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By Brendan Cole and Shane Croucher
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will shortly announce which defense company the Pentagon has chosen to design and build the U.S. Navy's next-generation stealth fighter, known as the F/A-XX, according to a report by Reuters, citing unnamed officials and people familiar with the decision.
The announcement may come later this week, Reuters reported, after Hegseth made the decision to move forward last Friday.
Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. are in the running to produce the aircraft, which is set to replace the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet that has been in service for three decades. Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
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Why It Matters
The F/A-XX is expected to have advanced stealth capabilities, improved range and the ability to integrate with both uncrewed combat aircraft and the Navy's carrier-based air defense systems. The aircraft is viewed as being central to countering the military threat posed by China but has been beset by budget delays, which Reuters' report suggested had been solved.
What To Know
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Navy could announce who would be picked to build its fighter as soon as this week.
The agency said in March that the Navy had been expected to announce the contract recipient earlier this year, but a decision was delayed because of a funding dispute between the Pentagon and Congress.
The Navy delayed about $1 billion for the project this year because of spending caps under the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the outlet Defense Scoop reported. The Trump administration granted $74 million for research and development funds, but this was much less than what the Navy had previously planned to spend.
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers in June about the need for the F/A-XX, amid concerns of "the threat picture out in the Pacific."
What Is the F/A-XX?
A report by the military outlet 19FortyFive said in March that the aircraft might share propulsion technology with the Air Force's newly announced F-47, although questions remained about costs and other budget priorities—such as the Navy's DDG(X) destroyer program.
However, Defense Scoop reported that the Pentagon is prioritizing the Air Force's sixth-generation fighter, the F-47—which it is spending $3.5 billion on next year. Also, defense officials have raised concerns over how to handle two sixth-generation fighter programs simultaneously.
According to Navy officials, the F/A-XX is expected to be extra stealthy, with a longer range than current fighter jets, and will have AI capabilities.
Earlier this year, Northrop Grumman released conceptual images of the fighter jet that showed the nose, a cockpit and the forward fuselage of the aircraft as it awaited catapult launch from the deck of a Navy carrier.
However, defense publication the War Zone said the heavy shadowing, perspective and cropping made it difficult to see details of the aircraft, and there is ongoing secrecy over its production—with the value, quantity and exact timelines of the program still classified.
Who Has the F/A-XX Contract Been Awarded To?
No decision has been made yet, but Boeing and Northrop Grumman are the contenders. Reuters has suggested that an announcement from Hegseth is imminent, perhaps as soon as later this week.
How the F/A-XX Compares to the F/A-18 Super Hornet
The F/A-XX is considered to be a significant step above the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in terms of its stealth, speed and digital warfare capabilities.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was introduced in the late 1990s and has been the mainstay of the U.S. Navy's carrier air wing. While versatile and combat-proven, its operational combat radius is limited to about 500 to 650 nautical miles under a realistic weapons load, according to the Eurasian Times.
The publication noted that this range limitation could be a problem in potential conflict zones, such as the South China Sea, when faced by China's long-range missile systems. In contrast, the F/A-XX can overcome this limitation by extending the Navy's tactical air reach.
Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, the director of Air Warfare (N98), told the Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference held by the Navy League in April that the F/A-XX would deliver "over 125 percent of the range" of current carrier-based tactical aircraft. This would have major implications for U.S. naval aviation strategy, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, Eurasian Times reported.
What People Are Saying
Mario Nawfal, an entrepreneur, wrote on X: "Boeing and Northrop are battling for the multibillion-dollar prize. Lockheed? Already booted. The jet's meant to counter China, fly off carriers, and team up with drones like it's 2085. Delays, funding fights, and engineering drama nearly stalled it, but a decision could land this week."
X user Jeff James wrote: "Welcome and long-awaited good news for the F/A-XX program, if the sources quoted in this Reuters story are correct. Now the big question: Will the winner be revealed as Northrop or Boeing?"
What Happens Next
Speculation continues to mount over which of the two firms in the running will secure the deal to develop the F/A-XX.
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