Navy officials had previously said that a contract could be awarded for the F/A-XX later this year.

Reuters has reported that the United States Navy is dropping aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin from its F/A-XX competition. This program seeks to develop a replacement for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Citing sources “familiar with the decision,” the report claims that the U.S. Navy will move forward with designs from aerospace rivals Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

Neither Lockheed Martin nor the U.S. Navy has commented on the decision. Still, sources told the news agency that the offering from Lockheed Martin failed to meet “the necessary criteria to move forward.” The Navy has also reportedly been waiting to make any formal announcement regarding the program until a secretary of the navy had been confirmed.

John Phelan, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, had a congressional hearing last month, but he may be the latest nominee to face an uphill battle with lawmakers. Phelan has no military experience, but has touted his management skills, which he said would help address the service’s ongoing shipbuilding delays, cost overruns and maintenance issues. No confirmation vote is currently scheduled.

In written responses to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Phelan explained his thoughts on the program, “the F/A-XX next-generation aircraft, offering significant advancements in operational reach and capacity within contested environments, is intended to enable Carrier Strike Groups to outpace adversaries while maintaining naval air dominance.”

He added, “I also understand the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are collaborating closely to ensure interoperability through shared enabling technologies like autonomy, mission systems, and communication architectures. This collaborative approach, encompassing both manned and unmanned platforms, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), will maximize operational effectiveness and flexibility across the services. In my view, aligning technology development and operational requirements will ensure the Services are poised to fully leverage next-generation unmanned systems, ultimately enhancing capabilities and long-range mission effectiveness.”

Navy officials had previously said that a contract could be awarded for the F/A-XX later this year. That could likely include multiple contractors with competing designs as the service continues to weigh its options. At this point, it would seem that Boeing and Northrop Grumman are the finalists. Pratt & Whitney and OEMS GE Aerospace have also been named as competing to secure the F/A-XX’s engine contract.

Lockheed Martin’s Elimination From F/A-XX Came as a Surprise

Lockheed Martin’s elimination from the competition comes as a surprise to many, given that the company produces the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II in both a carrier-based configuration (F-35C), which is used exclusively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and the F-35B, the short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) variant that is operated by the USMC from the Navy’s amphibious assault ships.

The last production fighter aircraft produced by Northrop was the F-5 Tiger, which was employed by the U.S. Navy during the Cold War, and continued to use the fighter in its “adversary squadrons to simulate enemy aircraft in aerial combat training exercises,” the company noted on its website.

However, Northrop did famously compete in the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program—where its YF-23 went up against the Lockheed YF-22. In the end, the YF-22 won, resulting in the Air Force adopting the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor as its air superiority fighter. That program was also infamously cut short due to high costs and a changing geopolitical situation.

Northrop went on to produce the B-2 Spirit, the flying wing stealth bomber, while Northrop Grumman is now building its replacement, the B-21 Raider, which is set to enter service later this year.

Two decades before its 1994 merger with Northrop, Grumman also produced the famed F-14 Tomcat (seen in original Top Gun), the aircraft replaced by the F/A-18 at the end of the Cold War. 

Could the Air Force Resume the NGAD?

The U.S. Navy continues to move forward with its plans for a sixth-generation fighter, even as Trump advisor and close ally tech billionaire Elon Musk publicly derided the F-35 last year, suggesting only “idiots” were building manned fighters.

The Air Force had paused its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, citing the costs and concerns that technology is advancing so quickly that any aircraft would be rendered obsolete before it was produced in significant numbers.

There remains speculation the NGAD program could be resumed, and perhaps Lockheed Martin will focus its efforts towards that—especially as Northrop Grumman had voluntarily withdrawn from it last year, while leaving the door open to rejoin at a later date. 

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Shutterstock / MC Mediastudio.

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