Boeing (BA.US) is next: defeating Northrop Grumman (NOC.US) to win an F/A-XX order for the US Navy sixth-generation aircraft and a development contract of 20 billion US dollars

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the US Department of Defense said on Tuesday that Boeing (BA.US) has been selected to build the US Navy's next generation stealth fighter. This is the second time in a row that Boeing has won a major fighter order. It also put an end to a project that was delayed for several months and is critical to America's Pacific strategy.

Boeing defeated rival Northrop Grumman (NOC.US) in a development contract. The contract is worth $20 billion to produce the test aircraft. As production capacity climbs and potential overseas customers place orders, the project could grow to hundreds of billions of dollars over its entire life cycle.

Boeing was also selected to build the US Air Force's new stealth fighter, the F-47, in March of last year, which allowed it to win two heavyweight sixth-generation fighter contracts within two consecutive years.

Boeing has been viewed as a strong contender throughout the bidding process because it has a long history of building carrier-based fighter jets for the US Navy, including the F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet”, which is planned to be replaced by a new fighter. This qualification helps to resolve previous questions from defense officials — whether Boeing has enough engineers and suppliers to carry out both the F-47 and Navy fighter projects at the same time. These concerns appear to have been resolved in a way that is beneficial to Boeing.

St. Louis production line boosted

The contract is a major boost to Boeing's fighter production operations in St. Louis, Missouri — the base is shutting down the F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet” and EA-18G “Growler” production lines.

Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing's defense, space and security division, said in a statement that the company has invested “in a variety of new facilities dedicated to building a variety of next-generation capable products, and our dedicated and talented team is ready to carry out this critical project.”

The new aircraft, currently codenamed “F/A-XX,” will be the core of the US Navy's “Next Generation Air Advantage” (NGAD) weapon system family. Michael Duffy, the US Department of Defense's chief arms procurement officer, said in a statement that the fighter “represents a critical and uncompromising investment in America's national security and long-term air combat capability.”

Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) aerospace expert Jeremiah Gertler said that Boeing had largely withdrawn from the fighter business before winning the F-47 and F/A-XX contracts. We still don't know how many F-47 genes are in F/A-XX. Are they developed together or separately?” he said.

Last year, the US Department of Defense tried to postpone the contract, fearing that the US defense industry would not have sufficient engineering capacity to simultaneously develop two sixth-generation fighter jets. Democratic and Republican congressmen from Missouri successfully pushed for continued funding for the project — Missouri supported President Trump in the last three general elections.

“With modern systems and promising new capabilities, the production of F/A-XX and F-47 will create more opportunities for Missouri to attract engineering and technical talent,” Republican Senator Eric Schmidt said in a statement.

Last year, workers who assembled Boeing fighter jets went on strike for 101 days and failed to win any concessions from the company when they returned to work.

Procrastination and congressional intervention

Despite this, this next-generation fighter has been plagued by delays and funding disputes for years. Citing engineering and supply chain capacity concerns, some Pentagon officials have sought to delay it for up to three years until Congress steps in — earmarking $750 million for the project in the 2025 Tax Cuts and Spending Act and adding $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2026.

Lockheed Martin (LMT.US) withdrew from the bid in March 2025 after US Navy officials determined that its design did not meet the required standards, making Boeing and Northrop the finalists.

As China rapidly deploys advanced combat aircraft, the US Navy faces pressure to advance as soon as possible; otherwise, it may face the risk of not having modern carrier-based fighter jets in the 2030s and beyond.

The new aircraft is expected to have advanced stealth capabilities, enhanced range and battery life, and can collaborate with unmanned combat aircraft and naval shipborne air defense systems.

The US Navy is still planning to purchase more than 270 Lockheed Martin F-35C fighter jets for its aircraft carrier fleet, which will fly with the F/A-XX after service. The first mass-produced F/A-XX is expected to be delivered in the 2030s, while the “Super Hornet” fleet, which has been in service since the 1990s, is expected to be in service until the 2040s.