Category: Competition

  • Boeing Wins FA-XX Contract

    Boeing Wins F/A-XX: What It Means for the Navy’s Next Fighter

    Imagine a fighter rolling into position on a carrier catapult somewhere in the Pacific. Behind it, Super Hornets and F-35Cs crowd the flight deck. Ahead lie hundreds of miles of ocean, followed by airspace defended by modern fighters, missiles, and radar networks.

    The Navy wants its next fighter to cross that distance, operate with unmanned teammates, and bring its pilot home.

    On September 29, 2026, that aircraft’s future became a little clearer. Boeing won the Navy’s F/A-XX competition, securing a full-scale development contract valued at more than $20 billion.

    With the Air Force’s F-47 already on its books, Boeing now faces the challenge of delivering two major American sixth-generation fighter programs.

    Watch my video below for the full breakdown of the announcement and what it could mean for carrier aviation.

    What Is the Navy’s F/A-XX Fighter?

    F/A-XX is the Navy’s next-generation carrier fighter program. Its central purpose is to succeed the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet while operating alongside the F-35C.

    The Navy’s published aviation plans also connect the program to the eventual replacement of EA-18G Growler capabilities. How those electronic warfare responsibilities will be distributed across future aircraft remains an important question.

    The service envisions improved range and sensors, with greater integration between crewed and unmanned aircraft. That puts F/A-XX at the center of a broader effort to change how the carrier air wing fights.

    For the pilot, the value of those improvements will come down to practical questions: How far can I reach? What can I detect? Which threats can I avoid or defeat? And how much fuel will I have when it is time to return?

    What Does Boeing’s F/A-XX Contract Cover?

    Boeing’s selection moves the program into its next development phase. The award includes multiple test aircraft for ground, flight, systems, and weapons integration testing.

    The development award does not mean an operational fleet is ready for delivery. The design must still be tested, refined, and integrated into carrier operations.

    The announcement points broadly to flying in the 2030s. That leaves substantial work ahead before deployed squadrons can depend on the aircraft.

    For now, today’s Super Hornets, Growlers, and F-35Cs will continue carrying the fleet’s operational responsibilities.

    Why Range Matters in the Pacific

    A carrier brings its airfield with it, but its aircraft still have to reach the mission area and return.

    That becomes a demanding problem across the Pacific. Longer distances mean more fuel spent in transit and potentially less time available to patrol, search, fight, or respond to an unexpected threat.

    China’s long-range anti-ship weapons add pressure to the Navy’s decisions about where to operate its carriers. However, a missile’s advertised range does not create an automatic zone in which every ship can be destroyed. An adversary still needs to locate, identify, track, and successfully engage a moving target.

    My assessment is that greater aircraft reach gives commanders more choices. It can expand the options for carrier positioning, flight routes, and mission planning.

    But a new fighter cannot solve the entire range problem by itself.

    How the MQ-25 Stingray Fits Into the Picture

    The MQ-25 Stingray is being developed to provide unmanned aerial refueling from aircraft carriers.

    NAVAIR describes its purpose as extending the carrier air wing’s reach and making better use of combat aircraft. Super Hornets already perform tanker duties, so moving more of that work to a dedicated tanker can free fighters for other assignments.

    The program has demonstrated the basic refueling concept: in June 2021, Boeing’s MQ-25 test aircraft transferred fuel to a Navy F/A-18 in flight.

    F/A-XX and MQ-25 therefore belong in the same conversation. The future air wing’s useful reach will depend on the combination of fighters, tankers, weapons, and supporting aircraft.

    What Do We Know About Boeing’s Design?

    Boeing’s announcement highlights open mission systems architecture, advanced mission systems, and operational reach.

    Open architecture is intended to make integrating future capabilities more manageable. That matters for an aircraft expected to serve while sensors, weapons, and enemy defenses continue evolving.

    Many technical details remain classified. Public artwork cannot establish exact speed, combat radius, weapons capacity, or stealth performance.

    Any concept rendering—including the imagery accompanying this post—should be understood as an illustration rather than proof of the final production configuration.

    Can Boeing Deliver Both F/A-XX and F-47?

