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The Super Hornet Was Built for One Era. This $20B Fighter Is What Comes Next
MilitaryGet your news fromINTERESTING ENGINEERINGThe U.S. Navy is preparing to replace its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet with the new F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter. After decades as a core part of carrier aviation, the Super Hornet is being replaced as the Navy seeks greater reach, survivability and capacity for contested environments.
The U.S. Navy is preparing to replace one of its most important carrier fighters — the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — with a new sixth-generation aircraft.
The Super Hornet has been the backbone of U.S. carrier aviation for decades, evolving from the original Hornet into a larger, more capable fighter. But the threat environment it was designed for is changing.
The Navy now wants a carrier-based fighter with greater reach, survivability and capacity, particularly for operations in heavily contested airspace.
That matters because the Super Hornet was designed around a different era of naval air combat. Its effectiveness depends on getting aircraft, weapons and sensors close enough to the fight — something that becomes more challenging as potential adversaries field longer-range missiles, advanced air defenses and increasingly capable aircraft.
The Navy therefore sees the F/A-XX as more than simply the next fighter.
It is being designed to operate alongside unmanned aircraft, creating a carrier air wing where crewed and uncrewed platforms can work together. The new aircraft will also use an open mission-systems architecture, allowing its capabilities to evolve as technology changes.
Boeing has now won the Navy’s $20 billion F/A-XX contract, with the new fighter expected to begin replacing Super Hornets in the 2030s.
For the Super Hornet, after decades at the center of American carrier aviation, the transition to its successor is finally beginning
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