Summary and Key Points: Admiral Daryl Caudle is sounding the alarm: the F/A-18 Super Hornet is nearing extinction, and the F-35C alone cannot carry the “mass” required for a Pacific conflict. As China scales its J-20 fleet toward 1,000 airframes and operationalizes the carrier-launched J-35, the U.S. Navy is fast-tracking the F/A-XX.
-This 6th-generation platform promises what could be a 2,000-mile range—nearly double that of the F-35C—allowing carriers to strike from deep standoff distances.
F/A-XX. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-With China also developing the triple-engine J-36 and the J-50, the F/A-XX is no longer a luxury; it is a prerequisite for maritime survival.
F/A-XX Fighter In 2 Words That Matter: Extended Range?
The U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, says the seriousness of today’s growing threat environment requires that the service acquire its F/A-XX as soon as possible, a view fortified by many at the Pentagon and in Congress who recognize that most major threat contingencies will require “maritime” attack.
Certainly, the F-35C is a formidable and upgradeable asset, yet there is still a need to move beyond a “multi-role” fighter in the realm of 5th- and 6th-generation carrier-launched attack. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle says there needs to be a replacement for the soon-to-be-extinct F/A-18, and quite soon.
“I hate to say it, sounds cliche, but you know, when things heat up in Iran, guess who steamed over there? Right? It was the United States Navy and the Abraham [Lincoln Carrier] Strike Group,” Caudle said. “So you can imagine what that looks like 10 years from now, with a different Iran, with different capability, that can go against F-18 capabilities of today.”
An F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft approaches the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Nov. 17, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)
Capt. Tim Waits, commanding officer of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), climbs into an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, while underway in the South China Sea, Nov. 24, 2025. George Washington is the U.S. Navy’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Geoffrey L. Ottinger)
Caudle’s comment about Iran in 10 years seems quite significant, as he noted that existing airframes might be insufficient to address anticipated threats in the future.
Air defenses are only getting more sophisticated and dangerous, so it’s reasonable to assume that the best airframes of today are likely to be vulnerable 10 years from now.
However, with advanced stealth and a new horizontal, blended-wing-body configuration, a 6th-generation airframe would likely be much better positioned.
Counter J-20 Threat
One initial question can be understood in terms of the issue of mass, meaning the US Navy would likely be at a significant fleet-size deficit compared to China in the event of a conflict in the Pacific.
China is now believed to operate as many as 300 J-20 5th-generation fighters, and many experts now speculate that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force could operate close to 1,000 J-20s within ten years.
China is expected to increasingly operate a sizable available force positioned to defend China’s coastal waters up to several hundred miles offshore. Although it is a land-launched fighter, China cannot launch the J-20 from a carrier.
Still, the fighter can certainly reach the waters around Taiwan and extend several hundred miles offshore toward the first island chain. Hundreds of J-20s could form a perimeter formation in a semi-circle off the Chinese coast, positioned to defend a sphere of PLA influence and security.
Indeed, there are many places in the world where the Pentagon would need to leverage maritime strike to achieve a given conflict objective, and in many cases, the Navy is often the first to respond.
Why the F/A-XX Is Needed: End of the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet
The question of mass also significantly pertains to the F/A-18 because the classic Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft have already flown thousands of miles beyond their expected service life.
F/A-XX Fighter for US Navy. Navy graphic mockup.
F/A-XX. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
As the F/A-18 sunsets, there will be a growing need to replace the kind of “mass” air campaign attack capability the Super Hornet supported.
A special US Navy Service Life Extension Plan reinforced the F/A-18 airframe, added new sensing and avionics, conformal fuel tanks, digital cockpit displays, and specially engineered carrier-landing software, known as “magic carpet.”
The F/A-18s have also been equipped with Infrared Search & Track targeting technology, designed for high-fidelity imaging and the ability to operate in an electronic warfare (EW) jamming environment.
Despite these many innovations and successful upgrades, the F/A-18 has exceeded its capacity and can no longer fly for much longer.
Perhaps the largest reason the Navy would be well-served to “fast-track” the F/A-XX is to ensure the service is prepared for a potential maritime conflict with China in the Pacific.
This scenario would rely heavily on carrier-launched aircraft.
Chinese Threat from J-20 and J-35 Fighters
This is increasingly pressing given that China is fast acquiring carrier-launched 5th-gen stealth attack capability.
Therefore, the Chinese threat equation extends far beyond the J-20, as well, given the rapid emergence of the now-operational carrier-launched J-35 stealthy 5th-generation aircraft and China’s emerging 6th-gen stealth fighters.
Previously known as the J-31, the carrier-launched J-35 5th-generation stealth jet is already flying from PLA Navy carriers.
J-35 Fighter. Image Credit: Chinese State Media.
Given China’s well-known civil-military fusion in weapons and platform production capacity, a sizable fleet of J-35s is expected to arrive in the coming years.
The J-35 resembles the F-35C and may rival its capabilities, depending on the performance of its computing, sensing, fire control, weapons, and agility.
Perhaps of even greater concern to the Pentagon, the PLA is accelerating the development of two new, previously unseen 6th-generation aircraft: the Shenyang J-50 and the triple-engine, stealth-fighter-bomber hybrid Shenyang J-36. The
Pentagon’s emerging 6th-generation stealth fighters are being built with the ability to fly much longer ranges than existing 5th-gen aircraft.
Pacific Range
This is of great tactical relevance in the vast expanse of the Pacific, as the Pentagon has indicated that the F-47 will likely have a range of 2,000 miles.
Should the F/A-XX operate with a similar range, it would introduce new tactical and strategic considerations as it is considerably longer than an F-35C’s overall combat range of 1,300 nautical miles.
This means the F/A-XX could strike from greater distances, operate with longer dwell times, and attack from carriers farther offshore without needing a refueler.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
