An upgraded fifth-generation plus version of the F-35 could include new stealth coatings, adjustments to the aircrafts shape, and even a path toward making the jet optionally manned, according to Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet.We could make the F-35 pilot optional over a relatively modest time frame based on a lot of the development weve done for sixth-generation fighter competitions, Taiclet said at Bernsteins Strategic Decisions Conference.
In the case of other sixth-generation capabilities, we feel like within two to three years, we could have a meaningful increase of capability for the F-35 by porting some of these technologies over.Taicletfirst discussedwhat he referred to as a Ferrari or NASCAR upgrade for the F-35 during an April earnings call.
Lockheed had recently lost the Air Forces sixth generation fighter program, known as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), to Boeings F-47.
Instead of protesting the award, Taiclet said at the time the company would focus on developing an F-35 that offered 80 percent of the capability of a sixth-gen fighter at half the price.Lockheed could, for instance, integrate technologies it had created for its own NGAD offering into the F-35, such as new radar and infrared-absorbing stealth coatings, new electronic warfare systems, networking improvements and autonomy software.
The company could also consider tweaking the shape of the F-35 to eke out additional performance, Taiclet said.There have been some adjustments or learnings, Ill say, on what we call the outer mold line, which is the actual shape of the aircraft itself, especially with regard to engine inlets and outflows of nozzles, that we might be able to again improve on the F 35 without redesigning it,Taiclet said.While some improvements may be ready for first flight and integration within a couple of years, upgrades must be phased into production gradually because you cannot introduce too much new equipment or too much new software at once, necessarily without interrupting the production flow, he said.Lockheed is also interested in offering similar upgrades for the F-22 Raptor, as well as proposing longer-term production and sustainment contracts for the F-35 going forward, he added.Photo: Aviation Boatswains Mate 1st Class Jaquan Morgan launches an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea, May 25, 2025.
(U.S.
Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sam McNeely)Source: Breaking Defense