Boeing has been selected by the U.S. Navy for a multi-billion-dollar contract to design, build, and deliver the F/A-XX, the service’s next-generation carrier-based fighter aircraft. The sixth-generation platform is intended to eventually replace the Navy’s existing fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets.
The award gives Boeing a major role in the Navy’s future combat aviation strategy and represents the company’s second selection for a U.S. sixth-generation fighter program.
Boeing was previously selected in 2025 for the U.S. Air Force’s F-47 program, meaning the company is now positioned to work on advanced fighter programs for both the Air Force and Navy.
The Navy’s F/A-XX program is expected to introduce advances in areas including open mission systems architecture, advanced mission systems, operational reach, and combat capacity.
However, Boeing said the technical and programmatic details of F/A-XX remain classified under U.S. national security and export laws, limiting the amount of information being publicly disclosed about the aircraft’s capabilities, configuration, development schedule, and production plans.
The contract also builds on Boeing’s continuing investment in its defense manufacturing footprint in St. Louis, Missouri, which has long been central to the company’s combat aircraft operations.
Boeing is currently constructing a new secure manufacturing facility in St. Louis that it describes as the largest such facility in the United States.
The company said the facility will form part of an all-digital aerospace design and manufacturing system and is being built to support multiple advanced aircraft programs with next-generation capabilities.
Boeing’s strategy has been to prepare its manufacturing infrastructure, technology, and workforce to support more than one future combat aircraft program simultaneously.
That investment becomes particularly important now that Boeing has secured both the Navy’s F/A-XX program and the Air Force’s F-47 program.
Running the programs concurrently could require the company to coordinate separate classified development programs while expanding production capacity and maintaining the specialized engineering and manufacturing talent required for advanced military aircraft.
The F/A-XX program is especially significant for naval aviation because it is intended to succeed the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which has served as one of the Navy’s primary carrier-based tactical aircraft.
Boeing currently manufactures the Super Hornet and has decades of experience developing and supporting carrier-based aircraft.
F/A-XX is expected to move the Navy into a new generation of combat aviation built around greater range, connectivity, advanced mission systems, and open architecture that can accommodate evolving technologies.
The Navy’s selection also gives Boeing a second major opportunity to establish itself as a central supplier of future U.S. tactical aircraft after years of investment in advanced defense technologies and production infrastructure.
Boeing did not disclose a more precise value for the F/A-XX award beyond describing it as multi-billion-dollar, and additional details surrounding the aircraft and contract remain classified.
Boeing Defense, Space & Security is part of Boeing’s broader aerospace business, which develops commercial airplanes, military aircraft, defense systems, and space technologies for customers in more than 150 countries.
KEY QUOTES:
“It’s an honor to be selected to produce the Navy’s first sixth-generation platform. Backed by decades of work, bolstered by game-changing innovations and solidified by the investments we’ve made in new facilities uniquely suited to build multiple products with next generation capabilities, our dedicated and talented team is ready to execute this critical program.”
“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 programs.”
“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.”
Steve Parker, President And CEO Of Boeing Defense, Space & Security
