Exclusive: Lockheed Martin Ready to Integrate Next-Generation Fighter Jet NGAD Technologies into F-35 and F-22
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The American Defense Company Lockheed Martin has announced major strides in leveraging technologies developed for its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program to upgrade its existing fighter platforms significantly—the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor. This important revelation occurred during the Lockheed Martin First Quarter 2025 Earnings Results Conference Call on April 23, 2025. The initiative represents a critical move in sustaining U.S. air superiority and extending the operational dominance of its fifth-generation aircraft fleet into the future.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is undergoing major upgrades as part of Lockheed Martin’s plan to integrate Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) technologies, transforming the fighter into a “fifth generation plus” platform equipped for future high-threat environments. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)
According to Lockheed Martin officials during the press conference, a wide array of advanced technologies originally designed for the NGAD program will now be adapted and applied to the current embedded fleet of F-35s and F-22s. This bold approach is set to deliver what Lockheed Martin describes as a “fifth generation plus” capability, essentially taking already-proven airframes and infusing them with the most cutting-edge advancements available today. By integrating these next-generation innovations into the F-35 chassis, Lockheed Martin estimates it can achieve approximately 80% of the capability envisioned for future platforms, but at just 50% of the cost per unit aircraft. This offers a highly cost-effective path for modernization, giving the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) a powerful tool to accelerate the deployment of transformative technologies without the need to procure entirely new aircraft in the short term.
Several of the technologies in question are already making their way into service through ongoing enhancements under the F-35 Block 4 upgrade program. However, Lockheed Martin intends to expand beyond Block 4 by introducing additional capabilities that have been refined under NGAD development efforts. The company emphasized that it plans to offer these innovations to the DoD in an accelerated manner, allowing for faster adoption and integration to keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape. These enhancements are expected to include advanced sensor systems, improved electronic warfare suites, greater survivability features, next-generation propulsion improvements, and more sophisticated network-centric warfare capabilities.
The concept behind Lockheed Martin’s vision for a “fifth generation plus” F-35 is to create an evolved fighter jet that remains fully competitive in a future battlefield environment dominated by advanced threats and highly contested airspace. By adapting NGAD-era technologies to the well-proven and widely deployed F-35 airframe, Lockheed Martin not only extends the fighter’s operational relevance but ensures that it will continue to outperform potential adversaries’ emerging capabilities for decades to come. This hybrid modernization approach is seen as a way to bridge the technological gap until the full NGAD family of systems—encompassing manned fighters, loyal wingman drones, and next-generation munitions—enters service later this decade.
Strategically, this announcement signals Lockheed Martin’s commitment to a dual-pronged modernization strategy: aggressively pursue the future of air dominance through NGAD while simultaneously ensuring that today’s frontline assets remain formidable. For the Pentagon, it presents an opportunity to maximize investments already made in the F-35 and F-22 programs by upgrading existing fleets with new technologies that have already been heavily funded and tested under the NGAD initiative. In a global security environment characterized by rapid technological change and increasingly sophisticated threats, such a strategy is vital to maintain U.S. and allied supremacy in the air domain.
The Next Generation Air Dominance program, spearheaded by the U.S. Air Force, represents a transformational approach to air combat power. NGAD is not centered around a single aircraft, but rather a family of systems designed to achieve air superiority in the highly contested environments projected for the 2030s and beyond. At its core, NGAD includes a manned fighter platform, but it will be supported by an ecosystem of autonomous drones—known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)—advanced weapons, resilient communications networks, and integrated electronic warfare capabilities.
The U.S. Air Force’s requirements for NGAD are extensive and ambitious. Key attributes include enhanced stealth characteristics beyond today’s fifth-generation standards, supercruise capability (the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without afterburners), deep sensing for long-range detection and targeting, artificial intelligence and machine learning integration for rapid decision-making, and open systems architecture to allow faster integration of new technologies over the aircraft’s lifecycle. Survivability in the most heavily defended airspaces, interoperability with joint and allied forces, and the ability to direct unmanned systems in combat are also central to the Air Force’s vision for NGAD.
