Aviation Week has unveiled a new rendering of the promising Boeing F/A-XX fighter jet for the US Navy. The image suggests that the company may integrate into this program some of the developments from the F-47 project being created for the Air Force.

The image, first shown last week at the Tailhook Symposium, shows a plane flying over an aircraft carrier and partially obscured by clouds. It is the clouds that cover the areas where the front feathers and wingtips could be viewed. The tail section is also not shown.

Both the new render of the F/A-XX and the previously presented images of the F-47 are intentionally designed in such a way as not to reveal all the outlines of the aircraft. At the same time, it is expected that, despite belonging to the sixth generation of fighters, the projects will differ markedly. The Navy says its priority is to increase the combat radius by about 25% compared to current attack aircraft, as well as increase survivability. At the same time, the F/A-XX is expected to be equipped with an upgraded engine, while the F-47 is projected to receive a new adaptive propulsion system.

According to the US Air Force, the F-47 will have a combat radius of over 1,000 nautical miles and will be able to reach speeds of more than Mach two.

The cockpit of the F/A-XX visually resembles that of the F-47, but the antenna fairing of a marine aircraft is significantly smaller than that of the wider fairing of an Air Force fighter. This gives the impression of having two front horizontal planes. At the same time, early Boeing concepts for the Navy depicted a fighter without a tail.

The rendering appeared shortly after Northrop Grumman showed its version of the fighter jet for this program. The two corporations continue to compete for the contract, the prospects of which have intensified amid interest from Congress and some representatives of the Navy. Nevertheless, in the budget request for fiscal year 2026, the Pentagon proposed to freeze the project, limiting its financing only to the completion of the current stages and considering it as a backup option, since the main focus is on the F-47.

The Navy and the Pentagon have expressed doubts about the industry’s ability to simultaneously produce two high-tech fighter jets. Boeing, on the contrary, is trying to reduce these concerns. In June, the head of Boeing Defense and Space, Steve Parker, noted that the company is ready for such a challenge and is developing a strategy to successfully promote both the F/A-XX and the F-47.

To support these programs, Boeing has invested about $2 billion to increase production capacity, including a plant under construction in St. Louis to produce advanced combat aircraft.