F-35 will turn into a sixth generation fighter

The US Air Force says it wants to combine the F-35 with cheap drones. These AI-powered drones should be inexpensive. This will make it easy to replace them if damaged, or if they are shot down, that is, there will be no talk of significant losses when using such drones.

Although the fighter does not have a UAV control system, Gregor Ulmer, vice president of Lockheed Martin, assured that the technology is achievable. According to him, the F-35 is very well suited for the control of unmanned groups.

Ulmer also stressed that missile defense will be another potential use of the F-35.

Michelle Evans, head of aeronautics at Lockheed Martin, expressed her attitude to the problem:

“I’m not sure that you’ll see significant leaps in technology from the fifth to the sixth generation, similar to what you’ve seen from the fourth to the fifth generation”.

Evans stressed that this could be an evolutionary process, and F-35 would be the main platform.