Key Points and Summary – After losing the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) contract to Boeing, Lockheed Martin has a new plan for its F-35 stealth fighter.
-The company will incorporate advanced technologies from its unsuccessful 6th-generation bid to create a “5th-gen plus” jet that can act as a “bridging fighter” until the new F-47 is operational.
-Lockheed’s CEO claims this upgraded F-35 can deliver “80% of 6th-gen capability at 50% of the cost,” touting the jet’s recent combat performance in Iran as proof of the platform’s enduring value and upgrade potential.
Lockheed Martin Will Bring Next-Gen Abilities to the F-35
Lockheed Martin will bring next-generation technology from its unsuccessful Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) bid to the F-35 stealth jet, creating a “bridging fighter” for the U.S. Air Force before Boeing’s sixth-generation F-47 reaches Initial Operational Capability.
Speaking on Tuesday, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said that technologies developed under its sixth-generation stealth jet program will be incorporated into an upcoming version of the F-35, creating a “bridging fighter” for the U.S. Air Force that can be deployed before the F-47 officially enters service and potentially in the years that follow.
Taiclet confirmed the plans during a second-quarter earnings call, accompanied by Lockheed Chief Financial Officer Evan Scott. He stressed that the F-35 remains a relevant piece of military hardware, touting its use during Operation Midnight Hammer. Taiclet said that the mission, which saw U.S. stealth fighters deployed to Iran to destroy its nuclear facilities, was “led” by both the F-22 and F-35, and that between the two planes, they “provided the air dominance and defense suppression required for the bombers to reach Iran’s hardened nuclear sites.”
Taiclet also said that their two platforms “operated essentially undetected in highly defended and contested airspace, underscoring the value of advanced stealth, superior electronic warfare, and broadband communications capability.”
F-35 Meets F-47
The comments come just months after Lockheed claimed that its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can provide as much as 80% of the functionality of the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter at 50% of the cost. In April, Taiclet told an earnings call that NGAD technologies will be applied to current systems to make proven products “even more relevant to the future.”
“For example, the knowledge and technology development gained from our investments in the NGAD competition strengthened our conviction to enhance the F-35 to a ‘5th generation plus’ capability. And I challenged the team to deliver 80% of 6th gen capability at 50% of the cost. In support of this vision, we’re also committing to drive disruptive innovation and building upon our recent established internal capabilities and AI autonomy, crewed-uncrewed teaming, and command and control systems across the whole company. We have aligned these technology investments with our customer priorities and demonstrated meaningful increases in capabilities at relatively low cost,” Taiclet said.
The efforts are designed not only to provide next-generation functionality to the U.S. Air Force with a jet that is already deep in production, but also to showcase Lockheed’s abilities as it works to secure future contracts.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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Raptor1
July 25, 2025 at 12:04 am
Based on history, it will be one half the aircraft at twice the cost, 10 yeats late… No thanks, THIS time we’ve actually learned, we’ll pass.