Boeing wins U.S. Navy’s next-generation fighter contract, with aircraft designated as Model 45—could it be a nod to Trump as the 45th U.S. president?

Despite efforts by the U.S. military to avoid repeating the pitfalls seen in Lockheed Martin’s “Lightning” program, the outcome has fallen short of expectations.

On the 29th, the U.S. Navy announced it had awarded the contract for the next-generation carrier-based fighter (F/A-XX) to Boeing—marking the company’s role in developing both the Navy’s and Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter programs simultaneously.

Following the official announcement, Boeing released a concept image of its proposed next-generation carrier aircraft—a tailless flying wing design, possibly incorporating canards.

The War Zone website speculated that, in an effort to control costs and accelerate development, Boeing may adapt the Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter (F-47) design for naval use, with the final designation potentially being 45—coinciding with Donald Trump’s tenure as the 45th U.S. president.

On the surface, the U.S. military appears to have learned from past mistakes by adopting a government-led, open-architecture approach in the next-generation fighter initiative, aiming to prevent any single contractor from monopolizing intellectual property, mission systems, and upgrade pathways.

Yet in practice, entrusting both the Navy and Air Force’s next-generation fighter programs to a single company—Boeing—amounts to a de facto monopoly similar to what Lockheed Martin once held: the timing of when the U.S. military receives new aircraft remains entirely dependent on Boeing’s production schedule.

It is worth noting that Boeing’s last independently developed and mass-produced manned fighter dates back to 1932. For nearly a century, the company has primarily operated by modifying platforms acquired through mergers and acquisitions. Entrusting Boeing with two sixth-generation fighter programs at once represents a substantial challenge in itself.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877726349258764/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.