Lockheed Martin, the American defense giant, has announced plans for a deep modernization of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet, aiming to upgrade it to a tentative "5+" generation standard, incorporating about 80% of the capabilities of the future F-47, which will be developed by Boeing as a result of the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) competition.
The statement came from Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet during the company’s financial results briefing, as reported by Breaking Defense. He emphasized that the modernized F-35 would cost half as much as the F-47 and said Lockheed Martin does not intend to protest over its loss in NGAD.
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Taiclet outlined the enhancements planned for F-35, which include integrating technologies originally developed for NGAD. For example, solutions intended for a 6th-gen fighter may be transferred onto the F-35 to further improve stealth, particularly through new materials, geometries, and countermeasures.
The aircraft's operational range will be extended, and it may receive a new high-sensitivity infrared sensor for searching and tracking air targets, and a completely new onboard radar.
The modernization will also incorporate the digital backbone of the sixth-generation fighter into the F-35 platform. This includes elements of artificial intelligence, optional uncrewed operation (enabling conversion into a UCAV), integration with loyal wingmen and other drones, and compatibility with next-generation weapon systems.
"We’re basically going to take the [F-35] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari," Taiclet said. "It's like a NASCAR upgrade, so to speak, where we would take the F-35 [and] apply some of those co-funded technologies both from NGAD and the F-35 program." He added that the concept has already been presented to both the Pentagon and the White House.
That definitely doesn't sound like a cheap upgrade. Defense Express notes that, if Taiclet's statements about fighter costs are accurate and not overstated, that would also imply that Boeing F-47’s price tag will likely far exceed the U.S. Air Force’s original vision for an affordable, lightweight 6th-geneneration fighter.
In 2024, the estimated unit costs for the F-35 variants were $82.5 million for the F-35A, $109 million for the F-35B, and $102 million for the F-35C. Any significant modernization will almost certainly increase these figures even further.
If the F-47 really is twice the cost of the upgraded F-35, then its price tag could exceed $200 million per aircraft in full-rate production. In its initial batches, the F-47’s cost might even approach $400–500 million per unit, especially when factoring in inflation. Otherwise, it's hard to see how Lockheed Martin could make modernized F-35s cheaper than they are now.
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