Caudle: Navy plans to announce F/A-XX prime contractor in August
After a yearlong delay, the Navy expects to choose which company will build its sixth-generation fighter jet — known as F/A-XX — in August 2026, according to the service’s top admiral.
“The need for the F/A-XX is unquestionable. Peer competitors and even lesser adversaries are improving their anti-air capabilities. We expect a down-select in August of this year,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters Monday on the sidelines of the Sea-Air-Space conference.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are both vying for the F/A-XX contract, which is considered one of the Navy’s most high-profile modernization programs. Envisioned as a carrier-based stealthy fighter jet, the platform will eventually replace the sea service’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.
Navy leaders and lawmakers have repeatedly stressed the importance of moving F/A-XX into the engineering and manufacturing development phase. A downselect was expected in 2025, but the decision was temporarily put on hold after the Trump administration decided to prioritize development of the Air Force’s F-47 fighter jet — which will be built by Boeing — in fiscal 2026.
The main concern among the Pentagon and White House is the defense industrial base’s ability to build two sixth-generation fighter jets at the same time. Caudle told reporters that the Navy is “being very careful not to oversubscribe contractors” that are already managing other high-priority aircraft programs.
“One of the contractors who would make this plane for us is in a place where they really can’t deliver in the timeframe we need it,” he said. “So there was a ‘check twice, cut once’ mentality on this decision.”
The Navy is requesting $140 million in fiscal 2027 to continue research and development of F/A-XX — including $68 million in discretionary funding and $72 million from a future reconciliation package, according to budget documents. The fighter jet received nearly $1.7 billion in FY26, the majority of which was added by Congress after the Navy initially requested a meager amount of funds.
The coming decision will represent a significant shift in the aviation industrial base landscape. Major aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin was reportedly removed from the F/A-XX program in 2025 after its proposal did not meet the Navy’s requirements — narrowing the pool to Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
If the Navy chooses Boeing, it would be the company’s second major fighter aircraft production contract under the second Trump administration. On the other hand, a Northrop Grumman win would mark the first fighter jet production deal for the company in over five decades.