    Winning both competitions gives Boeing an enormous opportunity, along with considerable responsibility.

    The question of industrial capacity predates this award. Pentagon officials previously described concerns about stretching the specialized engineering workforce while prioritizing F-47. Congress subsequently added roughly $897 million for F/A-XX in the fiscal 2026 defense funding package.

    Boeing says it planned to deliver both fighters in parallel and invested accordingly, including in its St. Louis manufacturing facilities.

    My view is that the decisive evidence will come from execution. Both programs need skilled workers, dependable suppliers, disciplined testing, and problems resolved before they become expensive production issues.

    Experience shared between the programs could help. Competing demands on people and suppliers could also create delays.

    What to Watch Next

    The next meaningful milestones will involve test aircraft, demonstrated capabilities, and progress toward carrier integration.

    I will also be watching maintainability. An aircraft that performs well in testing must eventually work for sailors servicing it at sea, with limited space and a demanding flight schedule.

    Boeing has won the competition. Now it must turn that victory into an aircraft the Navy can afford, maintain, and deploy.

    What do you think? Does giving Boeing both F/A-XX and F-47 create an advantage through shared experience, or concentrate too much responsibility in one company? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

    Subscribe to PilotPhotog on YouTube for military aviation history, aircraft analysis, and updates on the future of airpower.

  • The Complete F-18 Story

    From the YF-17 Cobra to the F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet, Block III Rhino and EA-18G Growler, this is the complete story of one of the most versatile aircraft families ever to operate from an American aircraft carrier. The Hornet was never the fastest fighter in the fleet, and it never had the longest range. But when the Navy needed an aircraft to do something, there was usually a way to make a Hornet do it. In this special feature-length PilotPhotog compilation, we trace nearly five decades of F/A-18 development, technology and operations — from the original Lightweight Fighter competition through the creation of the Super Hornet and into the increasingly dangerous skies over the Red Sea.

  • Video: Quiet Boom the X-59 Flies

    The first step toward quiet supersonic flight has just lifted off.

    A Historic First Flight

    NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) took to the skies for the very first time, marking a major milestone in the quest to bring back supersonic flight — this time without the boom.

    The flight took place from Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, home of the legendary Skunk Works, the same facility that gave the world the U-2 Dragon Lady, SR-71 Blackbird, and F-117 Nighthawk.
    This new X-plane continues that lineage of innovation, but with a different mission: to make breaking the sound barrier something you don’t hear.

    The Mission Behind the Jet

    The X-59 isn’t designed for speed records or combat missions.
    Its goal is to prove that an aircraft can fly faster than sound without producing the thunderous shockwave that has kept supersonic flight banned over land since 1973.

    By stretching its fuselage to nearly 99 feet and shaping every surface to diffuse the shockwaves, engineers believe they can reduce a classic sonic boom (which can exceed 100 decibels) into a gentle “thump” — roughly as loud as a car door closing.

    If successful, NASA will take the data gathered from this jet and work with the FAA to rewrite regulations on overland supersonic travel — potentially reopening the skies for a new generation of high-speed aircraft.

    What We Know So Far

    During the first flight, the X-59 remained subsonic while engineers verified stability, control systems, and telemetry performance.
    The single GE F414-GE-100 engine — similar to what powers modern Navy fighters — performed flawlessly, as the aircraft climbed and maneuvered for over an hour before landing safely back at Palmdale.

    Future test flights will gradually push the aircraft closer to Mach 1.4, collecting acoustic data from microphones placed across test communities in the United States.
    If those communities hear a soft thump instead of a boom, the implications for aviation will be enormous.

    Why It Matters

    For commercial travel, the X-59 could pave the way for quiet supersonic airliners — imagine New York to Los Angeles in two hours without disturbing a single person on the ground.
    For military aviation, the same technology could mean stealthier high-speed aircraft, able to traverse contested areas without alerting sensors or civilians below.

    It’s the next step in a legacy that began with Yeager’s Bell X-1 and continued through decades of cutting-edge experimentation.
    The X-59 proves that innovation in flight isn’t always about going faster — sometimes, it’s about going smarter and quieter.

