The Pentagon has awarded Boeing a $20 billion contract to develop the U.S. Navy's next-generation F/A-XX stealth fighter, selecting it over rival Northrop Grumman. This major win, following Boeing's March 2025 Air Force F-47 contract, establishes the company as the dominant producer of sixth-generation American military jets. The program is critical for countering China's military expansion in the Pacific and provides a massive boost to Boeing's struggling defense division and its St. Louis production facilities.
The F/A-XX contract and aircraft
- ▪Boeing beat out rival Northrop Grumman Corp. to secure the F/A-XX development contract to produce test aircraft, after Lockheed Martin Corp. was eliminated from the competition in March 2025
- ▪The Pentagon announced on September 29, 2026, that Boeing was selected to build the U.S. Navy's next-generation stealth fighter, designated the F/A-XX, under a development contract worth $20 billion
Impact on St. Louis production facilities
- ▪The $20 billion F/A-XX contract awarded to Boeing provides a significant boost to Boeing's fighter production operations in St. Louis, Missouri, where the company is shutting down its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler assembly lines
- ▪Boeing invested heavily in its St. Louis, Missouri, defense production facility, which is still under construction, to prepare for executing both the F/A-XX and F-47 programs simultaneously
Boeing's dominance in sixth-generation fighters
- ▪The dual wins of the F/A-XX and F-47 contracts establish Boeing as the dominant manufacturer of sixth-generation fighter aircraft for the American military, despite initial concerns from defense officials about engineering and supply-chain capacity
- ▪Boeing's selection for the F/A-XX contract marks Boeing's second consecutive major sixth-generation fighter win, following the company's March 2025 contract award to build the U.S. Air Force's F-47 stealth fighter
Strategic role in countering China
- ▪U.S. sixth-generation fighters are considered critical for countering China in the Pacific, where Beijing is rapidly deploying advanced combat aircraft that it describes as sixth-generation
- ▪An estimate from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies indicates the U.S. Air Force would need at least 500 sixth-generation fighter jets and bombers to win a war against China
Debatable claims
- ▪Sixth-generation fighter jets are essential for countering China's military expansion in the Pacific
- ▪Boeing's dominance in sixth-generation fighters harms competition in the US defense industry
- ▪Awarding both sixth-generation fighter programs to Boeing poses unacceptable risks to US defense capacity
- ▪Boeing's recent commercial and financial crises make it unfit for major new defense contracts
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