Pentagon awards Boeing fresh Navy fighter-jet deal worth US$20b

An aerial view of the National Mall, including the Washington Monument, the US Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin and the Pentagon from Air Force One as it departs on September 26, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The Pentagon has chosen Boeing to build the Navy’s next-generation fighter jets in a contract valued at US$20 billion, US officials announced Tuesday. — Getty Images pic via AFP

First Published: Wednesday, 30 Sep 2026 9:03 AM MYT

NEW YORK, Sept 30 — The Pentagon has chosen Boeing to build the Navy’s next-generation fighter jets in a contract valued at US$20 billion (RM81.6 billion), US officials announced Tuesday.

The contract is to produce F/A-XX aircraft or “strike fighters” under the “Next Generation Air Dominance Program,” a Pentagon statement said, adding that the new jets would replace the legacy “Super Hornets” fleet beginning in the 2030s.

The announcement marks the second time Boeing has been selected by the Pentagon during the second Trump administration for a sixth-generation weapons system. In March 2025, Trump announced that the Air Force chose Boeing to build a new stealth fighter.

“Delivering two advanced fighters in parallel was always our plan, and we invested accordingly. We are ready and able to build multiple concurrent future combat aircraft franchise programmes,” said Steve Parker, head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

“The F/A-XX platform represents a crucial, non-negotiable investment in America’s national security and long-term air combat capabilities,” said Pentagon undersecretary Michael Duffey. “We are joining forces with Boeing to field these capabilities.”

Boeing said construction was continuing at the company’s “secure manufacturing” facility in St. Louis, which the company said is the largest of its kind in the United States.

“The technical and programmatic details of F/A-XX remain classified under US national security and export laws,” Boeing said.

Boeing was competing for the contract with Northrop Grumman.

“For F/A-XX, Northrop Grumman offered a highly survivable, digitally advanced sixth-generation fighter to the US Navy,” Northrop said Tuesday. “We look forward to receiving additional information about their selection.”

At a May 2026 hearing, Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, told a Senate panel that the next-generation system needed to “extend the reach, survivability and lethality,” expected to work with unmanned systems.

“Failure to field next-generation carrier aviation capability on schedule will introduce risk to air superiority, strike reach and the long-term viability of carrier-based operations in contested environments,” Caudle said.

Shares of Boeing rose 2.4 per cent in after-hours trading, while Northrop Grumman dropped 3.6 per cent. — AFP