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30-05-2025
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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
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HII to Participate in Bernstein's 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) will participate in Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28. A conversation with HII President and CEO Chris Kastner will begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be webcast on About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: HII on Facebook: HII on X: HII on Instagram: Contact: Brooke Hart (Media) Christie Thomas (Investors)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
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TE Connectivity CEO to present at Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference
GALWAY, Ireland , May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Terrence Curtin, chief executive officer of TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL), a global leader in connectors and sensors, will present at Bernstein's 41st annual Strategic Decisions Conference on Thursday, May 29, at 8 a.m. EDT at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The event will be streamed live via webcast and will be available for replay on the investor portion of TE's website at About TE ConnectivityTE Connectivity plc (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, energy networks, automated factories, data centers, medical technology and more. With more than 85,000 employees, including 9,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 130 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE TE Connectivity plc Sign in to access your portfolio
