Navy will soon announce the contract award for its F/A-XX 6th-generation jet, according to reports

According to reports, the U.S. is getting ready to announce the contract award for its second 6th generation stealth fighter, and this time, it’ll be a carrier-capable jet meant to serve aboard the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers. 

Last week, the U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing the contract to build what we now know will be called the F-47- a runway queen air superiority fighter meant to unseat the F-22 Raptor as the world’s most dominant air-to-air fighter. The Navy, on the other hand, is looking to field a replacement for its F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet, and at least until now, the branch has been clear that this new carrier fighter will not be the same jet as the Air Force’s F-47. 

That complicates matters slightly, however, because Lockheed Martin backed out of the Navy’s new stealth fighter competition, currently dubbed F/A-XX, leaving it up to Boeing and Northrop Grumman. And with Boeing winning the Air Force’s contract for the newly revealed F-47, that would suggest the Navy contract is Northrop’s to lose. Οtherwise the Air Force and Navy run the risk of falling into the same financial trap as the F-35 program: trying to stuff everything you need for very different mission sets into a single, very pricey airframe. 

But then, anything is possible, and Boeing may have convinced both the Air Force and the Navy that it can handle both of these stealth fighter programs thanks to its massive new classified aircraft factory in St. Louis Missouri and several other new facilities the company is already building to support the F-47’s production. 

The Navy’s new fighter is expected to offer a significant leap in stealth over even the F-35C that operates on America’s carriers today, along with a similarly significant boost in onboard avionics technology, sensor systems, and targeting capabilities.

Like the F-47, the F/A-XX is expected to fly accompanied by drone wingmen. Yet, while the Air Force has been clear that it wants more range out of their next fighter, the Navy sees a big boost in range as absolutely imperative in order to counter China in the Pacific. 

China’s anti-ship missile arsenal has greater reach than America’s current carrier-based fighters, meaning American carriers can’t sail close enough to the fight to scramble fighters without serious risk of being hit. A new fighter with even greater range would allow U.S. carriers to remain outside the reach of these weapons, while still scrambling sorties into the fight. 

This new fighter is also expected to offer larger payloads than the F/A-18. This will allow it to either carry larger or more weapons, without compromising its stealth profile. But for more details… we’ll just have to wait and see.

Feature Image: F/A-XX render. (Creative Commons)

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