Pentagon's Hegseth okays US Navy next-generation fighter, sources say

After months of delay, the Pentagon will select as soon as this week the defense company to design and build the Navy's next stealth fighter, a US official and two people familiar with the decision said, it will be a multibillion-dollar effort for a jet seen as central to US efforts to counter China, Report informs via Reuters.

Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp are competing to be chosen to produce the aircraft, dubbed the F/A-XX. The new carrier-based jet will replace the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet, which has been in service since the 1990s.

The decision to move ahead with a selection was made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday, the US official and one of the people said.

The US Navy could announce the winner of the competition to build its fighter as soon as this week, one of the people said. But last-minute snags have delayed progress on the Navy jet in the past and could do so again, sources said.