--- title: "Navy F/A-XX Stealth Fighter Selection This Week: Report" description: "Just days after the U.S. Air Force announced that [Boeing will build its next crewed stealth combat jet](), now designated [the F-47](), the Navy looks set to confirm the choice of its own carrier-based [sixth-generation fighter](). The Navy’s new combat…" date: "2025-03-25" modified: "2025-03-25" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/navy-f-a-xx-stealth-fighter-selection-this-week-report" categories: - "Air" - "F/A-18" - "F/A-18E/F" - "F/A-XX" - "Fighters" - "Naval Aviation" - "Navies" - "NGAD" - "Sea" - "Stealth" - "U.S. Navy" --- # Navy F/A-XX Stealth Fighter Selection This Week: Report ![The future of the Navy NGAD crewed aircraft program remains in limbo.]() *Screenshot \Boeing\* Just days after the U.S. Air Force announced that [Boeing will build its next crewed stealth combat jet](), now designated [the F-47](), the Navy looks set to confirm the choice of its own carrier-based [sixth-generation fighter](). The Navy’s new combat jet is often [referred to as the F/A-XX]() and is planned to enter service in the 2030s. So far, the program has been even more secretive than the Air Force equivalent, although, [as we have explored in the past](), the jet will be central not only to the Navy’s future tactical aviation plans, but also to the future of the service more generally. According to a [report]() today from *Reuters*, the Navy will announce the contract award for the F/A-XX engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase “this week,” based on information the agency has received from unnamed “people familiar with the decision.” Such an announcement would come a month after Adm. James W. Kilby took up his post as the new Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The *Reuters* story in question is written by the agency’s Mike Stone, who last week disclosed the imminent announcement of the Air Force’s [decision on its sixth-generation fighter](). ![]() *A Boeing concept artwork for the F/A-XX next-generation carrier fighter. *Boeing** The EMD contract should be worth “single-digit billions of dollars in the short term,” according to the report, with the F/A-XX program as a whole worth “potentially hundreds of billions over the decades it is expected to run.” Originally, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman were all in the running to develop the F/A-XX. However, Lockheed Martin was reportedly ejected from the competition earlier this month, since its proposal “did not satisfy the service’s criteria,” [according to *Breaking Defense*](), whose story cited an unnamed source with knowledge of the program. We have not been able to confirm this fact at this time, but if true, the company’s future fighter opportunities would be limited beyond the F-35, although [that platform]() will be in service for many decades to come. Today’s report states that, as well as detailed proposals, all three of the original candidates also submitted “prototypes for evaluation.” If that’s correct, it would be the first confirmation that demonstrator aircraft of any kind have been built and tested for F/A-XX. In fact, it would be surprising if demonstrators *hadn’t* been built for F/A-XX. By now, we know that [at least two demonstrators]() were built ahead of Boeing’s selection for the F-47, and [perhaps even three](), based on unconfirmed earlier reports. ![]() *An official rendering of the Boeing F-47 selected for the U.S. Air Force’s NGAD program. *U.S. Air Force** In the past, *TWZ* [speculated]() that F/A-XX demonstrators likely did exist, with other evidence including the significant spending plans for the program between Fiscal Years 2024 and 2028 — more than $9 billion. One very interesting aspect of the *Reuters* report is the suggestion that Lockheed Martin’s proposal was rejected for reasons that included “the need for a more advanced radar system and improved carrier landing capabilities.” Once again, these details have not been confirmed. Like the Air Force, the Navy is working on its sixth-generation fighter as part of a program named Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD). The Navy is involved in [direct cooperation with]() the [Air Force’s program]() and both initiatives put crewed fighters at the center of a broader ‘system of systems’ that will also include [advanced Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones](). Details of the specific crossover between the two programs remain fairly scarce, however. ![]() *A rendering of a notional sixth-generation crewed stealth combat jet for the Navy flying alongside an advanced drone. *Boeing** The Navy wants to start fielding the F/A-XX in the 2030s — a similar timeline to the F-47 — and it will use it, alongside complementary drones to replace its [F/A-18E/F Super Hornet]() multirole fighters as well as its [EA-18G Growler]() electronic attack jet. Eventually, the F/A-XX should be a central part of a new-look carrier air wing that could feature as [much as two-thirds uncrewed aircraft](). As for how the F/A-XX might look, [we have very little to go on at this stage](), but more may be revealed in the course of this week. In the past, the previous