Additionally, the Air Force emphasizes cost control and rapid adaptability, seeking modular designs that enable quick upgrades as new threats emerge. NGAD aims not only to replace the aging F-22 Raptor in the air superiority role but also to leap far ahead of any potential adversary’s future developments. To meet these ambitious goals, companies competing in the NGAD program—including Lockheed Martin—have been investing heavily in cutting-edge research and prototyping over the past several years.
At the same time, both the F-22 and F-35 fleets are undergoing substantial modernization programs to remain relevant in the evolving battlespace. The F-22 Raptor is receiving significant upgrades to extend its operational service into the 2040s. These include new advanced infrared threat-detection systems, enhancements to its sensor suite to better detect and track low-observable threats, and a new infrared defensive system designed to counter infrared-guided missiles. The Raptor’s F119 engines are also being upgraded through software improvements aimed at boosting thrust and overall performance, ensuring the aircraft retains its speed and agility advantages over competitors.
The F-35 Lightning II is advancing through the Block 4 modernization effort, a sweeping upgrade that brings improvements across multiple domains: advanced sensors, enhanced electronic warfare capabilities, expanded weapons integration, and increased survivability measures. Supported by the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) hardware updates, Block 4 upgrades significantly boost the F-35’s computing power, memory, and system responsiveness. Moreover, the program introduces new exterior coatings that reduce maintenance needs while improving the aircraft’s stealth performance, and it enables the integration of next-generation munitions such as the AGM-158 family of long-range precision weapons.
Lockheed Martin’s commitment to integrating NGAD technologies into existing platforms like the F-22 and F-35 underscores a comprehensive strategy to maintain air dominance across multiple generations of combat aircraft. By enhancing today’s fighters with tomorrow’s technologies, the U.S. Air Force secures a crucial advantage while the broader NGAD ecosystem continues its development and prepares to redefine the future of aerial warfare.
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The American Defense Company Lockheed Martin has announced major strides in leveraging technologies developed for its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program to upgrade its existing fighter platforms significantly—the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor. This important revelation occurred during the Lockheed Martin First Quarter 2025 Earnings Results Conference Call on April 23, 2025. The initiative represents a critical move in sustaining U.S. air superiority and extending the operational dominance of its fifth-generation aircraft fleet into the future.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The F-35 Lightning II fighter jet is undergoing major upgrades as part of Lockheed Martin’s plan to integrate Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) technologies, transforming the fighter into a “fifth generation plus” platform equipped for future high-threat environments. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)
According to Lockheed Martin officials during the press conference, a wide array of advanced technologies originally designed for the NGAD program will now be adapted and applied to the current embedded fleet of F-35s and F-22s. This bold approach is set to deliver what Lockheed Martin describes as a “fifth generation plus” capability, essentially taking already-proven airframes and infusing them with the most cutting-edge advancements available today. By integrating these next-generation innovations into the F-35 chassis, Lockheed Martin estimates it can achieve approximately 80% of the capability envisioned for future platforms, but at just 50% of the cost per unit aircraft. This offers a highly cost-effective path for modernization, giving the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) a powerful tool to accelerate the deployment of transformative technologies without the need to procure entirely new aircraft in the short term.
Several of the technologies in question are already making their way into service through ongoing enhancements under the F-35 Block 4 upgrade program. However, Lockheed Martin intends to expand beyond Block 4 by introducing additional capabilities that have been refined under NGAD development efforts. The company emphasized that it plans to offer these innovations to the DoD in an accelerated manner, allowing for faster adoption and integration to keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape. These enhancements are expected to include advanced sensor systems, improved electronic warfare suites, greater survivability features, next-generation propulsion improvements, and more sophisticated network-centric warfare capabilities.
