Latest news with #NGAD
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Paris Air Show Signal Shift In Aerospace Trade? Analyst Flags EU Tariff Risks, Order Delays
On Friday, BOfA Securities analyst hosted Richard Aboulafia, a partner at AeroDynamic Advisory, to discuss expectations for the upcoming 2025 Paris Air Show. The analyst says that regarding news of potential 50% EU tariffs, Aboulafia warned that the Air Show could foreshadow how future international negotiations might unfold. The analyst notes that the EU might draw lessons from recent agreements in China and the Middle East, which mainly included aerospace and defense products. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share. Nancy Pelosi Invested $5 Million In An AI Company Last Year — Here's How You Can Invest In Multiple Pre-IPO AI Startups With Just $1,000. Nevertheless, the analyst writes that given the EU's own substantial aerospace and defense industry, which it aims to protect, U.S. aerospace and defense interests might become a point of contention rather than an incentive in these discussions. Regarding Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Aboulafia views recent deals in the Middle East and China as setting a precedent for other nations' trade negotiations, suggesting orders will be held back as bargaining chips, noted the analyst. The analyst writes that, for both Airbus SE (OTC:EADSY) and Boeing, Aboulafia doesn't foresee many airlines placing large new orders, primarily due to a lack of new aircraft programs and existing backlogs exceeding 10 years for their most popular models. Further, the analyst noted that, as previously disclosed, Aboulafia doesn't anticipate any major new commercial aircraft program unveilings due to ongoing supply chain issues and global macroeconomic constraints. In the defense sector, Aboulafia expects numerous companies to compete for subsystem roles on programs like NGAD/the F-47 and CCA. Additionally, Aboulafia anticipates an outsized presence of unmanned aerial systems at the show, predicting a focus on lower-tech, expendable variants rather than highly sophisticated systems, says the analyst. Read Next: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Invest before it's too late. 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share with a $1000 minimum. Photo: Shutterstock Send To MSN: Send to MSN UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Will Paris Air Show Signal Shift In Aerospace Trade? Analyst Flags EU Tariff Risks, Order Delays originally appeared on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The F-35 could be 'pilot optional' in the not-too-distant future, Lockheed Martin CEO says
Lockheed Martin's CEO announced plans for an uncrewed F-35. The F-35 and F-22 will gain next-gen stealth, electronic warfare, and weapons improvements, he said. The US Air Force wants uncrewed aircraft to support piloted ones and add mass to its force. Lockheed Martin is developing an advanced version of its F-35 stealth fighter jet that could potentially be uncrewed, the company's CEO said on Wednesday. Speaking at the Bernstein's 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, CEO Jim Taiclet floated the possibility of an F-35 whose pilot could be "optional" within a "relatively modest time frame." He outlined what he called "fifth-gen-plus" aircraft, where within two or three years both the F-35 and the older F-22 Raptor would feature several capabilities, including stealth coatings, electronic warfare improvements, and an unspecified weapons improvement, he said. Lockheed is repurposing much of this tech from its failed bid for the F-22 Raptor replacement, advances whose capabilities could rival those of the winning jet design at a much lower cost. Boeing secured the contract for the US Air Force's Next-Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD, to develop the sixth-generation F-47. Lockheed Martin didn't protest the decision. "Our target is 80% of the capability of an NGAD sixth-generation at 50% of the unit costs," Taiclet said. These improvements would be introduced in stages, he said, with consideration to how the aircraft will be integrated with other systems. Some updates could be done in two to three years for "a meaningful increase in capacity," Taiclet said. That includes stealth coatings on the aircraft's surface and adjustments to its shape, as well as electronic warfare and weapons capabilities upgrades. Sixth-generation are a class of aircraft whose stealth, speed, automation and extended range are expected to make them the world's premier aircraft as they enter service in the 2030s. More than 1,200 F-35s have already been delivered to the US and 12 additional countries' militaries. The F-35 program has hit several snags over the years, including costs and goals. The lifetime F-35 program costs top $2 trillion, and sustainability costs are also rising. Last year, the US Government Accountability Office assessed that the F-35 isn't hitting mission-capable goals and hasn't for years. On a company earnings call in April, Taiclet said the fifth-gen plus upgrade focused on better capabilities at a lower cost but details were sparse. "We're basically going to take the [F-35] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari," he said. Autonomous or uncrewed capabilities in aircraft have been a top priority for the US Air Force. Its Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiative has focused on unmanned aircraft capable of operating alongside piloted aircraft or autonomously for a variety of missions. Air Force leadership has touted these "loyal