Navy*

Boeing will build the US Navy’s next carrier-based fighter, the F/A-XX, after beating Northrop Grumman for the contract. The Pentagon announced the award on Tuesday.

The development contract is worth 0bn to produce test aircraft, Reuters reported. CNBC and Axios put it at more than 0bn. The programme could grow to hundreds of billions of dollars over its lifetime, according to Reuters.

“It’s an honor to be selected to produce the Navy’s first sixth-generation platform,” Steve Parker, chief executive of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in a statement.

What the jet replaces

The F/A-XX will replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which Boeing also builds. The Super Hornet has flown from carriers since the 1990s. It will fly alongside the Lockheed Martin F-35C. Its design details remain classified, Boeing said.

The jet should be stealthy, fly farther and work with uncrewed aircraft, Reuters reported. The first production jets are due in the 2030s.

Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, called it “a crucial, non-negotiable investment” in US security.

Boeing’s second sixth-generation win

The award is Boeing’s second sixth-generation fighter in two years. The Air Force picked it for the F-47 in 2025.

Some Pentagon officials had sought to delay the Navy jet by up to three years, citing engineering and supply-chain capacity, Reuters reported. Congress pushed back and funded the programme. The Navy knocked Lockheed out of the competition in March 2025.

Boeing shares rose 2.25% in extended trading on Tuesday, and Northrop fell 3.5%, according to Reuters. Boeing is building what it calls the largest secure manufacturing facility in the US, in St. Louis.

The Pentagon has also been handing out large contracts for its Golden Dome missile shield, including .16bn to SpaceX. The Space Force tailored some of that work to suit SpaceX, Bloomberg reported. Startups are building AI-piloted fighter jets too.

Story by Ana-Maria Stanciuc

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