Caudle: F/A-XX moving ahead, downselect still in the works

Caudle: F/A-XX moving ahead, downselect still in the works

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle confirmed today that the Navy's F/A-XX fighter program is moving forward, even as a contractor downselect remains pending -- weeks after Congress directed the Pentagon, in its compromise fiscal year 2026 spending bill, to award a production contract for the next-generation jet. Caudle, speaking to reporters at the West 2026 conference in San Diego, CA, said he is working with Navy Secretary John Phelan…