The facts
On September 29, the Department of War announced that Boeing won the competition to build the Navy's F/A-XX sixth-generation carrier-based fighter, with a contract valued at more than $20 billion for the full-scale development phase. The contract covers multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing. The jet is expected to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler starting in the 2030s and fly alongside the F-35C and uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Boeing will now develop and build the crewed fighters for both the Navy's and the Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance programs, the company emphasized in its statement. "Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan, and we invested accordingly." said Steve Parker, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. "We are ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programs," he added.
The money arrives after a rough budget ride. The Navy's 2025 budget for the aircraft was cut 67 percent, with the $10.3 billion requested between 2025 and 2028 reduced to $3.3 billion. The Senate voted to restore $450 million, which would still leave a 59 percent cut. Earlier this year lawmakers allocated $897 million specifically to F/A-XX in the 2026 defense appropriations bill and mandated the Pentagon to award a development contract, with wording that called out the Defense Department for the slow pace of the program.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao called the award "a new era for the U.S. Navy," while Under Secretary of War Michael Duffey called the jet a "crucial, non-negotiable investment" in America's national security. Navy officials say the F/A-XX should have about 25 percent more range than the F-35C and better jamming than the Growler, and it is designed to control multiple uncrewed combat aircraft.
Our take
Let’s get one thing straight: this "plan" is a fucking fantasy. Boeing’s Steve Parker stands there with a straight face and says, "Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan, and we invested accordingly." What a load of absolute bullshit. The only thing Boeing invested in was enough lobbying money to get Congress to write a fucking law that forced the Pentagon to hand over the contract, after the DoD’s own sloth was called out in the appropriations bill. That’s not a plan, you prick, that’s a hostage situation.
And let’s talk about the money, because that’s the real joke here. The Navy’s own budget cunts slashed 67 percent from the request, taking a $10.3 billion ask down to a pathetic $3.3 billion. The Senate threw back a measly $450 million like they were tipping a stripper, still leaving the program nearly 60 percent fucked. Now, after this budget bloodbath, the same dickheads in uniform are calling this a "new era" and a "crucial, non-negotiable investment." Non-negotiable? Motherfuckers, you just negotiated it down to the goddamn studs.
So Boeing gets handed both of the nation’s next-gen fighter programs and a $20 billion check to build… what? A PowerPoint presentation? Some viewgraphs and a press release? Navy officials are out here promising 25 percent more range and better jamming, but right now the F/A-XX is a fucking drawing. It’s a concept art wankfest that won’t replace a single Super Hornet until the 2030s, by which time our "existing airframes" will be held together with duct tape and prayers.
Steve Parker says they’re "ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programs." Ready and able to collect the fucking check, you mean. This is the same company that can’t stop its passenger jets from trying to kill people, and now we’re trusting them with the future of naval aviation because Congress passed a law saying we have to. The plan was always the plan, you see. The plan just required the entire United States government to kick its own ass into gear so Boeing could cash in. What a bunch of grifting, self-important bastards.
