The Pentagon is expected to choose the company to design and produce the F/A-XX stealth aircraft as soon as this week, Reuters reports, citing a US official and other informed sources, RT reported.
The F/A-XX, which is planned to feature advanced stealth capabilities, improved range, and the ability to integrate with drones and carrier based air defenses, is seen as central in efforts to counter China, the agency said in an article on Tuesday.
The new carrier-based jet will replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet, which has been around since the 1990s, it added.
Hegseth made the decision to stick with the F/A-XX last Friday, according to the sources.
The winner of the competition for the multibillion-dollar project between Boeing and Northrop Grumman could be named within days, they said, adding that delays are possible.
The F/A-XX program had been stalled through spring and summer by a funding dispute between the Department of War and Congress.
The Pentagon was looking to keep it on “minimal development funding,” as some officials expressed concerns about engineering and supply chain capacity, while lawmakers and the Navy pushed for the project to be accelerated, according to Reuters.
Eventually, Congress put $750 billion to speed up the F/A-XX development into US President Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, which was signed into law in early July. It earmarked an additional $1.4 billion for the project in fiscal year 2026.
The first serial F/A-XXs are expected to enter service in the 2030s. The quantity of the jets to be produced, their value, and the exact timelines of the program remain classified, the agency said.
China is reportedly rapidly developing at least two sixth-generation stealth fighter jets, with several images of their prototypes performing flight tests appearing on social media over the past year. One of them is believed to be the J-36, a large aircraft with a tailless design and a rare three-engine setup. The other, described as the J-50, is reportedly a smaller jet with V-shaped wings.