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The U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter program, once nearly dead and starved of funds in favor of the Air Force’s F-47, has been potentially resurrected. A surprise move by the Senate Appropriations Committee restored over $1.4 billion to the program. Although it is far from being passed, it prompted top Navy officials to signal that they are now ready to select a prime contractor. This sudden reversal has breathed new life into the critical effort to replace the aging F/A-18 fleet.

The U.S. Navy and the Pentagon are locked in a public struggle over the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter, a program the DoD moved to defund in favor of the Air Force's F-47. The Navy argues the F/A-XX is essential to overcome the critical range limitations of its current F/A-18 and F-35 air wing, keeping its aircraft carriers viable against long-range Chinese "carrier killer" missiles.

"This next-generation fighter will provide exceptional new capabilities for our Air Force pilots. Reports suggest that the Pentagon is considering delaying the Navy’s next gen fighter, known as the F/A-XX, to prioritize the F-47 program. This would be a mistake. We need them both. Fortunately, America’s aerospace industrial base is capable of manufacturing two fighter jets simultaneously. Doing so is critical to advancing President Trump’s peace-through-strength national security agenda."

The United States Navy's F/A-XX fighter is expected to receive almost full funding, NavalNews.com reported on Monday. It comes as a compromise in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fund a special access program (SAP) believed to be for the next-generation stealth fighter. Earlier this year, the House Armed Service Committee had cut $1.1 billion from the Link Plumeria line, citing "unjustified requirements." The U.S. Navy had requested $2.1 billion for Link Plumeria in its budget request for FY2024. However, the current version of the bill cut just $50 million from Project 2937, which is...

Even as the Pentagon is struggling to figure out a way to afford and field its fifth-generation fighter of choice, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Navy and the U.S. Air Force—along with industry—are looking at what comes next. This sixth-generation fighter initiative is loosely known as the “F-X program” for the USAF and the “FA-XX” for the Navy. The F-X program looks to to finally replace the F-15 Eagle, as well as the F-22 Raptor, and the FA-XX program aims to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This new aircraft will be as much about reusable weaponry (lasers) as it...

Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept Boeing The Boeing concept also features canards, which is somewhat of a surprise because the motion of those forward mounted control surfaces is generally assumed to compromise a stealth aircraft's frontal radar cross-section. But the lack of vertical tail surfaces suggests the aircraft would be optimized for all-aspect broadband stealth, which would be needed for operations in the most challenging anti-access/area denial environments. Also of note in the manned version of the company's F/A-XX concept is the placement of the cockpit-rearward visibility appears to be restricted without the aid of a sensor apparatus...

Senior official raises F/A-XX doubts while retired USMC Generals question USN’s F-35 commitment A senior US Department of Defense official is questioning how the US Navy will fund a next-generation replacement for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Meanwhile, retired US Marine Corps flag-officers say that the USN's nascent F/A-XX effort demonstrates the service's lack of commitment to the carrier-variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The US Navy has issued a request for information (RFI) for a new F/A-XX fighter that would start to replace the Super Hornet in the 2030s--effectively starting the search for that aircraft's...

Speaking of F/A-XX, the Navy’s planned 6th generation fighter that will replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, below you’ll find the Navy’s brand new Request for Information on the aircraft. By Brand new, I mean it just dropped on Friday. Whatever jet is selected will hopefully replace the Super Hornets around 2030, said Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis this afternoon at the Navy League’s annual Sea, Air, Space conference in National Harbor, Md. Before the Navy can settle on the final capabilities such a plane will have, it needs to know what types of technology the defense industry can bring to the...

The Navy has its eyes on next generation replacement fighter aircraft that may be needed as early as 2025 to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and Boeing has publicly unveiled its latest design proposals. Boeing's two twin-engine concepts are both tailless vehicles that may also be mission-capable as pilot-optional aircraft. Boeing displayed one at the Navy League Sea Air And Space Expo on May 3, as a 1/16th scale model and the latest manifestation of its F/A-XX. The design's planform reflects that of the single-engine Phantom Ray, a stealthy unmanned tailless 50-foot-wingspan Phantom Works prototype unveiled on May 10, in...

Boeing displays manned F/A-XX concept jet By Stephen Trimble Boeing Phantom Works has released a new concept image for a "sixth-generation" fighter to replace the F/A-18E/F fleet after 2025. The two-seat, twin-engined tailless concept jet is being offered for F/A-XX, a notional US Navy strategy that has not yet become a formal requirement. Although the image shows a tandem cockpit, Boeing says the aircraft could be manned or unmanned "depending on the missions assigned and technology maturity". © Boeing Boeing's latest concept image for F/A-XX The new image features a blended wing and a conventional fighter shape from the cockpit...