wingmen" as not only giving pilots a variety of options for how to employ them — as sensors, weapons carriers, or jamming platforms — but also offering the possibility of having enough with lower costs than crewed aircraft. That could be key in a conflict with a peer adversary, like China or Russia. A pilot could direct a CCA on missions too dangerous for crewed fighters. At the conference, Taiclet said Lockheed Martin's interest in pilot-optional F-35s lent itself to the CCA. "We're thinking of the F-35 not just as a standalone aircraft, but how it can interface with sixth generation and with unmanned aircraft and itself be optionally manned," he said. Efforts for F-35 autonomy would be similar to the Air Force's AI-guided F-16 fighter jet that's been used in recent years to test AI pilots. The aircraft is part of the Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)'s AI fighter jet pilot program, which has been working on testing, iterating, and updating AI agents to fly the jet. Last year, then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall flew in the X-62A pilot by AI, "witnessing several AI agents as they autonomously maneuvered the X-62 against a manned F-16 in dogfighting engagements," an Air Force official said at the time. Those manned-unmanned dogfights have been ongoing and the service has said it's learning a lot of information from them, especially on how autonomous aircraft could aid or support manned pilots. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
The F-35 could be 'pilot optional' in the not-too-distant future, Lockheed Martin CEO says
Lockheed Martin is developing an advanced version of its F-35 stealth fighter jet that could potentially be uncrewed, the company's CEO said on Wednesday. Speaking at the Bernstein's 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, CEO Jim Taiclet floated the possibility of an F-35 whose pilot could be "optional" within a "relatively modest time frame." He outlined what he called "fifth-gen-plus" aircraft, where within two or three years both the F-35 and the older F-22 Raptor would feature several capabilities, including stealth coatings, electronic warfare improvements, and an unspecified weapons improvement, he said. Lockheed is repurposing much of this tech from its failed bid for the F-22 Raptor replacement, advances whose capabilities could rival those of the winning jet design at a much lower cost. Boeing secured the contract for the US Air Force's Next-Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD, to develop the sixth-generation F-47. Lockheed Martin didn't protest the decision. "Our target is 80% of the capability of an NGAD sixth-generation at 50% of the unit costs," Taiclet said. These improvements would be introduced in stages, he said, with consideration to how the aircraft will be integrated with other systems. Some updates could be done in two to three years for "a meaningful increase in capacity," Taiclet said. That includes stealth coatings on the aircraft's surface and adjustments to its shape, as well as electronic warfare and weapons capabilities upgrades. Sixth-generation are a class of aircraft whose stealth, speed, automation and extended range are expected to make them the world's premier aircraft as they enter service in the 2030s. More than 1,200 F-35s have already been delivered to the US and 12 additional countries' militaries. The F-35 program has hit several snags over the years, including costs and goals. The lifetime F-35 program costs top $2 trillion, and sustainability costs are also rising. Last year, the US Government Accountability Office assessed that the F-35 isn't hitting mission-capable goals and hasn't for years. On a company earnings call in April, Taiclet said the fifth-gen plus upgrade focused on better capabilities at a lower cost but details were sparse. "We're basically going to take the [F-35] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari," he said. AI-guided fighters Autonomous or uncrewed capabilities in aircraft have been a top priority for the US Air Force. Its Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiative has focused on unmanned aircraft capable of operating alongside piloted aircraft or autonomously for a variety of missions. Air Force leadership has touted these "loyal wingmen" as not only giving pilots a variety of options for how to employ them — as sensors, weapons carriers, or jamming platforms — but also offering the possibility of having enough with lower costs than crewed aircraft. That could be key in a conflict with a peer adversary, like China or Russia. A pilot could direct a CCA on missions too dangerous for crewed fighters. At the conference, Taiclet said Lockheed Martin's interest in pilot-optional F-35s lent itself to the CCA. "We're thinking of the F-35 not just as a standalone aircraft, but how it can interface with sixth generation and with unmanned aircraft and itself be optionally manned," he said. Efforts for F-35 autonomy would be similar to the Air Force's AI-guided F-16 fighter jet that's been used in recent years to test AI pilots. The aircraft is part of the Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)'s AI fighter jet pilot program, which has been working on testing, iterating, and updating AI agents to fly the jet. Last year, then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall flew in the X-62A pilot by AI, "witnessing several AI agents as they autonomously maneuvered the X-62 against a manned F-16 in dogfighting engagements," an Air Force official said at the time. Those manned-unmanned dogfights have been ongoing and the service has said it's learning a lot of information from them, especially on how autonomous aircraft could aid or support manned pilots.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What We Just Learned A More Advanced 'Ferrari' F-35 Could Include
