In 2012, the Navy first formally requested information for the next-generation F/A-XX. It will be a true 6th generation fighter like the NGAD concept for the U.S. Air Force.
The F/A-XX program is the development and acquisition program for a sixth-generation air superiority fighter. The F/A-XX program is the Navy’s manned fighter component of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems, which will be distinct from the Air Force’s NGAD fighter, known as the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA).