In a letter addressed to US House and Senate leaders of the Armed Services Committees, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reported that adding a second SSN VIRGINIA-class submarine in future FY budgets will make the USN Next Generation Fighter program “unexecutable.”

In detail, the reduction by $400 million of the program will significantly degrade the US Navy's ability to “field next generation aircraft capabilities required in the 2033 to 2037 timeframe,” potentially provoking a program delay.

The US House has already authorized $1 billion for a second submarine this year, while the Senate Armed Services Committee approved $400 million in incremental funding to build a second sub. Both those approvals have not been supported by the Defense Department, for 2 main reasons: the first one is that, in accordance with the conducted studies, the shipyards industry would not be able to produce a second submarine “on a reasonable schedule,” and secondly, the impact on other programs, as the NG aircraft, will be significant.

At this stage, the House has authorized the continuation of funding for the Virginia-class submarine at the levels requested by the Navy, while the Senate Committee added $357 million to begin purchasing materials for a second shipset. The ‘strategic’ goal is to deliver 2 attack submarines per year and meet the delivery schedule for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. As reported by Sen. Tim Kaine, these numbers will help ensure the USA meets its commitment through the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) agreement.

The new F/A-XX should finally bring to the Navy a sixth-generation aircraft able to replace the F/A-18 SUPER HORNETs and GROWLERS fleet. However, its future is now under funding pressure, and the previously planned 2030s timeframe could potentially be impacted. The program has already been subject to budget cuts in FY25, with the USN delaying about $1 billion in funding previously anticipated for the program this fiscal year due to financial constraints and competing readiness needs.

The USN Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, has confirmed the requirements for a sixth-generation platform with “advanced sensor[s], advanced lethality, advanced range, and being able to integrate with manned and unmanned capabilities together.” However, she has also not discharged the possibility that the USN could join the USAF efforts “with the hope of ensuring new capabilities are complimentary to each other.”

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