Pilot-optional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be coming in the future as Lockheed Martin looks for ways to ensure the jets remain relevant for decades to come. Technology from the company's unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter competition, along with new coatings and other modifications, could also go into what it has previously called a 'Ferrari' or 'NASCAR upgrade' to the F-35's core 'chassis.' The feasibility of this proposal, as well as the huge claim that it could produce a jet with 80 percent of the capability of a sixth-generation design at 50 percent of the cost, remains very much in question. In the meantime, Lockheed Martin says overall demand for the F-35 remains strong and that new customers, potentially including Saudi Arabia and India, could be on the horizon. Speaking at Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference yesterday, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said he thinks that, in the space of two to three years, 'we could have a meaningful increase in capability for the F-35' by porting some of the NGAD technologies over. In March, the Air Force announced that Boeing had won the NGAD combat jet competition with a design now designated the F-47. The two-to-three-year timeline relates to 'first flight and integration,' Taiclet added, noting that any upgrades would have to 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.' As for the kinds of technologies being considered, Taiclet specifically mentioned new infrared and radar coatings applied on the surface of the aircraft. The implication here is that sixth-generation stealth coatings developed under the NGAD program could be applied to the existing F-35 airframe for an improvement in its low-observable qualities, and likely also its maintainability. The U.S. military has also been observed conducting secretive tests of new mirror-like coatings on F-35s, as well as F-22 Raptor and F-117 Nighthawk stealth jets, in recent years. Taiclet also raised the possibility of more invasive design changes that would address parts of the F-35's core structure. 'There have been some adjustments or learnings, I'll say, on outer mold line, which is the actual shape of the aircraft itself, especially with regard to engine inlets and outflow nozzles that we might be able to again improve on the F-35 without redesigning it,' the Lockheed Martin CEO explained. Engine intakes and exhausts are some of the most sensitive areas for low-observable (stealthy) aircraft. The F-35's rear aspect radar signature is a known weak spot of the design, and improvements here would clearly be welcome, especially as enemy air defenses become more potent. 'There's also electronic warfare improvements, networking improvements, and autonomy,' Taiclet added. Of these, autonomy is judged as being 'really critical' and would be the factor that could make the F-35 pilot optional. Since a lot of the work on autonomy has already been done, Taiclet thinks that a pilot-optional version of the F-35 could become a reality 'over a relatively modest timeframe.' Lockheed Martin's chief executive did not elaborate on what might be required, technically, to add pilot-optional capability to the F-35, but it does seem readily feasible given the aircraft's digitized, open architecture avionics and communications suite. At the same time, the benefits that a pilot-optional F-35 might offer would seem to be of debatable value. The F-35 is also already set to get major electronic warfare enhancements and more as part of the forthcoming Block 4 upgrade package, which we will come back to later on. Finally, in terms of bringing NGAD technologies into the F-35, Taiclet mentioned the possibility of introducing unspecified weapons that have been developed, or which are in development, for the sixth-generation fighter. With some or all of these new technologies, Lockheed Martin sees the opportunity to transform the F-35 into what Taiclet described as 'a more capable fifth-gen-plus version' of the Joint Strike Fighter. The idea of a reworked F-35 is something that Taiclet had raised back in April, soon after Boeing was selected as the winner of the NGAD crewed fighter competition, with its F-47. At the time, he had discussed a 'Ferrari' or 'NASCAR upgrade' for the F-35, but did not provide concrete details of what that might entail. He did, however, note a goal of offering 80-percent of the capability of the NGAD crewed fighter capability at just half the cost. Yesterday, Taiclet reiterated the 80 percent/50 percent target, which remains highly ambitious. 'That's a set of targets that we're going after as a company,' he said. 'We're recommending consideration of some of those ideas to the U.S. government right now.' Absent from Taiclet's conversation yesterday was the so-called F-55, a purported development of the F-35 that U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned while talking to the press earlier this month. Trump described the F-55 as a twin-engined F-35 and also discussed an 'F-22 Super' that would be an upgraded version of the Raptor. At yesterday's Strategic Decisions Conference, Lockheed Martin's Taiclet did say that a similarly ambitious upgrade effort to the one described for the F-35 could be applied to the F-22. The F-22 fleet is already set to receive a number of important upgrades in the coming years, including a new Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), additional sensor improvements, and stealthy drop tanks. Work to modernize the Raptors had already been feeding into the NGAD program. It's also worth noting that President Trump had raised the prospect of an F-55 while on a trip to the Persian Gulf region, raising the question about whether it might have been tied to interest from the countries in the region. