The Pentagon just handed Boeing another sixth-gen crown. The company won the U.S. Navy’s next-generation stealth fighter development contract — currently designated F/A-XX — worth $20 billion for test aircraft, Reuters reported via The Jerusalem Post. The program could grow to hundreds of billions over its lifetime.
Boeing beat Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin was eliminated in March 2025. F/A-XX is the centerpiece of the Navy’s Next Generation Air Dominance family. Boeing also won the Air Force F-47 last year (March) — two marquee sixth-generation contracts in consecutive years.
The pedigree pitch: carrier fighters, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Growler lines in St. Louis that are shutting down — a production boost as those lines close. Boeing Defense CEO Steve Parker said the company has invested in facilities “uniquely suited to build multiple products with next-generation capabilities” and that its team is ready. Pentagon chief weapons buyer Michael Duffey called F/A-XX a “crucial, non-negotiable investment” in long-term air combat capabilities.
Markets reacted: Boeing shares rose 2.25% in extended trading; Northrop fell 3.5%. Delays dogged the program — some Pentagon officials sought up to a three-year slip over engineering capacity — before Congress earmarked $750 million (2025) plus $1.4 billion in FY2026. First production F/A-XX jets are expected in the 2030s; the Navy still plans to buy more than 270 F-35Cs, and Super Hornets are expected to fly into the 2040s.
Sources: The Jerusalem Post / Reuters
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