WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a contract valued at more than $20 billion for full-scale development of the F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier-based strike fighter, including multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons-integration testing.
The F/A-XX is being developed as part of the Navy's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program and is intended to augment and eventually replace the service's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets beginning in the 2030s. The aircraft will operate alongside the carrier-based F-35C.
One of the program's most significant elements is Boeing's emphasis on open mission systems architecture and advanced mission systems. The company says F/A-XX will advance open mission systems architecture, operational reach, and capacity, although specific technical and programmatic details remain classified.
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Interoperability needs
The Navy says F/A-XX will also be interoperable with crewed and uncrewed platforms, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), and will increase the capability of the CCA aircraft it teams with. The approach is consistent with the Navy's broader use of open architectures to enable the integration and replacement of hardware and software components over the life of a weapon system. NAVAIR's Open Mission Systems framework, for example, focuses on interfaces between software services and hardware subsystems and on standardized data exchange.
The development contract will support testing of multiple F/A-XX aircraft for airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration. The Navy has not publicly disclosed detailed specifications for the aircraft, including its sensors, computing architecture, communications systems, or electronic-warfare capabilities.
"This achievement marks a new era for the U.S. Navy," said acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. "The Sixth-Generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority."
The F/A-XX award follows Boeing's 2025 selection to develop the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation fighter, giving Boeing responsibility for both of the U.S. military's next-generation crewed fighter programs. Boeing says it has invested in facilities, technology, and personnel to support development of the two aircraft programs concurrently.
Construction is continuing on a secure Boeing manufacturing facility in St. Louis that the company says will be part of an all-digital aerospace design and manufacturing system supporting multiple next-generation products.
The F/A-XX program represents the Navy's planned transition to a next-generation carrier aircraft built around open mission systems and interoperability with both crewed and uncrewed platforms. The first aircraft are expected to enter service in the 2030s.
