The US Department of Defence has selected Boeing to manufacture the US Navy’s next-generation fighter aircraft, known at this stage as the F/A-XX. The contract is valued at more than $20 billion, making the award a significant public procurement decision in the defence sector.
Production capacity is part of the procurement picture
Boeing is currently building a secured production site in St Louis, Missouri, described as the largest of its kind in the United States. The facility is relevant to the award because the contract is for a new aircraft expected to enter service alongside an existing fighter fleet, rather than for a one-off supply. Boeing says it is prepared and able to build multiple fighters simultaneously across several programmes. The statement is the company’s own assessment of its capacity, while the source gives no schedule for construction of the site, no production volume and no breakdown of the contract’s value beyond the figure of more than $20 billion.
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Selected contractor | Boeing |
| Customer | US Navy |
| Aircraft designation | F/A-XX |
| Contract value | More than $20 billion |
| Aircraft it is intended to replace | F/A-18E Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler |
| Other aircraft it is intended to operate alongside | F-35C |
| Competing company | Northrop Grumman |
| Production site | St Louis, Missouri |
We are prepared and capable to build multiple fighters simultaneously from multiple programmes.
WHY IT MATTERS
A major defence procurement can shape industrial capacity as well as military capability. Here, the Pentagon has selected a supplier through a competition involving Boeing and Northrop Grumman, while Boeing is developing production capacity for the F/A-XX and another advanced fighter programme.
Reported from economica.net, 2026-09-30. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
