This refers in particular to the fact that the US Air Force previously considered it advisable to exchange experiences on similar projects with the Navy
Source: Defence Express
The United States has two programs to create a combat aviation system of the future, Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), for the Air Force and the Navy, respectively, and if the US Air Force previously suspended the implementation of one of the components of this project – namely the sixth-generation fighter Next Generation Fighter (NGF), the Navy will continue work on the project regardless of what decision is made in the Navy.
According to The Aviationist, the US Navy wants to protect itself from possible risks in the context of the US Air Force abandoning the sixth-generation aircraft altogether. And while the Air Force previously claimed that it was exchanging ideas and developments on the aircraft with the Navy, the US Navy now emphasizes that it is developing its sixth-generation aircraft, the F/A-XX, completely independently.
As the publication reminds us, the future aircraft for the Navy should replace not only the F/A-18E/F, but also the EA-18G and will work in tandem with the F-35C – We previously reported that production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet will cease in 2027, the last order for these aircraft by the US Navy was issued in March of this year, for 17 aircraft for $1.3 billion.
However, the US Navy's program for a new sixth-generation aircraft may face such traditional obstacles as a limited budget – As an example, we can mention the news that almost nine times less funds were allocated for the project in 2025.
As of today, it is known that the US Navy is considering proposals from three companies – The participants, for obvious reasons, are not officially disclosed, but the most likely candidates are traditionally Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
As noted, an important feature of the aircraft for the US Navy is the vision of its role on the battlefield – because if the Air Force talked about an air superiority fighter, then the Navy wants to have a multi-role aircraft that could perform both fleet protection tasks and long-range strikes.