The concept behind Lockheed Martin’s vision for a “fifth generation plus” F-35 is to create an evolved fighter jet that remains fully competitive in a future battlefield environment dominated by advanced threats and highly contested airspace. By adapting NGAD-era technologies to the well-proven and widely deployed F-35 airframe, Lockheed Martin not only extends the fighter’s operational relevance but ensures that it will continue to outperform potential adversaries’ emerging capabilities for decades to come. This hybrid modernization approach is seen as a way to bridge the technological gap until the full NGAD family of systems—encompassing manned fighters, loyal wingman drones, and next-generation munitions—enters service later this decade.
Strategically, this announcement signals Lockheed Martin’s commitment to a dual-pronged modernization strategy: aggressively pursue the future of air dominance through NGAD while simultaneously ensuring that today’s frontline assets remain formidable. For the Pentagon, it presents an opportunity to maximize investments already made in the F-35 and F-22 programs by upgrading existing fleets with new technologies that have already been heavily funded and tested under the NGAD initiative. In a global security environment characterized by rapid technological change and increasingly sophisticated threats, such a strategy is vital to maintain U.S. and allied supremacy in the air domain.
The Next Generation Air Dominance program, spearheaded by the U.S. Air Force, represents a transformational approach to air combat power. NGAD is not centered around a single aircraft, but rather a family of systems designed to achieve air superiority in the highly contested environments projected for the 2030s and beyond. At its core, NGAD includes a manned fighter platform, but it will be supported by an ecosystem of autonomous drones—known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)—advanced weapons, resilient communications networks, and integrated electronic warfare capabilities.
The U.S. Air Force’s requirements for NGAD are extensive and ambitious. Key attributes include enhanced stealth characteristics beyond today’s fifth-generation standards, supercruise capability (the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without afterburners), deep sensing for long-range detection and targeting, artificial intelligence and machine learning integration for rapid decision-making, and open systems architecture to allow faster integration of new technologies over the aircraft’s lifecycle. Survivability in the most heavily defended airspaces, interoperability with joint and allied forces, and the ability to direct unmanned systems in combat are also central to the Air Force’s vision for NGAD.
Additionally, the Air Force emphasizes cost control and rapid adaptability, seeking modular designs that enable quick upgrades as new threats emerge. NGAD aims not only to replace the aging F-22 Raptor in the air superiority role but also to leap far ahead of any potential adversary’s future developments. To meet these ambitious goals, companies competing in the NGAD program—including Lockheed Martin—have been investing heavily in cutting-edge research and prototyping over the past several years.
At the same time, both the F-22 and F-35 fleets are undergoing substantial modernization programs to remain relevant in the evolving battlespace. The F-22 Raptor is receiving significant upgrades to extend its operational service into the 2040s. These include new advanced infrared threat-detection systems, enhancements to its sensor suite to better detect and track low-observable threats, and a new infrared defensive system designed to counter infrared-guided missiles. The Raptor’s F119 engines are also being upgraded through software improvements aimed at boosting thrust and overall performance, ensuring the aircraft retains its speed and agility advantages over competitors.
The F-35 Lightning II is advancing through the Block 4 modernization effort, a sweeping upgrade that brings improvements across multiple domains: advanced sensors, enhanced electronic warfare capabilities, expanded weapons integration, and increased survivability measures. Supported by the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) hardware updates, Block 4 upgrades significantly boost the F-35’s computing power, memory, and system responsiveness. Moreover, the program introduces new exterior coatings that reduce maintenance needs while improving the aircraft’s stealth performance, and it enables the integration of next-generation munitions such as the AGM-158 family of long-range precision weapons.
Lockheed Martin’s commitment to integrating NGAD technologies into existing platforms like the F-22 and F-35 underscores a comprehensive strategy to maintain air dominance across multiple generations of combat aircraft. By enhancing today’s fighters with tomorrow’s technologies, the U.S. Air Force secures a crucial advantage while the broader NGAD ecosystem continues its development and prepares to redefine the future of aerial warfare.
