The US’s quest to counter China’s growing military prowess in the Indo-Pacific has brought traction to the development of sixth-generation fighter jets. After Boeing won the contract for the US Air Force’s F-47, competition is heating up between Northrop Grumman and Boeing for the US Navy’s sixth-generation carrier-based fighter, F/A-XX.

With the decision on the deck-based carrier imminent, it seems that aircraft maker Lockheed Martin, which is manufacturing the 5th generation stealth fighter, will not be involved in developing the next generation combat jet. The US Navy has reportedly rejected its bid.

The contract for F/A-XX will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades.

Top defense officials are discussing the Navy’s next-generation fighter aircraft. Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby said on the first day of the Navy-centric Sea Air Space exhibition outside of Washington, DC, that the US Navy requires the F/A-XX just like the USAF. “I mean we’re talking about a fight in the Pacific. We fight together as a joint force, so having that capability is very important for us,” he added.

The F/A-XX will be developed with the premise that it will need to travel vast distances in the Indo-Pacific and withstand the rising threat from China’s air defenses. The sixth-generation fighter will be fighting in contested territory.

So far, Lockheed Martin, with its work on the US’s 5th-generation fighters—the F-22 and F-35—was considered to be one of the frontrunners to bag the F-47 deal for the USAF. After all, the F-35 is considered to be the most intelligent and connected aircraft.

The selection of Boeing has given it a lease of life, particularly its fighter production facilities in St. Louis, Missouri. It also indicates that the Pentagon is learning from its mistakes in the development of the F-35, whereby Lockheed Martin was given a perpetual monopoly. This made the F-35 the most expensive weapon development program in the world.

The US Navy requires the F/A-XX to replace the aging F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. Not much is known about the fighter jet’s capabilities, but it is expected that the aircraft would be able to operate from a carrier deck and have advanced capabilities, including increased range, stealth, and AI integration.

Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, director of the Air Warfare division for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), said in a separate panel at the Navy-centric Sea Air Space exhibition that a “core attribute” of the plane is expected to be its range, up to “probably” 125 percent “of the range that we’re currently seeing today to give us better flexibility (and) operational reach.”

Like the USAF’s Next Generation Air Dominance program, the F/A-XX is expected to fly with drone wingmen.

The expected contract is important not only for Boeing but also for Northrop Grumman, which has not bagged any fighter contract since manufacturing the F-14 Tomcat.

However, Northrop is presently occupied with the B-21 bombers. There have been media reports about Lockheed Martin being out of the race, but there has been no official confirmation yet.

Boeing, having built the F/A-18E/F, could tilt the balance in its favor. However, it remains to be seen if Boeing can handle two major projects involving the development of the next-generation fighters.

The US has generally refrained from giving two big programs simultaneously to one OEM, and it has never happened in the history of weapons development.

Boeing has been reeling from a series of delays and delivery issues regarding the KC-46 Pegasus tanker. The T-7A Red Hawk trainer is yet to take off as software bugs continue to plague it.

The contract will be awarded for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the program.

It remains to be seen if Lockheed Martin will be hired as a subcontractor, considering it has a monopoly on manufacturing America’s 5th-generation fighters.

6th-Generation Fighters

The F/A-XX and F-47 signify America’s quest for air dominance and signal that manned aircraft will remain relevant in the future. The American concept puts a manned aircraft at the center of a system of systems, creating a teaming of manned and unmanned systems. The Loyal Wingmen accompanying it have been named YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A.

For the US Air Force’s F-47 contract, Boeing and Lockheed Martin designed two X-planes. These aircraft first flew in 2019 and 2022, logging several hundred hours each.

As reflected in the statement from Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin: “For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence.”