The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a contract worth over $20 billion to develop and build the F/A-XX, its next-generation carrier-based fighter. Boeing beat Northrop Grumman for the award.
The selection makes Boeing the sole supplier for the Pentagon’s planned sixth-generation fighters. The company also won the Air Force’s F-47 production contract in 2025.
The F/A-XX is designed to replace the Navy’s aging F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets. Deployment is expected to begin in the 2030s.
The fighter will operate from aircraft carriers and form a key part of the Navy’s future air wing. The award gives Boeing’s defense division a long-term production pipeline for its historic St. Louis fighter facility.