Pentagon: Boeing awarded 20-billion contract for the Navy’s new fighter jet

Boeing has been awarded a contract worth over 20 billion dollars for the US Navy’s futuristic fighter jet. The Pentagon made the announcement following years of behind-the-scenes competition and several false alarms regarding the award of the contract. The Seattle-based giant’s victory in the F/A-XX competition means that the company’s sixth-generation aircraft will replace the Super Hornet fleet, on which the Navy has long relied and which was recently deployed in the Middle East.

The go-ahead came after months of disagreements between the White House, the Pentagon, lawmakers and the industry. The twists and turns of the saga and the rumours surrounding the timing of the award have been closely monitored by defence analysts. Boeing pipped Northrop Grumman to the post, whilst Lockheed Martin had been ruled out of the competition at an earlier stage.

Few details have been revealed about the final design of the fighter aircraft that will complement the F-35, which is also available in short-take-off and carrier-based variants. Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, voiced his support for the project during his confirmation hearing, telling Congress that the Navy ‘must have an air wing comprising the most advanced strike fighters’. Boeing is also developing the F-47 for the Air Force, which was previously unveiled during a speech in the Oval Office attended by President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

This contract award further strengthens the aerospace giant’s defence division in what has already been a positive week: on Monday, NASA announced that it expects to carry out up to five crewed missions to the International Space Station using Boeing’s Starliner capsule, thereby giving new impetus to a programme that has so far been plagued by technical problems.

The contract also represents a major victory for Boeing, which is facing a new setback in the certification process for its lucrative programme 737 Max programme. US regulatory authorities are assessing the severity of a new software fault; this assessment risks slowing down aircraft deliveries and adversely affecting the manufacturer’s financial results.