The U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX 6th generation fighter has entered Operational Test (OT&E) and Live Fire (LF&E) Evaluation as the aircraft makes headway towards a final contract award.
The U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX has transitioned from its long standing Developmental Test and Evaluation period to a combination of Developmental Testing (DT), Operational Testing (OT), and Live Fire (LF) evaluation last month within the the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation amid rumors of cancellations and contract awards.
The transition occurred between December 2024 and April 2025—in the first quarter of FY2025.
U.S. officials reported that the F/A-XX was in late stages of development during a hearing in front of the House Armed Services Committee in April. At that time, the program was in source selection environment between two remaining bidders for the aircraft. U.S. officials confirmed to Naval News that a contract has not been awarded, but is expected soon. At the same time, the program has received additional funding in bills passed through Congress.
“Design maturation efforts remain on track and the program is now considered to be in a source selection environment.”
House Armed Services Hearing on Tactical Aviation and Land Forces
Northrop Grumman and Boeing are the final contractors for the F/A-XX. Breaking Defense reported in March that Lockheed Martin’s bid was no longer satisfactory to the program’s criteria, knocking the F-35 manufacturer out of the program and dealing the first of two blows to the company. Boeing then beat out Lockheed Martin to win the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter contract just two weeks later.
Northrop Grumman and Boeing have declined to comment further on F/A-XX progress during FY2025 Q1 earning calls, explaining that available information is solely what U.S. Navy and Pentagon officials have revealed to the public.
The design, according to U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, will feature a 25% increase in range compared to current tactical aviation platforms like the F/A-18E/F and F-35C. The 6th generation fighter will be purpose-built with the intent to operate closely with unmanned aircraft in a ‘man-on-the-loop’ style control process.
Commander of Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR) Vice Admiral Daniel Cheever outlined more expectations of F/A-XX in the 2025 Naval Aviation Playbook released this March, which The War Zone was first to report on while reporting on rumors of the program’s delay and possible cancellation. Cancellation was a possibility first brought to light in a Reuters report last month.
“The Navy remains committed to the F/A-XX program, recognizing its importance in future force structure and design. Efforts are underway to balance near-term investments with the development of this next-generation platform.”
COMNAVAIRFOR 2025 Naval Aviation Playbook
Like The War Zone, Naval News is unable to verify if the information provided to Reuters is accurate.
Ken Calvert (R-CA), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on Defense (HAC-D), pushed back against any attempts to sabotage the U.S. Navy’s current fielding plans for F/A-XX during an oversight hearing in May, pushing back against the rumors of funding changes and cancellations. With such pushback from the U.S. Navy and legislative officials, it is unclear what path the Pentagon will take, if any.
“We need sixth generation fighters. The U.S. Navy needs sixth generation fighters. I am concerned that any hesitancy on our part to proceed with the planned procurement of sixth generation fighters for the Navy will leave us dangerously outmatched in a China fight. We cannot wait.”
Ken Calvert (R-CA)
A delay or cancellation will leave the U.S. Navy without a critical aircraft it sees as a must-have for future warfare in contested environments—on the heels of the U.S. Navy’s cancelled Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive (HALO) missile which it saw as critical to the future carrier air wing.
According to the latest budgets put out by the United States Congress, F/A-XX is receiving $750 million in funding to accelerate the program. The Pentagon does not support the additional funding and objected to the additional funding of the aircraft, and the program’s long-term future remains a question with growing dissatisfaction in the Pentagon—a feeling that Congress does not sympathize with.
