New Official Artwork of the F/A-XX 6th-Generation Stealth Fighter Released by Boeing in Conjunction With Their Press Release Today.

On September 29, 2026 the Pentagon announced that Boeing had won the long-delayed competition to develop the U.S. Navy’s 6^th-Generation stealth fighter, the F/A-XX. This award stunned many in the defense community as most has placed their bets on Northrop Grumman winning the competition. Many felt that because Boeing had already won the USAF’s NGAD competition to build the F-47, that the Pentagon would not risk putting all of its 6^th generation eggs in the same basket and avoiding the mistakes they made with the 5^th generation, which Lockheed Martin owed with the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. Boeing also released new artwork of their F/A-XX design with their official press release today.

Boeing has publicly stated in the past that they had prepared and were capable of producing both the F-47 and F/A-XX simultaneously, pushing back against the Pentagon’s primary reasoning behind delaying the award of the F/A-XX. Hopefully those rumors I heard a year ago about the F-47 actually being based on their F/A-XX design might be true. Commonality would save cost. However, a navalized F-47 would be doomed to failure in my opinion as there has never been a successful navalized air force fighter, and that included the F-35, which has been a mixed bag at best.

Official Pentagon Press Release:

Today, the Department of War announces a contract awarded by the U.S. Navy to Boeing for the Sixth-Generation F/A-XX Strike Fighter under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The contract is valued at more than $20B for the full-scale development phase. The contract procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing.

"The F/A-XX is a critical pillar in our commitment to maintaining peace through strength. F/A-XX will dominate contested airspace, extend operational reach, and deliver a decisive combat advantage for the warfighter," said Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. "The F/A-XX platform represents a crucial, non-negotiable investment in America's national security and long-term air combat capabilities. We are joining forces with Boeing to field these capabilities rapidly, ensuring our warfighters possess the lethal and highly networked systems required to deter aggression, project undisputed power, and secure absolute air superiority."

The F/A-XX will provide advanced carrier-based power projection that extends the range of the most agile and survivable airfields: U.S. Navy carriers. In addition, F/A-XX will be interoperable with manned and unmanned platforms such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and increase the capability of every CCA it teams with.

"This achievement marks a new era for the U.S. Navy," said acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. "The Sixth-Generation fighter is a generational leap in air superiority and will provide the world's best aviators with unparalleled capabilities to fight, win, and come home safe. We are excited to partner with Boeing, and for our warfighters to continue to dominate the skies and defeat our nation's enemies."

Following this contact award announcement, Boeing will deliver the platform to augment and eventually replace legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers beginning in the 2030s, and operate alongside the F-35C.

This next-generation strike fighter, F/A-XX, will secure the skies and deliver peace through strength for decades to come.

So, what do you think about Boeing winning the F/A-XX competition? Were you as surprised as I was that Boeing won? Any guesses on what you think it will be designated? Hop on over to channel on X to let me know, Make sure to watch the accompanying video below.