    Watch the Full Breakdown

    You can watch my full video analysis here:
    👉 From the Skunk Works to the Sky: NASA X-59’s First Flight — What We Know So Far

    In it, I break down:

    • How the X-59’s unique shape quiets the sonic boom
    • What happened during the first flight
    • Why the Air Force and aerospace industry are paying close attention
    • What comes next for the quiet supersonic program

    The Sound of the Future

    The X-59’s first flight is more than a test — it’s the quiet beginning of a revolution in flight.
    If successful, the next time you look up and see a jet streaking silently across the sky, you might just be witnessing the legacy of this moment.

  • China’s J-36 Fighter: A Game Changer or Just Hype?

    The Sixth-Gen Arms Race Just Took a Turn

    The race for air dominance has officially entered a new phase, and this time, it’s not the U.S. leading the charge. China has unveiled the J-36, a sleek, tailless aircraft that could be the world’s first operational sixth-generation fighter jet.

    For years, the U.S. has been developing its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, but with the program still in development limbo, the J-36’s sudden debut has put serious pressure on American air superiority.

    What This Means for the Future of Air Combat

    In my latest video, I break down everything we know about the J-36 fighter jet and what it means for the future of military aviation. We’ll cover:

    ✔️ The J-36’s advanced stealth and tailless design
    ✔️ Its rumored hypersonic propulsion system
    ✔️ China’s strategy for drone integration and AI warfare
    ✔️ How this challenges the U.S. NGAD program

    🎥 Watch the full breakdown here: [Insert Video Link]

    J-36 Fighter: China’s Leap into Sixth-Gen Air Combat

    1. A Stealthier, More Advanced Fighter

    Unlike its predecessors, the J-20 or even the F-35, the J-36 features a tailless, diamond-shaped airframe designed for extreme stealth. Removing traditional vertical control surfaces dramatically reduces radar visibility, making it one of the most low-observable aircraft China has ever produced.

    If this design is fully functional, it suggests China has solved complex stability and control challenges—something even the U.S. is still refining for NGAD.

    2. A Revolutionary Propulsion System?

    One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the J-36 is its three-engine configuration—something unheard of in modern fighter jets. This unique setup could indicate:

    🚀 A hypersonic ramjet or scramjet engine for extreme speeds
    ⚡ Variable-cycle engine technology for balancing power and efficiency
    🎯 Increased range and missile launch speeds

    If China has cracked the code on next-gen propulsion, the J-36 could outpace and outrange current fifth-gen fighters, including the F-22 and F-35.

    3. The Rise of AI and Drone Warfare

    Modern air combat is shifting toward networked warfare, and the J-36 seems built for it. Reports suggest it will feature:

    🤖 Advanced sensor fusion technology
    📡 360-degree situational awareness similar to the F-35’s DAS system
    ✈️ Drone swarm coordination for electronic warfare and air superiority

    With China making rapid strides in AI-driven combat systems, the J-36 could autonomously control drone swarms—giving it a massive advantage in future conflicts.

    The U.S. Response: Is NGAD Falling Behind?

    The U.S. has long been the leader in stealth and air superiority, but with NGAD still in development, the J-36’s sudden appearance raises serious questions about whether the Air Force is moving fast enough.

    💡 Some experts even speculate that the B-21 Raider—America’s next-gen bomber—could serve as a fighter replacement, shifting the way air combat works entirely.

    Could the B-21 actually be the NGAD fighter in disguise? Or will the Air Force double down and accelerate NGAD’s development?

    One thing is clear: The sixth-generation era is here.

    Watch the Full Breakdown & Join the Discussion

    There’s still a lot we don’t know about the J-36, but one thing is certain—it’s a wake-up call for the U.S. and its allies.

    📺 Watch my full video breakdown here: China’s J-36

    💬 What do you think? Is the J-36 a serious threat or just another overhyped prototype? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

    Final Thoughts: The Sixth-Gen Arms Race Has Begun

    Whether the J-36 is truly a game-changer or just an early prototype, one thing is certain—it’s forcing the U.S. to rethink its air combat strategy.

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    The future of air dominance is unfolding right now. Don’t miss it! 🚀

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