U.S. Navy Accelerates F/A-XX Sixth-Gen Fighter to Counter China’s Long-Range Missile Threat.

The Pentagon has approved $750 million to accelerate the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter ahead of a critical program milestone decision. The move aims to preserve carrier strike group survivability and long-range air dominance as China expands anti-ship missile ranges and integrated air defense networks.

The Pentagon is moving to speed the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter toward a program decision that will shape whether carrier air wings can penetrate modern air-defense networks, hold targets at greater distance, and survive long-range missile threats in the 2030s, according to Bloomberg. The shift follows White House approval of a plan that directs $750 million to accelerate the aircraft ahead of a milestone decision, after earlier internal resistance tied to concerns that the defense industrial base could not build two sixth-generation fighters at once while Boeing develops the Air Force’s F-47 under NGAD.
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The Pentagon is accelerating the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier fighter to sustain air dominance in the 2030s, advancing a stealthier, longer-range networked jet combining sensors, electronic attack, and manned-unmanned teaming to operate inside air-defense and missile threat rings (Picture source: Boeing).

What makes the decision consequential is the gap it is designed to close. The Navy’s carrier strike groups face a geometry problem in the Indo-Pacific: the distance from sea space to defended targets is growing as Chinese anti-ship missiles, aircraft, and sensors push carriers farther out. Even as the Navy fields the F-35C, its air wing still relies heavily on Super Hornets for mass, weapons carriage, and daily sortie generation, while the E/A-18G Growler provides escort jamming. F/A-XX is intended to replace the F/A-18E/F in the 2030s and, increasingly, absorb parts of the Growler mission set as that fleet ages.

The $750 million is tied to critical design, risk reduction, and technology maturation aimed at supporting a milestone decision that would select a path into full development and production. At the same time, the formal fiscal 2026 defense request reflected hesitation, with the Navy seeking significantly reduced funding compared with the prior year, suggesting the program was being slowed even as threat pressure mounted. Congress has since signaled strong support for moving forward and avoiding a prolonged pause that could widen the capability gap.

Because much of F/A-XX remains classified, the aircraft is best understood through the capability bundle the Navy has outlined. Officials have indicated the aircraft targets roughly a 25 percent range increase over today’s carrier tactical jets. That range objective is less about a single performance figure than about reshaping the design baseline: higher fuel fraction, improved aerodynamic efficiency, and propulsion advances that maintain carrier suitability under catapult launch and arrested recovery stresses while preserving a deck footprint compatible with crowded flight decks and hangar elevators.

F/A-XX is widely expected to reflect sixth-generation design priorities, including a tailless or near-tailless configuration to enhance broadband low observability, careful edge alignment to reduce radar returns, and deeply integrated sensor apertures. Internal weapons bays are expected to accommodate long-range air-to-air missiles and maritime strike weapons without compromising stealth. The remaining competitors, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, are both associated with blended-body concepts that prioritize signature management and thermal control over traditional high-alpha visual maneuverability.

The operational logic is that F/A-XX will function not only as a fighter but as a command-and-control node. Navy leadership has tied the program to the ability to control collaborative combat aircraft and to penetrate contested airspace with embedded electronic attack capability. In practice, this implies an aircraft designed to operate inside dense electromagnetic environments, equipped with advanced digital radar arrays capable of functioning as sensors, jammers, and communications relays. Low-probability-of-intercept datalinks and onboard processing power would fuse passive and active inputs into weapons-quality tracks, enabling the aircraft to orchestrate distributed strike packages.

That architecture could compress roles that currently require separate aircraft for strike, escort, jamming, and battle management. By integrating electronic warfare and networked targeting functions into a stealth platform, the Navy would reduce reliance on legacy Growlers and increase survivability during the opening phases of conflict. When paired with the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based refueling drone, F/A-XX would benefit from extended time on station and deeper reach without exposing vulnerable tanker aircraft to advanced anti-access systems.

Acceleration also reflects industrial and strategic considerations. Boeing’s work on the Air Force’s F-47 under the Next Generation Air Dominance program creates both risk and opportunity. There is a risk that the aerospace supply base becomes saturated, but also an opportunity to leverage digital engineering practices, advanced materials, and mission-system architectures across multiple sixth-generation platforms. For Northrop Grumman, F/A-XX offers a pathway back into high-rate fighter production while building on stealth manufacturing experience gained through strategic bomber programs.

The international environment further pressures U.S. timelines. China is transitioning toward catapult-enabled carrier aviation, expanding the range and payload potential of its embarked air wings. Development of carrier-capable stealth fighters and airborne early warning aircraft suggests Beijing aims to field a more integrated and networked maritime airpower model. Beyond fifth-generation systems, China has revealed experimental tailless aircraft configurations that analysts assess as aligned with next-generation air combat experimentation.

Russia continues to modernize around the Su-57 and associated unmanned teaming concepts, while promoting the lighter Su-75 as a future export-oriented platform. However, industrial and propulsion constraints have slowed large-scale production and limited Moscow’s ability to field a numerically significant fifth-generation fleet. Even so, Russian doctrine emphasizes long-range missile employment and layered air defenses, reinforcing the need for the U.S. Navy to field aircraft capable of penetrating sophisticated integrated air defense systems.

Among NATO allies, sixth-generation ambitions are also underway. The United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan are collaborating on the Global Combat Air Programme targeting service entry in the mid-2030s. France, Germany, and Spain are pursuing the Future Combat Air System, though industrial disagreements and workshare disputes have complicated progress. These allied efforts will shape interoperability standards for sensors, datalinks, and weapons, and U.S. decisions on F/A-XX will influence how seamlessly carrier air wings integrate with future NATO air combat architectures.

The Pentagon’s decision to accelerate F/A-XX does not guarantee rapid fielding or cost stability, but it signals recognition that carrier air dominance cannot be deferred. As adversaries extend their sensor reach and anti-ship missile envelopes, the survivability and effectiveness of the carrier strike group will depend on aircraft capable of operating farther, striking deeper, and coordinating distributed forces in contested electromagnetic environments. The upcoming milestone decision will therefore determine not only which industrial team prevails, but whether the U.S. Navy preserves a credible, survivable first-day strike capability in an era defined by long-range precision and networked warfare.