The U.S. Navy will pick a builder for its F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter next year, according to the CEO of one of the companies vying for the job—even though the service gutted funding for the program in its most recent budget request.
“We have not received any updates that would suggest the Navy is changing their approach. They are in competition now for selection to occur next year,” Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden said during the company’s second-quarter 2024 earnings call Thursday.
Service leaders have cast doubt on the Pentagon’s next-generation fighter programs in recent months. In June, Air Force officials declined to commit to building their NGAD. Even earlier this year, the Navy cut $1 billion from the F/A-XX line in its 2025 budget proposal, and some lawmakers want to cut it even more.
“In terms of our overall collection of opportunities, we continue to believe that the Department of Defense will move forward with sixth-generation platforms. The timing is a bit in flux on many of them as they sort out budget priorities, but we are confident that we’re well positioned when and if they do move forward,” Warden said.
Northrop announced last year that it would not will not compete to build the Air Force’s NGAD program, leaving Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the running, but left the door open to vying for the Navy’s F/A-XX, which is intended to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Lockheed and Boeing are the only two U.S. companies that currently build fighter jets. But Northrop builds the Air Force’s B-21 bomber and supplies many parts for Lockheed’s F-35 and Boeing’s F/A-18s.
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