Boeing Unveils New Rendering of F/A-XX Stealth Fighter
Boeing has officially won the tender to build the Navy's next-generation stealth fighter, F/A-XX. The company released a new rendering of the aircraft, which shows significant design changes from previous versions.
The F/A-XX is depicted as a large, tailless jet with a broad nose section that could house a giant active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The aircraft's wings have a positive dihedral and large trailing edge flaps extended for slow-speed terminal operations around the carrier.
One notable aspect of the design is its single-piece canopy, which appears to provide limited visibility to the rear. This has sparked speculation about the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to aid the single pilot in complex tactical situations.
The inclusion of canards has been a topic of debate in previous renderings of Boeing's F-47 and F/A-XX designs, with some suggesting they make more sense for naval fighters due to low-speed requirements. However, their presence is unclear in this new image.