{"id":1287065,"date":"2026-05-27T10:19:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T08:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T10:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:42:21","slug":"f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/","title":{"rendered":"F\/A-XX: The Pentagon Picks the Navy&#8217;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\nThe most important procurement decision in American naval aviation this decade will be made in August. Two companies \u2014 Boeing and Northrop Grumman \u2014 are competing for the F\/A-XX contract, the programme to build the United States Navy&#8217;s sixth-generation carrier-based fighter. The loser walks away with nothing. The winner defines what lands on American flight decks for the next fifty years.\n\nDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the timeline during congressional testimony in April 2026. The Navy&#8217;s top admiral has echoed it. And Congress has put real money behind the words: approximately $1.69 billion has been appropriated to keep the F\/A-XX moving \u2014 including $750 million specifically earmarked to support the contract decision itself.\n\nThis is not a study. It is not a concept. It is a downselect with a date on it.\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#eef2f7;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#333;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;color:#444;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Programme:<\/strong> F\/A-XX Next Generation Fighter (NGF) \u2014 Navy 6th-generation carrier fighter<\/li><li><strong>Decision:<\/strong> Downselect expected August 2026<\/li><li><strong>Competitors:<\/strong> Boeing and Northrop Grumman (Lockheed Martin eliminated early 2025)<\/li><li><strong>Funding:<\/strong> ~$1.69 billion appropriated, including $750 million for the contract decision (through FY2029)<\/li><li><strong>Replaces:<\/strong> F\/A-18E\/F Super Hornet<\/li><li><strong>Key requirement:<\/strong> Carrier-compatible, long-range, stealthy, networked with uncrewed wingmen<\/li><li><strong>Context:<\/strong> Europe&#8217;s SCAF 6th-gen programme collapsed in early 2026, making F\/A-XX the world&#8217;s most advanced naval fighter effort<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Boeing vs. Northrop Grumman<\/h2>\n\nLockheed Martin \u2014 builder of the F-35 and F-22 \u2014 was eliminated from the F\/A-XX competition in early 2025 after its proposal failed to meet programme requirements. That left Boeing and Northrop Grumman as the two remaining contenders.\n\nBoth companies have been extraordinarily tight-lipped about their designs. The programme is classified at a level that makes even the F-47 look transparent. But in April 2026, Northrop Grumman broke the silence with a polished concept video showing a tailless naval fighter on the deck of a Ford-class carrier \u2014 the most detailed public rendering either competitor has produced.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1410470148  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/uss-ford-flight-deck-6th-gen-fighter.jpg\" alt=\"USS Gerald R. Ford flight deck\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford \u2014 the F\/A-XX sixth-generation fighter is designed to operate from these decks alongside F-35Cs and MQ-25 Stingray tanker drones. US Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\nThe concept showed a large, flying-wing-type aircraft with no vertical tail surfaces \u2014 a design that maximises stealth and range at the expense of traditional agility. If the final aircraft resembles the concept, the F\/A-XX will look nothing like the Super Hornet it replaces.\n\nBoeing, which built the Super Hornet and the ill-fated X-32 Joint Strike Fighter prototype, has shown nothing publicly. Whatever Boeing is proposing remains behind the classification wall.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why August Matters<\/h2>\n\nThe F\/A-XX downselect is the culmination of a programme that has been in conceptual development since the early 2010s. The Navy has known for more than a decade that the Super Hornet \u2014 first flown in 1995 \u2014 will eventually reach the limits of what a fourth-generation airframe can absorb in terms of upgrades. The F-35C provides stealth and sensor fusion but lacks the range, payload, and raw performance that a purpose-built air superiority fighter demands.\n\nThe F\/A-XX is designed to fill that gap: a carrier-compatible sixth-generation platform with long range, low observability, advanced electronic warfare, and deep integration with uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft. It is the Navy&#8217;s answer to China&#8217;s J-35 and whatever comes after it.\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. It is a critical capability that we need to fund for the future of naval aviation.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth<\/strong> &mdash; Congressional testimony, April 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The SCAF Collapse Changes the Calculus<\/h2>\n\nThe timing of the F\/A-XX decision is especially significant in light of the early-2026 collapse of Europe&#8217;s SCAF programme \u2014 the Franco-German-Spanish attempt to build a sixth-generation fighter. With SCAF dead and the UK-Italy-Japan GCAP programme still years from hardware, the F\/A-XX is now the most advanced sixth-generation naval fighter programme on earth.\n\nThat puts immense pressure on the August decision. Whatever the Navy picks will not only define American carrier aviation but also set the benchmark that allied navies measure against. The Royal Navy, the French Navy, and eventually the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force will all be watching.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">$1.69 Billion and Counting<\/h2>\n\nThe nearly $1.7 billion in Congressional funding \u2014 including the $750 million earmarked for the contract decision \u2014 signals that lawmakers are serious about keeping the timeline. In a defence budget environment where programmes routinely slip, that kind of money speaks louder than any press release.\n\nAugust 2026. Two companies. One contract. The fighter that launches from American carriers in the 2030s and beyond is about to be chosen. Whatever emerges from behind the classification wall will define naval air power for half a century.