US Navy to spend $11.554bn over 5 years to develop secret F/A-XX fighter to replace F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
The U.S. Navy wants more than $11 billion by fiscal year (FY) 2028 to develop the F/A-XX aircraft. The draft FY2024 budget marks the first time the service has publicly requested funds for the fighter jet.
Here's What We Know
A fortnight ago, we wrote that the US Navy had requested $1.528 billion to develop a sixth-generation deck-based aircraft. Now new documents have emerged that outline the spending plans for FY2024-2028 in more detail:
- FY2024 - $1.528bn;
- FY2025 - $2.025bn;
- FY2026 - $2.634bn;
- FY2027 - $2.632bn;
- FY2028 - $2.735bn.
Next we arm ourselves with a calculator and see that the US Navy wants $11.554 billion from FY2024 to FY2028. During the same period, the service plans to spend $11.849 billion to buy 90 fifth-generation F-35C Lightning II deck fighters.
Historically, stealth fighters have been very expensive. For example, the F-22 Raptor fifth-generation development programme, which ran from 1991 to 2005, cost $45bn including inflation ($32.4bn excluding inflation).
Unfortunately, the F/A-XX is almost entirely classified. All we know is that it is a sixth-generation deck fighter that will replace all or part of the existing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.
Source: The Drive
