By Kris Osborn, Warrior
(Washington D.C.) The concept of an F-35 5th-generation “plus” is both intriguing and realistic given fast emerging technological breakthroughs in the realm of AI, sensing, computing, avionics, software and mission systems.
Lockheed’s F-35 “Ferrari” upgrade concept, now being considered by DoD, could potentially generate an entirely “new” aircraft in some respects without having to engineer and build an entirely new airframe. Software upgrades, the integration of AI and the addition of new long-range sensors and weapons could massively enhance the aircraft’s performance parameters without needing to change its external configuration. There is much precedent for this, as numerous legacy aircraft have been upgraded and transitioned from decades-old potentially obsolete platforms into relevant, capable aircraft positioned to perform well in a modern threat environment.
Upgraded Air Force Platforms
This has happened with great success in the case of the B-2, F-22 and F-15EX, as each of these aircraft have made generational leaps in performance due to upgrades and the integration of new avionics, weapons, sensors and command and control technology. The F-15EX 4th-Gen “plus” aircraft demonstrates the extent to which an aircraft can achieve generational leaps in performance without needing to be fully replaced with a new airframe. The re-engining of the B-52 is yet another instance of this kind of success, as the classic bomber has in recent years received a new internal weapons bay, communications equipment, weapons and electronics. Stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and B-2 have also been essentially redefined with new coating materials, computer processing, thermal management technology and weapons interfaces.
All of this would seem to indicate that there is no reason a similar effort could not be successful leaping the F-35 forward a generation. Certainly an F-35 “Ferrari” plus might not have the advanced stealth fully horizontal configuration of an F-47, yet it could potentially integrate a wide sphere of 6th-generation technologies; this might include advanced applications of AI-enabled computing and sensing, heat signature reduction enhancements, the potential addition of lasers and an entirely new arsenal of next-generation weapons.
Software Upgrades
In the case of the F-35, software upgrades have for years massively expanded the sensing, weapons and computing for many years. The now arriving Block 4 software drop, for example, will integrate paradigm-changing new weapons such as the Stormbreaker and AARGM-ER (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile - Extended Range). The AARGM-ER brings new range and target sensing technology to the realm of attacking enemy air defenses and the Stormbreaker brings an ability to change course in flight with a datalink and track targets in all weather at ranges up to 40 nautical miles.
The F-35 is already known to operate with a tremendous advantage over 4th-generation platforms due to its sensing, computing and targeting range. An Air Force wargame called Red Flag years ago was able to demonstrate that an F-35 can “see” and “destroy” groups of 4th-Gen aircraft at distances from which it could not itself be seen. The F-35’s AI-enabled “sensor fusion” could potentially be brought to a new level of range, data integration, multi-domain networking and fire control interface. An F-35 “Ferrari” could use software and fire control upgrades to create interfaces for an entirely new generation of weapons, so a 5th-gen “plus” F-35 might be positioned to fire lasers and detect and destroy targets from even greater ranges with increased lethality.
Manned-Unmanned Teaming
The F-35 has also been a pioneering aircraft in the realm of manned-unmanned teaming, as it has already shown in an Air Force Research Lab experiment that it can exchange data in flight with the emerging Valkyrie drone. The idea of a “loyal wingman” wherein a drone or group of drones are controlled from the cockpit of an aircraft began with the F-35 and F-22, yet it is now a primary concept of operation for 6th-generation Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs). It seems there would be few barriers to upgrading or adjusting the F-35 such that it can not only network with the F-47 but also operate CCAs as well.
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