Boeing Rises, Lockheed Falls: US Fighter Jet Landscape Shifts
The landscape of American fighter jet production has undergone significant changes in recent years. For nearly three decades, Lockheed Martin held a near-monopoly on building stealth fighters for the US military, producing the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. However, this dominance was disrupted when Boeing won the contract for America's next fighter, the sixth-generation NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) program, in March 2025.
This marked a major shift in the industry, with Boeing now building not only the F-15EX and F/A-18 Super Hornet but also the cutting-edge F-47. Northrop Grumman, on the other hand, has largely withdrawn from fighter production to focus on its strengths: building bombers like the B-2 Spirit and its successor, the B-21 Raider.
The market is now increasingly dominated by new players, including General Atomics and Anduril, which are producing semi-autonomous 'loyal wingman' jets designed to fly alongside crewed fighters at a significantly lower cost. These developments signal a significant shift in the industry, with Lockheed Martin no longer holding its former grip on stealth fighter production.