Boeing has won a US Navy contract to develop the next-generation F/A-XX fighter jet. The initial phase of the program’s development costs more than $20 billion, and the aircraft is expected to eventually replace F/A-18 fighters in the US fleet.
As The Japan Times reports, Boeing beat Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman in the competition. This is the company’s second major victory in the competition for combat aircraft programs after it received the contract for the F-47 fighter for the US Air Force last year.
According to sources familiar with the course of the competition, Boeing spent years investing in production capacity, engineering capabilities, and digital design tools. The company also has many years of experience in building aircraft for aircraft carriers.
The Pentagon required Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman to use common design standards for the F-47 and F/A-XX programs. This approach is intended to simplify future aircraft upgrades and modifications in response to technological developments and new threats.
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A former Pentagon official said that all participants in the competition met the established requirements, but Boeing applied this approach more effectively. The use of digital tools, he said, enabled engineers, military personnel, and technical staff to test changes and improve the aircraft during the development process.
Details about the F/A-XX have not been disclosed. The fighter is expected to enter service in the 2030s. The F-47, in turn, is expected to make its first flight in 2028 and enter service in 2029; the US Air Force plans to purchase at least 185 such aircraft to replace the F-22.
Although the initial development contracts for each aircraft exceed $20 billion, production over the lifetime of the programs could bring in hundreds of billions of dollars. At the same time, analysts warn that Boeing’s financial outcome will depend on the terms of the contracts.
The company has already lost $20.5 billion on five fixed-price programs in which it was responsible for cost overruns. These involve KC-46 tanker aircraft, T-7 training aircraft, MQ-25 tanker drones, the replacement for Air Force One, and the Starliner spacecraft.