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabian officials had again met with their American counterparts about the possibility of purchasing F-35s. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar have reportedly sought to buy Joint Strike Fighters in the past, as well. Concerns about the erosion of Israel's so-called 'qualitative military edge' and operational security issues are reported to have hampered progress on such sales in the past. The Israeli Air Force is currently the only F-35 operator in the Middle East. It's also interesting to note here that Qatar and Saudi Arabia both played significant roles in Boeing's development of versions of the Advanced Eagle, which the U.S. Air Force is now benefiting from with its F-15EX Eagle II. Now, 'in air superiority, there's a discussion about a path to fifth generation in Saudi Arabia,' Taiclet said yesterday. 'There'll be multiple steps in that. It could take some time, but I think if we can work with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE on really bolstering their air superiority capabilities and their integrated air and defense capabilities … there will be really significant opportunity for the company along those lines, and a few others too.' It's not entirely clear from Taiclet's remarks here if he means there might also be a pathway emerging for potential 'fifth-generation' fighter sales to Qatar and the UAE, as well as Saudi Arabia. New 'air superiority capabilities and their integrated air and defense capabilities' could include sales of advanced F-16s, which are already heading to the region for the Royal Bahraini Air Force, as well as ground-based air and missile defense systems that Lockheed Martin produces. Lockheed Martin has already found significant export opportunities in the Middle East for its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system and the PAC-3 series of interceptors for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. Taiclet also talked about the potential for F-35 sales to India and re-raised the possibility of selling that country a particularly advanced F-16 derivative called the F-21. Though hard details remain elusive, the Indian Air Force looks to have lost at least some number of fourth-generation fighters in the course of a brief, but intense conflict with Pakistan earlier this month that also put the spotlight on Chinese fighter exports. 'I think the F-16 also has strong legs, if you will, and more [and] increasing interest as we go forward from a number of countries that aren't quite ready for F-35,' Taiclet said. There are 'some countries that could see F-21 or F-16, for India, for example, as a stepping stone to F-35.' 'We've already started with the wing section. So, F-16 wings are co-produced in India for export to other nations,' the Lockheed Martin CEO added. 'We've made commitments to literally the highest level of the Indian government, that should they choose F-21, which is the modernized version of the F-16, that we would initiate production as feasible in India for final assembly of the aircraft, as well as the wings.' Circling back to the F-35, in general, Taiclet also talked yesterday about the ongoing issues with that program. Work on the aforementioned Block 4 package, and the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) improvements that the jets have to receive first, continues to face delays. Taiclet blamed issues tied to an upgrade to the Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which is one part of Block 4, as being a major factor. You can read more about the existing DAS, and the threat warning and general situational awareness capabilities it offers, here. 'TR-3 is a technology refreshment, a technology upgrade, from the prior F-35 core processor, which is basically the onboard server computer; a data storage unit, which is much more robust and can hold and process a lot more information; and then a pilot display generator that is the next generation, is more sophisticated, more capable,' Taiclet explained. Then there is 'a software package, or firmware package, really, that integrates the core processor server, the data storage unit and the display, display generator, into the aircraft itself.' 'The hardware is complete. It's being produced at scale at L3Harris. The software integration with the aircraft is also complete, and so TR-3 has met its completion milestones. What's going on now is that aircraft are being run through the factory with TR-3, plus the first hardware component, or one of the initial hardware components, of the Block 4 upgrade to the aircraft hardware,' he continued. 'That piece of equipment is called a Distributed Aperture System, which is six apertures or antennas located around the aircraft that provide lots of sensing capabilities.' 'The holdup now is that the sensor set — a new piece of hardware and its own software and its own firmware — has to now integrate with the TR-3 aircraft, and that is a little bit behind schedule,' he added. 