Launched in conjunction with the US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance program, the US Navy's F/A-XX program has been pursued much more quietly than its counterpart in recent years.
At best, we knew, at the start of the year, that the US Navy had a comfortable budget of $1,53 billion for the 2024 fiscal year, to complete the conceptual study phase, and begin the phase of maturation, with the objective of designing a system of onboard air combat systems by 2040, to take over from the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets on board American aircraft carriers.
In recent weeks, the US Air Force's NGAD has entered a zone of strong turbulence, leading to doubts about its future and its timetable, as well as the very concept pursued to replace the F-22 Raptor.
It seems that these doubts have contaminated the US Navy's F/A-XX program. In fact, the Senate only allocates $2025 million for the year 53,8, ten times less than requested by the American Navy, and more than 28 times less than in 2024.
In this section:
The US Senate cuts the 2025 budget for the F/A-XX program intended to replace the US Navy's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet
For now, the reasons for such a budget reduction by the US Senate are not made public. The US Navy, which had only requested a third of the 2024 credits for the year 2025 in order to continue this program, explained that for it it was a question of freeing up budgetary resources, by delaying the F/A-XX, SSN(X) and DDG(X) programs, to deal with certain emergencies in terms of modernization and industrial expansions, and operational preparation in the Pacific.
However, the more than massive reduction ordered by the Senate is not only worrying for the future of the program, but above all it is very atypical in the traditional functioning of the management of American military industrial programs.
Remember, for example, that while the US Army's FARA attack and reconnaissance helicopter program was officially canceled in 2024, the budgetary commitments, representing several billions of dollars, for the development of the two prototypes, will be respected until 2027.
Therefore, the saber blow dealt by the Senate to the US Navy's F/A-XX program reveals a much deeper dynamic than a simple temporary budgetary readjustment. It is also likely that this decision was not made against the advice of the US Navy, nor by excluding the three major manufacturers involved in the program: Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
NGAD and F/A-XX, the two 6th generation American fighter programs on hold
The Senate's decision naturally echoes the various recent statements by the civil and military authorities of the US Air Force regarding the NGAD program. The subject having been covered by a previous article, we will simply recall that today, the timetable, but also the very nature of this program, have been called into question by the military and civilian leaders of the US Air Force.
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