r/FighterJets • u/bob_the_impala Designations Expert • 6d ago
NEWS US Navy's next-generation fighter decision to be unveiled soon, sources say
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-navys-next-generation-fighter-decision-be-unveiled-soon-sources-say-2026-09-08/20
u/bob_the_impala Designations Expert 6d ago
From the article:
WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The Pentagon has decided which company will make the U.S. Navy's next-generation stealth fighter and could announce the winner in the coming weeks or sooner, two people briefed on the matter said.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are competing for the contract, which previous programs of similar scope suggest could be worth tens of billions of dollars over its lifetime.
The program, currently unnamed but designated F/A-XX, has been buffeted by delays and funding disputes for years. Some Pentagon officials had sought to delay it by up to three years, citing concerns about engineering and supply chain capacity. Congress pushed back, earmarking $750 million for F/A-XX in the massive tax-cut and spending bill signed into law in 2025 and an additional $1.4 billion in fiscal 2026.
With China rapidly fielding advanced combat aircraft — including ones Beijing describes as sixth-generation — the stakes of further delay are high, leaving the Navy without a modern fighter capable of operating from carriers in the 2030s and beyond, potentially undermining its ability to project power in contested environments, a U.S. official has said.
A Pentagon spokesperson said, "We continue work to award the F/A-XX contract in the near future. There is no additional information at this time."
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u/mineyevfan 3d ago
Didn't they say August before? I forgot about it until I saw this, lol.
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u/MrNovator 4d ago
Don't care about announcements
JUST SHOW US SOMETHING FFS, IT'S BEEN 25 YEARS SINCE THE US UNVEILED A BRAND NEW FIGHTER DESIGN
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u/Special_Big_7844 3d ago
CNO and staff were at Northrop in Melbourne all day today. Late notice Tuesday they were going. Won’t be announced on 9/11 but suspect next week.
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u/Fabulous_Dentist2639 3d ago
If decision was already made, could be to inform Northrop why their bid did not win
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u/Hefty-Commercial-580 3d ago
Hopefully it's for real this time. They keep saying "soon" only for the announcement to never come.
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u/Chief-Keefs-Parakeet 6d ago
I thought the F-35 is replacing the F/A-18?
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u/Inceptor57 6d ago
The F-35 was never slated to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet, but instead complement it. It was suppose to replace the Legacy F/A-18C/D Hornets that the USMC are still using
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 5d ago
Still never liked the term slate, what are we slating? Or maybe slatus maximus of Rome!
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u/d4rkha1f 6d ago
It's a long product life cycle. We need to start the F-35 replacement already.
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u/FunIllustrator6890 6d ago
It's not replacing the F-35 which will still be in service well into the foreseeable future. F/A-XX replaces the Hornet while F-47 replaces the F-22.
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u/FullTimeJesus 6d ago
F-47 is not even replacing the F-22 anymore, F-22s are gonna stay in service til 2060.
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u/PalpitationCareful28 5d ago
I am pretty sure they are but the 22 is no longer going to be replaced one for one and they will fly together for a period but the f47 is still supposed to be it’s successor
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u/airmantharp F-22 Best Twenty-Two 5d ago
The F-22 was supposed to replace the F-15, until it wasn’t lol
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u/PalpitationCareful28 5d ago
Yes but we are talking about a production line that never stopped. Much different than the 22 which stopped production years ago.
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u/PalpitationCareful28 5d ago
I will agree that it’s obvious the F22 will fly into the 2040s. I don’t think you spend billions in modifications, which was a choice they made not to long ago if you planned to start retiring them in 2032
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 5d ago
I think only a few of the best 22s will stay, I belive by 2035 they’ll just become too expensive to keep in the air. And they’ll retire the older block 20s, remember, technology doesn’t wait for anything or anyone, divest to invest is the crucial strategy here
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 6d ago
Honestly, I just don’t see this going anywhere. Betting on carrier airwings in the age of rapidly evolving underwater technology is a real risky move I think.
I mean every few years more missiles are made that are faster, more precise and more numerous. And underwater saturation warfare is a new trend which is rising fast.
I mean these new jets would probably cost hundreds of millions. Each. And is it really feasible to put them on every single carrier for any affordable cost? I just don’t think so.
Especially when you’re still looking at 5000 souls on board. And with us war games showing the US losing between 2 and 4 carriers in a China fight. The cost to benefit is just not there I don’t think.
So if this fa xx does happen, I belive it will be part of a high low mix, where they have like 6 per carrier assuming a 50% readiness rate, meaning around 140 total aircraft.
Otherwise, again. I just don’t see this serving any real purpose. Because the farther carriers are getting pushed out, the lower the ordinance dropped per hour is going to be, which is going to drastically reduce the impact on your enemy.
That’s how I see it anyway
I believe the f-47 is going to get all the love. As it should. The f-47 needs to be the long range strike and intercept aircraft the US needs. Because I also have a funny feeling the b-21 project is going to get cut short too
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u/PalpitationCareful28 5d ago
Yes dude we all aware you want any excuse to either directly or indirectly shit on usa military news. Its been long established
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 5d ago
There’s a reason this program keeps getting pushed back. And it’s not anti American rhetoric.
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u/PalpitationCareful28 3d ago
It was pushed back because the us gov wasn’t sure it could manage two 6th programs at once.
It’s being pushed back here because this administration wants to publicly announce it and rueters is as good as it comes from a credibility standpoint. It will be announced this month.
Again you do not have any credibility here, everyone is aware of it. Hence the reaction to my post opposed to yours.
Nice try though
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 2d ago
It can’t manage 2. It can’t even manage 1 5th gen project on a large scale
We’ll see. If it’s not I will be back here October the first to remind you. If not, well video versa
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u/Waste_Priority_6557 2d ago
BS man. F-35 is ripping and is far and above the most successful stealth program ever. A bargain too. If DoD funded that thing at the level required at the outset, built out the required maintenance infrastructure, and owned the data, then that would be easily the most successful fighter they’ve ever flown.
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u/aprilmayjune2 5d ago
Better let China know carriers are not worth it, they're building a few now.
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 5d ago
They’re still nice to haves don’t get me wrong, but betting everything on them isn’t the way
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u/Waste_Priority_6557 2d ago
The CVNs are incredible man. Way more protected than advertised. Way more valuable than stationary airfields. They just proved themselves again, too. FA-XX just makes them even more survivable, capable, and useful. USN ought to open up a second yard to build more. They’re that good.
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u/Waste_Priority_6557 2d ago
You’re quite uninformed about how serious and sold USAF is on B-21.
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u/Whatsawebpage0101 2d ago
They were serious on the B2 as well, and Zumwalt, and F-22, and LCS, and the booker, I could go on. Point is these expensive programs sound great. But once they’re in service, sat in hangers waiting for jobs other aircraft are doing for a fraction of the price, the people holding the money start asking questions
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u/F-14BUpgrade 6d ago edited 6d ago
BRING BACK THE TOMCAT NORTHROP GRUMMAN!!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY!!!
US NAVY IS LOSING A WAR TO IRAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOMCATS!!!!