Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle stressed that the sixth-gen fighter jet was urgently needed to replace the US Navy’s existing fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.

The US Navy needs the F/A-XX sixth-generation stealth fighter jet as soon as possible, the most senior officer in the Navy said.  

Speaking at a conference, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle said that the Navy needs the F/A-XX program moving forward toward an operational capability.  

About the US Navy’s F/A-XX Program  

The F/A-XX program will provide the Navy with a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet.  

“When things heated up in Iran, guess who steamed over there, right? It was the United States Navy and the Abraham Lincoln strike group,” the CNO said about the situation in Iran last summer when the US military launched precision strikes against the regime’s nuclear weapons program. 

“Imagine what that looks like in ten years from now, with a different Iran, with different capability [that] can go against the F-18 capabilities of today,” Caudle added.  

The Air Force is already moving with a similar aircraft under the F-47 project, also known as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. In 2025, the Air Force awarded Boeing the contract for the air superiority fighter jet.  

The Chief of Naval Operations is the most senior officer in the US Navy. 

“I know these things are expensive, and I know the defense industrial base is compressed, but we have got to figure out how to walk and chew gum here with aircraft,” Caudle stated.

This remark is a direct request by the CNO for a capability that could ensure the Navy’s air dominance over the future battlefield. Practitioners on the ground do not care how much a program costs or whether the defense and aerospace industry can take on another cutting-edge and complex acquisition program. Rather, they care about the capabilities that will allow them to prevail on the battlefield.  

The F/A-XX is well behind schedule. Congress had previously expected the Navy to award a contract in 2025—and the program might have faced serious issues if it had not unilaterally decided to give the Navy an additional $1 billion in funds in the 2026 budget for the sixth-generation stealth fighter jet.

The F/A-XX Will Be a True Sixth-Gen Fighter—If It Ever Flies

The Navy’s most senior officer also provided some interesting insight on the expected capabilities of the F/A-XX. First, the aircraft will work alongside the military’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Second, it is expected to have electronic warfare capabilities. Unlike the F-47, which is currently intended to be a purely air superiority fighter jet, the F/A-XX will be a multirole aircraft, similar to the F-35 Lightning II. Finally, the Navy intends to use the new stealth fighter jet alongside unmanned stealth refueling systems.  

“The next-generation airframe, F/A-XX is so vital,” Caudle said. “It’s vital because of, one, the CCAs it will command and control. Its penetration — the [EA-18G] Growlers won’t last forever, so it’ll be our electronic attack airplane as well. Its range will be coupled with the MQ-25 [Stingray] for clandestine refueling and organic refueling from the carrier.” 

The F/A-XX is clearly one of the most important acquisition projects for the Navy, and its progress can shape the warfighting capabilities of the fleet for years to come.  

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.   

Image: Shutterstock / Miguel Lagoa.

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