Lockheed aims to make F-35 "pilot optional" in major upgrade push

Lockheed Martin is proposing a new version of its F-35 fighter jet that can fly without a pilot, aiming to “supercharge” the iconic aircraft with advanced upgrades, according to the company’s CEO, Jim Taiclet.

This move comes as Lockheed looks to maintain relevance after losing the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) competition, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Taiclet outlined several potential improvements for the F-35, including enhanced stealth coatings, redesigned engine nozzles, modifications to the aircraft’s outer mold line, advanced electronic-warfare capabilities, and increased autonomy. He suggested these developments could “make the F-35 pilot optional over a relatively modest timeframe, based on a lot of the development we've done for our NGAD offering,” speaking at Bernstein’s Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on Wednesday.

While the F-35 already features some autonomous functions—most notably demonstrated in 2023 when a jet flew for 11 minutes after the pilot ejected—a fully autonomous F-35 has not yet been publicly disclosed. Taiclet first introduced the concept of a “supercharged” F-35 during the company’s first-quarter earnings call last month, claiming that the upgraded fighter could deliver “80 per cent of sixth-gen capability at half of the cost.”

Flight testing for these enhancements could begin within two to three years, Taiclet said.

This strategic shift is part of Lockheed’s effort to compensate for losing out on next-generation fighter programs, as the Air Force selected Boeing’s F-47 and the Navy chose a different contractor for the F/A-XX program. However, the company’s track record with integrating new technology into the F-35 has faced delays, with Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3)—a critical upgrade package for Block 4 improvements—running behind schedule.

At the conference, Taiclet reported that TR-3 is expected to be fully combat-capable by the end of this year, with sensor integration challenges soon to be resolved. “Once that catches up, we think by the end of this year, then all those aircraft that have been delivered will be combat-capable and allowable to be, like, at the front line for the services and for our allies,” he said.

Looking ahead, the future of F-35 sales remains uncertain amid shifting Pentagon priorities and political scrutiny. Nonetheless, Taiclet expressed confidence that production would sustain its current pace of 156 jets per year. “I feel that there'll be strong support for F-35 over the next many number of years, because of A, capability, and B, the embedded industrial commitment already in Europe, and we're seeing the same kind of demand trend in Asia as well," he said.

He also noted potential new customers such as Saudi Arabia and India, with discussions ongoing regarding a path to fifth-generation fighter capabilities in the Middle East. “There'll be really significant opportunity for the company along those lines, and a few others too,” Taiclet added.

By Aghakazim Guliyev