U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced this week that its upcoming upgrade to the F-35 fighter jet is the most “aggressive” refresh in the warplane’s history.
Lockheed Martin representatives said at the Paris Air Show that the F-35’s Block 4 capabilities will focus on interoperability. The show will feature improved weapons systems, advanced computing systems and open-source architecture.
The company said the upgrades will feature 75 new programs, all of which fall under three categories.
“No. 1, all of the sensors improved dramatically. No. 2, the ability to carry more and different types of weapons. And No. 3, and I think this will become the ultimate game-changer, is the additional interoperability features that will allow us to communicate across the domains and be that central node in the battlespace,” J.R. McDonald, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of business development for the F-35 program, said Monday at the show.
To help improve interoperability, Lockheed Martin said it has added advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, using a new integrated core processor to improve performance. The company said its “AI Fight Club,” used to train AI in combat scenarios, will help the Block 4 F-35 perform well on the battlefield.
Lockheed Martin refused to give the media a specific timetable for when the Block 4 upgrades would be final. However, the company has already conducted multiple successful tests of the upgrades with U.S. allies.
Last month, Lockheed Martin conducted a successful test of the Block 4 capabilities in a partnership with the Danish Ministry of Defense. The test saw Danish F-35s successfully transmit data from a Fort Worth, Texas, flight to Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark through a commercial satellite communication link.
