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The U.S. Navy Has Picked Who’ll Build Its Next-Generation Fighter

Boeing will build the Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier fighter, intended to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The design details remain classified.
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Boeing has won the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX contract, the Navy’s next-generation carrier-fighter program. Boeing announced the award on September 29, 2026. The aircraft is intended to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet, but its design and program details remain classified.

Who won the Navy’s F/A-XX contract?

Boeing was selected to produce the F/A-XX, which the company describes as the Navy’s sixth-generation fighter. Axios reported the contract is worth more than $20 billion; Boeing’s announcement calls it a “multi-billion-dollar” contract but does not state an exact value.

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Reporting identified Northrop Grumman as Boeing’s rival in the final competition, while Lockheed Martin had earlier been eliminated. Those accounts describe the reported competition; the public award announcement does not provide a detailed selection rationale.

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What is the F/A-XX fighter for?

The Navy intends the F/A-XX to replace its F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet. USNI News reported that the transition aboard carriers is expected in the 2030s, but that is a reported planning horizon, not a confirmed operational date. Axios says the new fighter is intended to complement the F-35.

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The Navy has also discussed the future carrier air wing in terms of greater reach, stealth, MQ-25A Stingray unmanned refueling, and collaborative combat aircraft. These are part of a broader force-planning picture, not confirmed specifications or capabilities of Boeing’s undisclosed F/A-XX design.

What is known—and still classified?

Boeing says: “The technical and programmatic details of F/A-XX remain classified under U.S. national security and export laws.” The public award establishes the contractor and the aircraft’s broad role, not the winning design’s configuration.

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  • Publicly established: Boeing is the selected contractor, and the aircraft is intended as the Navy’s next-generation carrier fighter and eventual Super Hornet replacement.
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There is no independently published F/A-XX unit-cost figure in the cited coverage. Figures associated with the Air Force’s separate NGAD program should not be treated as F/A-XX cost data.

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When was the contract awarded?

On April 20, 2026, USNI News reported that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle expected a downselect in August. He said: “I think you’re going to see a downselect on this in August. I think that’s the month that they have committed to making the decision on the program.” Boeing announced its selection on September 29, 2026, so the August comment was a forecast rather than the award date.

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Sources

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