Lockheed Martin has claimed that it successfully demonstrated the capability to control drones with AI. The world’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, F-35, now has the capability to control UAVs, including the U.S. Air Force’s future fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin.
Recently, the company demonstrated end-to-end connectivity, including the seamless integration of AI technologies to control a drone in flight, utilizing the same hardware and software architectures that were built for future F-35 flight testing.
AI-enabled architectures to help F-35
“These AI-enabled architectures allow Lockheed Martin to not only prove out piloted-drone teaming capabilities, but also incrementally improve them, bringing the U.S. Air Force’s family of systems vision to life,” said Lockheed Martin in a statement.
The demonstrations were conducted in 2024, but the company revealed this on Thursday (January 24).
The company demonstrated its piloted-drone teaming interface, which can control multiple drones from the cockpit of an F-35 or F-22. This technology allows a pilot to direct multiple drones to engage enemies using a touchscreen tablet in the cockpit of their 5th-generation aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin.
The world’s most advanced stealth fighter jet can now serve as a central command hub for advanced drones such as the US Air Force’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
Next level air dominance
“We’re continuing to make significant investments focused on next level air dominance, where fighters and drones operate securely together to strengthen the Joint Forces,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
“We are already flying AI autonomy agents to support our staunch commitment to developing and delivering asymmetric advantages to the warfighter ahead of need.”
In November 2024, Lockheed Martin notably announced that it had conducted tests with OPL that saw a human controller in an L-39 Albatros jet use a touchscreen interface to order two L-29 Delfin jets equipped with AI-enabled flight technology acting as surrogate drones to engage simulated enemy fighters. This sounds very similar to the kind of control architecture the company says it has now demonstrated on the F-35, reported The War Zone.
The defense giant claims that it uses AI to augment human skill with machine intelligence – illustrating how systems can connect across the battle-space for faster decision-making and greater adaptability.
A technology was developed a decade ago
“Gone are the days where overwhelming the enemy with sheer size of force ensures air dominance. All systems operating in a battlespace must work together to overwhelm and defeat adversaries,” added the company in the statement.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, a decade ago, developed a technology roadmap to enable fighters and drones to communicate securely and perform complex missions together. The company maintains that this foundational work will empower America and its allies with the cutting-edge air dominance capabilities needed to secure the skies for decades to come.
During military conflicts, it’s claimed that air dominance in the high-stakes threat environments of the future will require a combination of current and next-gen fighters paired with highly capable autonomous vehicles. This operational construct will depend on not only advanced aircraft and drones but also on seamlessly and securely integrating those systems, according to Lockheed Martin.
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