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Navy picks Boeing over Northrop for F/A-XX fighter: what it means for Melbourne
Boeing won the Navy's next carrier fighter, a development deal valued at more than $20 billion. Northrop's Melbourne campus was in the running, but Northrop has not announced job cuts, and its new airport building serves more than one program.
The Navy has picked Boeing, not Northrop Grumman, to build its next carrier-based fighter, the F/A-XX. The Pentagon announced the award on Tuesday, Sept. 29. For Brevard, the question is what the loss means for Northrop's large aircraft-engineering campus at Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Northrop had said Florida would play a major role if it won.
What the Pentagon announced
According to the Department of War release, as quoted by Breaking Defense and Defense News, the contract is "valued at more than $20B for the full-scale development phase" and "procures multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing." The jet is expected to replace the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, with the new fighter flying "beginning in the 2030s." The contract does not cover full-rate production, and the Navy has not said how many jets it will buy.
Boeing, which already won the Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation fighter in March 2025, said its secure manufacturing facility in St. Louis will support the work. With this win, Boeing builds both U.S. crewed sixth-generation fighters.
Northrop's response
In a statement, Northrop said it "offered a highly survivable, digitally advanced sixth-generation fighter to the U.S. Navy. We look forward to receiving additional information about their selection." The company has not announced a protest. Analysts quoted by Breaking Defense said Northrop is almost certain to look at its options, but warned that protests of major classified aircraft competitions have historically had a low success rate.
Under U.S. Government Accountability Office rules, a protest of a contract award generally must be filed within 10 days of when the bidder knows the basis for it, with a special case when a required debriefing is given. GAO must decide a protest within 100 calendar days.
Why Melbourne was watching
Northrop's Melbourne campus employs about 5,000 people and has about 2 million square feet of space, according to the company. It is where engineers digitally designed the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, and it does the design and engineering for the Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, which is built in St. Augustine.
In a May 2026 company article, Northrop said that if it were selected for F/A-XX, "Florida will be a vital manufacturing hub," drawing on its roughly 8,000 Florida employees. That work now goes to Boeing.
What about the new building at the airport?
On Aug. 3, Northrop dedicated Building 250, a 300,000-square-foot engineering building off NASA Boulevard on airport land, with room for more than 1,200 engineers and 17 secure labs for advanced aircraft design. Aeronautics Systems president Tom Jones said it "reinforces Melbourne as the epicenter of sixth-generation aircraft."
The record does not show the building was built only for F/A-XX. It was first proposed in fall 2024 as the code-named Project Daisy, when a company spokesperson described it as part of modernizing Melbourne, a core site for advanced aircraft development. The Defense Post reported that it supports several programs, including the E-2D. Northrop has not said which classified programs will use it, and Florida Today reported the company would not discuss hiring tied to the building.
What is known about jobs
As of Sept. 30, Northrop has not announced layoffs or hiring changes in Melbourne because of the F/A-XX decision, and no source reviewed by 321 Daily reports cuts. What is clear is that any Florida growth Northrop hoped to gain from F/A-XX will not come from this contract. Whether that changes plans to fill Building 250 is a question only Northrop can answer, and it has not done so publicly.
The Melbourne campus still supports other major work, including the B-21 and E-2D. Analysts told Breaking Defense the loss is a blow but not a threat to the company overall, pointing to the B-21 and the Sentinel missile program.
What comes next
Watch for whether Northrop files a protest, which would likely become known within weeks, and for any company statement on staffing in Melbourne. 321 Daily will update this story if Northrop, the Navy or local economic development officials announce changes.