Navy League 2025: F/A-XX to feature at least 25% range increase over F/A-18E/F
Boeing's F/A-XX concept from 2021. Although it is unclear what the company's concept for F/A-XX looks like now, Boeing and Northrop Grumman are widely considered frontrunners for the contract award expected in the coming weeks. (Boeing)
The US Navy's (USN's) upcoming F/A-XX aircraft is to fly at least 25% farther than the Boeing F/A-18E/F it is intended to replace, Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, director of the service's Air Warfare division, told reporters on 7 April on the sidelines of the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The USN lists the F/A-18E/F's range in combat configuration as 1,275 n miles (2,346 km), meaning that F/A-XX will likely be required to fly at least 1,500 n miles (2,950 km) unrefuelled. F/A-XX – like most USN aircraft – will also be capable of receiving fuel from air-to-air tankers, effectively extending its range farther still.
The increased range is “a core attribute of F/A-XX”, Rear Adm Donnelly said. “So probably over a 25% increase over [the F/A-18's] range today, to give us better flexibility and operational reach.”
Aircraft range is among the defining characteristics of an aircraft carrier strike group's (CSG's) lethality.
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