WASHINGTON, February 24, 2026 : The White House has approved a Department of Defense plan to accelerate development of the U.S. Navy’s next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter, the F/A-XX, according to an 85-page Pentagon document recently transmitted to Congress and first reported by Bloomberg Government on February 23, 2026.
The authorization directs $750 million toward advancing the F/A-XX program, marking a significant policy shift after earlier hesitation within the Pentagon about funding two sixth-generation fighter programs simultaneously.
Funding Framework and Budget Structure
The $750 million allocation comes from a broader fiscal 2026 reconciliation tax-and-spending package totaling nearly $152 billion that was passed in 2025. The Pentagon informed Congress that the funds are specifically earmarked “to accelerate the F/A-XX aircraft.”
This funding stream is separate from the formal $893 billion fiscal year 2026 defense appropriations measure passed by Congress in January 2026.
Under that formal defense budget, the Navy requested $74 million for the F/A-XX program, a substantial reduction compared with the $454 million it had sought the previous year. The new $750 million allocation therefore represents a distinct and supplemental acceleration effort outside the regular defense appropriations process.
Program Background and Policy Reversal
The decision reverses earlier Pentagon caution regarding concurrent development of two separate sixth-generation fighter programs: the Navy’s F/A-XX and the Air Force’s F-47.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously expressed reluctance to support full-scale parallel funding of both programs, citing concerns that the domestic defense industrial base might lack the capacity to design and produce two advanced stealth aircraft simultaneously.
The Air Force’s F-47 stealth fighter program was awarded to Boeing in 2025 and has been progressing under that service’s Next Generation Air Dominance initiative. The Navy’s F/A-XX program forms part of its own Next Generation Air Dominance effort but remains structurally separate, although some technology development efforts may overlap.
With the White House approval, the Pentagon is now formally advancing the Navy’s program alongside the Air Force effort.
Role and Operational Requirements of F/A-XX
The F/A-XX is envisioned as the Navy’s sixth-generation carrier-based multirole strike fighter. It is designed to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet and operate in conjunction with the F-35C Lightning II.
The aircraft is intended for operations in high-threat environments and is expected to feature enhanced stealth characteristics, advanced sensor fusion, and expanded multirole capabilities tailored for carrier strike group integration.
Projected initial operational capability is targeted for the early to mid-2030s.
Milestone Decision and Contractor Competition
The newly directed $750 million will support the upcoming “F/A-XX milestone decision,” a critical phase in the Department of Defense acquisition process. This milestone involves selecting a prime contractor to transition the aircraft into full-scale engineering and manufacturing development, followed by production.
According to the Pentagon document, the funds “will support critical design, risk reduction, and technology maturation efforts toward meeting operational requirements.”
Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. remain the two companies competing for the contract to build the Navy’s next-generation jet. Lockheed Martin was eliminated from the F/A-XX competition in March 2025, narrowing the field to the two remaining aerospace contractors.
The milestone decision is expected to determine which company will lead detailed design and development as the program moves beyond preliminary phases.
Missile Defense and Golden Dome Allocations
In addition to the F/A-XX acceleration, the Pentagon’s 85-page document outlines more than $24 billion in planned spending on missile defense systems under the same fiscal framework.
A significant portion of that funding prioritizes President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative. The allocations include:
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$5.6 billion for development, procurement, and fielding of space-based and boost-phase interceptors
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$2.55 billion for general military missile defense capabilities
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$2.2 billion to accelerate development and deployment of hypersonic defense systems
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$1.975 billion for improvements to ground-based missile defenses
The stated objective of these investments is to develop and restore critical missile defense infrastructure while deploying system-level defensive capabilities.
Congressional Oversight and Next Steps
The Pentagon transmitted the detailed funding breakdown to Congress as part of its fiscal 2026 reconciliation spending implementation. The acceleration funding for F/A-XX now positions the Navy to move forward with a contractor selection decision and advance the aircraft toward full development.
The program remains distinct from the Air Force’s F-47 initiative but will proceed in parallel as part of broader sixth-generation air combat modernization efforts across the Department of Defense.
All details in this report are based on the Pentagon document sent to Congress and the Bloomberg Government report published on February 23, 2026, along with associated fiscal 2026 reconciliation spending information.
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