Will the US Navy F/A-XX and the USAF F-47 compete for production capacities?
Artistic rendering of the F/A-XX jet. (Photo: US Navy)
The two sixth-generation fighter programmes could battle for engineering talent and production lines before deliveries begin, testing Boeing’s industrial expansion plans.
Boeing’s selection for the US$20 billion US Navy’s (USN) F/A-XX initiative puts the company at the centre of both American sixth-generation fighter programmes, raising questions about whether the carrier-based aircraft and the US Air Force’s F-47 will compete for engineering talent, suppliers and manufacturing capacity.
The company plans to build both F/A-XX and F-47 in its facilities in St Louis, Missouri. At this location, it manufactures other military aircraft already contractually committed, such as the F-15EX, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and T-7A Red Hawk.
With this background, the development work for the USAF and USN efforts could start competing for
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