Boeing Wins F/A-XX Next Generation Navy Stealth Fighter Contract (Updated)

Boeing has secured the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX full-scale development contract, an award valued at roughly $20 billion that includes multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems and weapons-integration work. The sixth-generation carrier fighter is intended to begin replacing or supplementing the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler in the 2030s while operating alongside the F-35C. Boeing defeated Northrop Grumman after Lockheed Martin left the competition, giving the company a second next-generation fighter program in addition to the Air Force's F-47. The award also sustains Boeing's long-term combat-aircraft production base.