Boeing Lands $20 Billion Contract for Next-Generation Stealth Fighter

Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) secured a contract worth more than $20 billion to develop the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation stealth fighter, beating Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC). The contract marks Boeing's second major sixth-generation fighter program in two years and gives its St. Louis defense operations a significant new project.

The F/A-XX will replace the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers in the 2030s, bringing advanced stealth capabilities, greater range, and integration with crewed and uncrewed systems. Pentagon acquisition chief Michael Duffey called the aircraft a 'crucial, non-negotiable investment' in long-term U.S. air-combat capability.

The contract follows Boeing's 2025 win over Lockheed Martin for the Air Force's F-47 development program, another $20 billion deal. The award comes after repeated delays and supply-chain capacity issues that had pushed the program back by as much as three years before Congress intervened with funding.