Boeing Has Shown Potential Design For F/A-XX

Statements from a Navy Admiral would seem to indicate that the service is looking beyond the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to an airplane that would replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets currently in service.

Rear Admiral Mike Manazir told USNI News in a recent interview that the Navy is doing a study to "neck down what it is we're going to spend our money on in the analysis of alternatives." He said that analysis won't begin until 2015, and that the new aircraft and "family of systems" would be operational in 2035.

Manzir said that the new airplane would complement, rather than replace the F-35C. And, he said that some of the missions currently performed by the Super Hornet, such as tankering, could be taken by the UCLASS UAVs currently under development. They are also looking at future weapons systems such as directed energy weapons on the airplane.

Manzir said that the Navy is "completely stitched together" with the Air Force, which is also working on an F-X follow-on the F-22 Raptor. "We're looking at joint capabilities and cooperative capabilities that would be the same in the airframe," he said.

(Image provided by Boeing)

FMI: www.navy.mil