As China ramps up its sixth-generation fighter development, the Navy’s need for the F/A-XX is growing stronger.
The U.S. Navy’s next-generation fighter program is facing serious delays. Along with many of the service’s other upcoming projects, budgetary constraints, design changes, and production capacity, the F/A-XX is struggling to make headway into becoming a reality. In light of the growing threat posed by China’s expanding military arsenal, the timely arrival of American next-gen technologies is imperative.
Earlier this week, the head of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Rep. Ken Calvert, divulged that the U.S. could potentially be “outmatched” in a future war over the Pacific without the deployment of sixth-generation jets. According to the congressman, “We need sixth-generation fighters. The US Navy needs sixth-generation fighters. I’m concerned that any hesitancy on our part to proceed with the planned procurement of the sixth-gen fighters for the Navy will leave us dangerously outmatched in a China fight.” He added, “We (the U.S.) cannot wait. Further, we cannot expect to grow the defense industrial base by undermining it. Aviation programs that rely on highly specialized supply chains and skilled labor cannot be turned on and off like a switch.”
The two “newest” jet platforms the Navy operates are not so new. While the F-35C Lightning II fifth-generation fighter is widely touted as one of the most capable aircraft of its kind to ever fly the skies, the platform first flew fifteen years ago. The Navy’s tried and trusted F/A-18 Super Hornet series is also top-notch, yet this jet first flew thirty years ago. The service’s push to field a next-gen successor to these fighters has culminated in the F/A-XX concept. In addition to possessing greater stealth, operational reach, and speed, the next-gen program will ensure that American carrier strike groups can continue to outperform enemies while maintaining naval air dominance.
All the manufacturing giants, including Boeing, Northrop Grumman ,and Lockheed Martin, are lining up to try and win the contract to develop the future fighter. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney and OEMS GE Aerospace were revealed to be competing to secure the F/A-XX’s engine contract. Like the Air Force’s next-generation fighter program, the Navy’s upcoming platform remains highly clouded in mystery. However, the service has indicated that the sixth-generation jet will be designed to operate alongside uncrewed platforms, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Like the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance platform, the Naval fighter will fly alongside these loyal “wingmen drones” to lower overall program costs.
In late March, Reuters reported that the service was set to reveal the contract award for the F/A-XX’s development phase. However, this award remains pending and has left analysts wondering what this delay could mean. Delaying the award of a contract by three years “would effectively cancel the program as it is currently defined,” Reuters explained, “because contracts and pricing would expire during that time making a new competition almost inevitable.” While the future of the F/A-XX remains unknown, the Navy’s need for a next-gen fighter series grows stronger as China’s concurrent development efforts are underway.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