'Once that catches up, we think by the end of this year, then all those aircraft that have been delivered will be combat-capable.' The ongoing struggles with Block 4 and TR-3 do raise further questions about the fifth-generation-plus F-35 proposal, which involves relatively drastic changes to the aircraft beyond what is being worked on now, as well as the 80 percent/50 percent claim. There are also ongoing supply chain and other sustainment problems that present serious cost growth concerns for current and future operators, something TWZ has explored in detail in the past. 'Our first priority is the health of the F-35 program. What we suggested is longer-term production and sustainment agreements … where we could stabilize the supply chain, get some costs down, and make sure that we can deliver on time and on schedule more reliably,' according to Taiclet. It remains to be seen whether a fifth-generation-plus variant or derivative of the F-35 ultimately materializes. At the same time, Lockheed Martin at least working toward that end could provide the U.S. military a hedge against delays or other issues in the continued development of the F-47. The future outlook for the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation stealth fighter is currently murky, as well. The F-35 presents is an in-production design that can be leveraged, potentially even just in name. As a comparative example, the Navy first fielded the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a significantly different aircraft from preceding F/A-18 Hornet variants, after the cancellation of far more advanced, expensive, and entirely new designs. Regardless, Lockheed Martin looks committed to seeing how far it can push the bounds of the design, including possibly removing the pilot from the equation, as it pursues new export opportunities. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lockheed eyes better stealth, unmanned option for F-35
Advanced stealth capabilities, new weapons and possibly even an unmanned piloting option could be in the works for Lockheed Martin's F-35 as the company seeks to boost the jet with sixth-generation technology. In a webcast of a Wednesday discussion at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York, Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet expressed confidence the company could have a 'meaningful increase' of capabilities for the F-35 ready in two or three years. Lockheed originally developed these technologies as part of its pitch to the Air Force for a Next-Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, fighter. But the Air Force ended up going with Boeing's proposal, and President Donald Trump in March announced NGAD would be called the F-47. Lockheed hopes to salvage its NGAD loss by making the F-35 more capable and attractive. Taiclet has claimed porting its NGAD technology into a 'supercharged' F-35 will allow the company to deliver 80% of the capability of an NGAD fighter at half the cost. In an April earnings call with investors, Taiclet said Lockheed would 'take the [F-35's] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari.' That could include upgrading the F-35's stealth coatings to help it evade infrared and radar signals and tweaking the fighter's outer body shape, particularly its engine inlets and outlets, to make it stealthier, Taiclet said. A fifth-generation-plus F-35 could also have better electronic warfare capabilities, networking and autonomy, which could be used to make the jet 'pilot-optional,' Taiclet said. Some weapons designed for a sixth-generation aircraft could also be folded into the F-35's arsenal, he said. Some of these capabilities could be ready for a first flight and integration into the F-35 in two or three years, Taiclet said, but he cautioned the technology development has to be rolled out in stages. 'You cannot introduce too much new equipment or too much new software at once, necessarily, without interrupting the production flow,' Taiclet said. Lockheed Martin is also looking for ways the F-35 can better interface with other aircraft, including sixth-generation planes, drones such as collaborative combat aircraft and other technologies as part of the Air Force's 'family of systems' concept. 'This is the way to look at the air superiority program of the future,' Taiclet said. 'It's not just plane-to-plane, what's faster, what turns tighter, what's got the longest duration of flight, but how it interacts and can interact with a wider ecosystem to create air superiority.' Taiclet also provided an update on the F-35's Technology Refresh 3 upgrades and the effort to get the newest Joint Strike Fighters ready to fly in combat. The upgrades, also known as TR3, include an improved core processor for the F-35, better memory and a more sophisticated display for pilots. The development of that hardware is done, Taiclet said, and it's being produced at scale by L3Harris. He said the TR3 software integration to tie the new pieces of equipment into the jet is also done. F-35s are now moving through production lines, primarily at Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas, facility, and are having TR3 hardware and software installed, he said. Those new F-35s are also receiving a new distributed aperture system, which is six antennas positioned around the jet to boost its sensing capability. The distributed aperture system is the first piece of hardware needed for a more significant upgrade known as Block 4. However, integrating that new sensor set and its own software with TR3 has presented a new challenge, and is now 'a little bit behind schedule,' Taiclet said. '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 at the front-line base for the services and for our allies,' Taiclet said.