\n\n<em>Sources: USNI News, The War Zone, FlightGlobal, 19FortyFive, Bloomberg<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The most important procurement decision in American naval aviation this decade will be made in August. Two companies \u2014 Boeing and Northrop Grumman \u2014 are competing for the F\/A-XX contract, the programme to build the United States Navy&#8217;s sixth-generation carrier-based fighter. The loser walks away with nothing. The winner defines what lands on American flight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":1287041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1287065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy&#039;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy&#039;s 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"F\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy&#039;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy&#039;s 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MiGFlug.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"856\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800\"},\"headline\":\"F\\\/A-XX: The Pentagon Picks the Navy&#8217;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":776,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/05\\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/\",\"name\":\"F\\\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy's 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/05\\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800\"},\"description\":\"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\\\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy's 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/05\\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/05\\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":856,\"caption\":\"PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 30, 2016) An F\\\/A-18E Super Hornet from the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). The ship is underway conducting Tailored Ship's Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA\\\/FEP), which evaluates the crew on their performance during training drills and real-world scenarios. Once Nimitz completes TSTA\\\/FEP they will begin Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) and Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for an upcoming 2017 deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Chad D. Anderson\\\/Released)161130-N-YK236-055 Join the conversation: http:\\\/\\\/www.navy.mil\\\/viewGallery.asp http:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/USNavy http:\\\/\\\/www.twitter.com\\\/USNavy http:\\\/\\\/navylive.dodlive.mil http:\\\/\\\/pinterest.com https:\\\/\\\/plus.google.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"F\\\/A-XX: The Pentagon Picks the Navy&#8217;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug.com Blog\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800\",\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Duncan\"},\"description\":\"Joseph is the fastest pen in the newsroom. When the Pentagon drops a press release at 5 PM on a Friday, his article is live before most people finish reading the headline. Sharp, witty, and allergic to jargon, he turns breaking defence news into stories that are as entertaining as they are informative.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/josephduncan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"F\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy's 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026","description":"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy's 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"F\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy's 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026","og_description":"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy's 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/","og_site_name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","article_published_time":"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":856,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Duncan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Duncan","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Duncan","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800"},"headline":"F\/A-XX: The Pentagon Picks the Navy&#8217;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August","datePublished":"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/"},"wordCount":776,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/","name":"F\/A-XX: Pentagon to Pick Navy's 6th-Gen Fighter in August 2026","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-27T08:19:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-17T08:42:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800"},"description":"Boeing and Northrop Grumman compete for the F\/A-XX \u2014 the Navy's 6th-generation carrier fighter. $2.4B funded, downselect in August 2026.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/fa-18e-super-hornet-carrier-launch-faxx-replacement.jpg","width":1280,"height":856,"caption":"PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 30, 2016) An F\/A-18E Super Hornet from the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). The ship is underway conducting Tailored Ship's Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA\/FEP), which evaluates the crew on their performance during training drills and real-world scenarios. Once Nimitz completes TSTA\/FEP they will begin Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) and Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for an upcoming 2017 deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Chad D. Anderson\/Released)161130-N-YK236-055 Join the conversation: http:\/\/www.navy.mil\/viewGallery.asp http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/USNavy http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/USNavy http:\/\/navylive.dodlive.mil http:\/\/pinterest.com https:\/\/plus.google.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-a-xx-the-pentagon-picks-the-navys-6th-gen-fighter-in-august\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"F\/A-XX: The Pentagon Picks the Navy&#8217;s 6th-Gen Fighter in August"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed38e73f51a5891bfb3da9b272b2800","name":"Joseph Duncan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joseph Duncan"},"description":"Joseph is the fastest pen in the newsroom. When the Pentagon drops a press release at 5 PM on a Friday, his article is live before most people finish reading the headline. Sharp, witty, and allergic to jargon, he turns breaking defence news into stories that are as entertaining as they are informative.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/josephduncan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1287065"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2187792,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287065\/revisions\/2187792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1287041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1287065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1287065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1287065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}