Navy Awards Boeing $20 Billion Contract For Next-Generation Fighter

Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times,

Boeing has secured a contract worth more than $20 billion to develop the U.S. Navy’s next-generation carrier-based fighter.

The Navy contract covers full-scale development of the sixth-generation F/A-XX Strike Fighter, including testing units for ground, airworthiness, systems and weapons.

The aircraft is expected to supplement and eventually replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers in the 2030s, the Department of War said in its Tuesday announcement. It will operate alongside the F-35C.

Sixth-generation fighter technology would make aircraft harder to detect, with improved stealth capabilities, while being equipped with artificial intelligence-assisted sensors, hypersonic weapons, and directed-energy weapons such as lasers.

F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are used for air combat and attacks on ground targets, while EA-18G Growlers are jets used to jam enemy radar and communications.

“The F/A-XX is a critical pillar in our commitment to maintaining peace through strength,” Michael P. Duffey, under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, said in the announcement.

“F/A-XX will dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage for the warfighter.”

The fighter is being developed under the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance program. The department said the upgrade will extend the reach of U.S. aircraft carriers.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the contract marks “a new era for the U.S. Navy.”

“The Sixth-Generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority and will provide the world’s best aviators with unparalleled capabilities to fight, win, and come home safe,” Cao said in a statement.

The contract is Boeing’s second selection for sixth-generation fighter work, following the company’s 2025 award to develop the U.S. Air Force’s F-47.

“Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan, and we invested accordingly,” Steve Parker, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said. “We are ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programs.”

Boeing said construction continues on a secure manufacturing facility in St. Louis that it describes as the largest of its kind in the United States. The facility will be part of an all-digital aerospace design and manufacturing system.

“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,” Parker said.

Boeing said technical and program details remain classified under U.S. national security and export laws.

Other advanced fighter programs have faced substantial cost increases and delays.

The Government Accountability Office reported in 2025 that the original F-35 development program finished more than a decade behind schedule, with estimated acquisition costs $250 billion above original projections.

Production, which began in 2006, continues and has delivered more than 1,100 aircraft to the U.S. military, international partners and foreign military sales customers.