Boeing Wins Navy's F/A-XX Fighter Development Contract Worth More Than $20B, Beating Northrop

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday, Sept 29, that BA will build the U.S. Navy's next-generation F/A-XX carrier-based fighter. The award is valued at more than $20 billion for the full-scale development phase and procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems and weapons integration testing. That figure covers development only, not the eventual production program. Under Secretary Michael Duffey said the fighter will help the Navy "secure absolute air superiority".

The loser was NOC, the only other bidder, which said it had offered "a highly survivable, digitally advanced sixth-generation fighter." Boeing shares rose about 2% to 2.5% in after-hours trading on the news, while Northrop fell roughly 4% to 5%. The win is Boeing's second major sixth-generation fighter program after the Air Force's F-47, which it won over LMT in March 2025, so Boeing now holds both services' next fighters.

The F/A-XX is meant to fly alongside the F-35 and to augment and eventually replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets beginning in the 2030s. Defense coverage notes Boeing can leverage design work and supply chains already built for the F-47, which matters because running two sixth-generation programs in parallel raises questions about engineering and factory capacity at a company still working through commercial jet issues. What to watch: disclosed contract structure, the Navy's budget line for the program, and whether Northrop protests the award.