CNO, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, [quoted in an article]() by *Air & Space Forces Magazine*, said that the F/A-XX will have “advanced sensors, advanced lethality, advanced range \[and be\] able to integrate with manned and unmanned capabilities together.” In particular — and in parallel with the Air Force’s NGAD — the kinds of capabilities that the F/A-XX will offer will likely be closely tailored to the demands of a future conflict with China. The ability to integrate with drones is one area where the F/A-XX will likely benefit from the Air Force’s NGAD effort. Here, the two services [sharing some technology and even control capabilities]() for CCA drones would appear to make much sense. ![]() *A composite rendering of the CCA designs that General Atomics (top) and Anduril (bottom) are currently developing, along with their new formal designations. *General Atomics/Anduril/TWZ** As for flying missions at long ranges, this is something that is very much driven by concerns around future contingencies in the Indo-Pacific theater. Here, U.S. and allied aircraft would face increasingly advanced and [much farther-reaching air defenses](), as well as the vast distances involved in such a theater in any context. While the Air Force has apparently spent some time [weighing up the centrality of long-range capabilities]() for its NGAD fighter, it seems the Navy has remained committed to extended endurance. As *TWZ* has [discussed in the past](): *“Allowing for the carrier air wing to be able to reach relevant target sets and at a significant frequency while keeping the carrier itself at a safe distance from anti-ship and other anti-access capabilities is a glaring issue for the U.S. Navy. Dramatically increasing the unrefueled combat radius of at least some of its fighters, which would be paired with CCAs with similar endurance, would go a long way to solving this problem.”* Of the two contenders now vying for the F/A-XX EMD contract, Boeing has just emerged victorious for the Air Force’s NGAD fighter — now known as F-47. This is a major boon for the company, which has seen significant recent setbacks in both its commercial and defense businesses. Winning the Air Force’s NGAD fighter competition might have been Boeing’s last chance to survive as a fighter-builder. The company [announced back in 2023]() that it was going to close down the [F/A-18E/F Super Hornet]() line and indicated it would refocus in part on advanced combat jet efforts. The firm has [made significant investments]() in its St. Louis, Missouri, facility to prepare it for sixth-generation fighter production, which could include the F-47 and F/A-XX. ![]() *A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 105, launches off the flight deck of USS *Dwight D. Eisenhower* (CVN 69) in the Red Sea, in April 2024. *U.S. Navy* 240420-N-HE057-1374 RED SEA (April 20, 2024) An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the "Gunslingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, launches off the flight deck during flight operations aboard the *Nimitz* class aircraft carrier USS *Dwight D. Eisenhower* (CVN 69) in the Red Sea, April 20. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. (Official U.S. Navy photo)* *TWZ* asked Boeing about whether there exists any relationship between its F-47 design and the proposal submitted for the F/A-XX competition, but the company said it had no information to share. If Boeing were to secure the F/A-XX deal as well, it could offer economies of scale and make it easier to share technologies between the aircraft. Potentially, Northrop Grumman could still have a role to play, as a key subcontractor in the F/A-XX aircraft itself, but also in some of the many supporting and ancillary systems. Meanwhile, it was reported that Northrop Grumman may have dropped out of the Air Force’s NGAD fighter competition in part to focus on the F/A-XX. Northrop Grumman is well established when it comes to developing cutting-edge stealth platforms, such as the [B-2 and B-21 stealth bombers](). However, the company has not built a crewed combat jet for the Navy since the Cold War-era [F-14 Tomcat](), which was a Grumman design, emerging years before Northrop’s 1994 acquisition of that firm. Should Northrop Grumman lose the F/A-XX competition, its hopes of becoming a fighter manufacturer again are likely over for good. ![]() *A U.S. Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat of Fighter Squadron 33 launches off a carrier deck back in 1987. *U.S. Navy* A U.S. Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat of Fighter Squadron 33 (VF-33) "Starfighters" launched off the deck back in 1987. *U.S. Navy** It appears that we will find out the Navy’s decision very soon. Whatever the choice, it will be a highly significant event. We will then know exactly which manufacturers are responsible for developing sixth-generation fighters for the Air Force *and* the Navy. We may also get a better idea of the possible crossover between the two aircraft. At the very least, some welcome light will be shed on what has, until now, been a program even more secretive than the Air Force’s equivalent. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()