Following NGAD Contract Loss, Lockheed Martin Offers India An Enhanced F-35 with 80% 6th-Gen Capabilities and Pilot-less Option

In a significant strategic pivot following the loss of the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) contract, Lockheed Martin has announced a plan to substantially upgrade its F-35 Lightning II fighter.

The proposal aims to create a "fifth-generation plus" aircraft, offering a powerful yet more affordable alternative to true sixth-generation jets.

Speaking at Bernstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28, 2025, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet stated that the enhanced F-35 would be available to new customers, with India being a notable potential partner.

The move is seen as a direct response to Boeing securing the lucrative contract to build the F-47, the new sixth-generation fighter for the U.S. Air Force.

With no immediate prospects for new sixth-generation fighter or bomber contracts, Lockheed Martin is focusing its resources on the F-35, its flagship program which has already delivered over 1,100 aircraft to various air forces globally.

The company plans to integrate technologies developed during its unsuccessful NGAD bid to keep the F-35 at the forefront of modern air power.

The proposed upgrade intends to deliver approximately 80% of the capabilities of a sixth-generation fighter at about half the cost. The enhanced F-35 is projected to cost under $150 million per unit, compared to the estimated $300 million price of the F-47.

These improvements are built upon the ongoing F-35 Block 4 upgrade program, which is already enhancing the jet's processing power, software, and weapons capabilities.

Key features of the upgraded F-35 platform include:

• Improved Stealth: The aircraft will feature new radar-absorbent coatings and potential modifications to its physical shape, such as to the engine inlets. These changes, derived from technologies developed for the NGAD competition, aim to reduce the fighter's visibility to enemy radar.
• Advanced Systems and AI: The jet will incorporate an improved digital architecture with artificial intelligence and superior networking capabilities. This includes better passive infrared sensors for detecting targets at long range without compromising its own position.
• Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T): The F-35 will be equipped to control and coordinate with uncrewed "loyal wingman" drones, also known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This technology, which is becoming central to modern air warfare strategy, multiplies the aircraft's effectiveness by using drones for tasks like surveillance, electronic warfare, and carrying additional munitions.
• Optionally Manned Capability: Taiclet revealed that the F-35 could become "pilot-optional" in a relatively short timeframe, leveraging autonomy software from the NGAD project. This would allow the jet to fly as an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) in high-risk missions, increasing operational flexibility and pilot safety.

Lockheed Martin has identified India as a prime candidate for this advanced F-35 variant. U.S. officials have recently reiterated offers to sell the F-35 to India through a government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) channel, separate from India's ongoing Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) procurement process.

The company has previously positioned its F-21, a highly modified F-16, as a "stepping stone" for the Indian Air Force towards acquiring the fifth-generation F-35.

This strategic shift comes after Lockheed Martin was passed over for both the Air Force's NGAD and the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter programs. The company has decided not to protest the Air Force's decision, instead concentrating on maximising the potential of its existing, highly successful F-35 platform.

However, the ambitious plan faces several challenges.

The F-35's airframe, designed over two decades ago, has known limitations that newer designs may overcome. Integrating sophisticated sixth-generation technology into the existing platform without causing production delays or budget overruns will be a complex engineering task.

Furthermore, the export of such advanced defence technology to any nation, including India, is subject to approval from the U.S. government, which must weigh strategic benefits against concerns over technology security.

 

15-month Delay in Apache Delivery Grounds Jodhpur Squadron, Raising Serious Questions about Contractual Accountability amid No Penalty Clause

Taiwan Turns to India for Battle-Proven D4 System against Chinese Drone Threats, Impressed by its Soft-Kill and Hard-Kill Laser Capabilities

[R. Singh]

Today's Israeli air strikes on Iran proved that F-35 is a potent stealth fighter jet ! If we buy this with India specific enhancement it will be good for India ! It must be MUMT capable ! We must buy F-35 (-6th gen) JSF and F-35B

 

[king dorm]

The F-35 would be the last choice for India. We can't put our own weapons on it; for weapons, software patches, and repair, we would be 100% dependent on the USA, which they will use as leverage. We can't use it against anyone without USA permission. It will be like that expensive car that sits in the garage because the owner is too afraid to take it out.

 

[Vivek Kumar]

American weaponry is overrated and of low value, very expensive, and should be dumped in trash.

 

[Mango_Indian]

Why not consider Russian Object 30/Saturn AL-51 engines?

• India already has experience assembling approximately 1000+ engines over 20 years and even manufacturing a lot of parts of the same family, the AL-41 SU30MKI engine, under the deep ToT. HAL must have understood 10%, if not more.
• The engine is powerful: 108 KN dry thrust, 167 KN wet thrust.
• The engine is reliable, based on AL-41, and by the time Tejas Mk2 comes, it will become more real-life proven. And for all Russian equipment bashers, the SU30MKI is at 65% availability on date, a shade below 70% for Rafale, and India did not pay $1.4 billion for logistics to SU30MKI like Rafale.
• The engine will be cheaper than both GE 414 or Safran.
• Lastly, Russia will not try any antics beyond increasing price. With the current situation, it cannot pull that as well.

 

[Sandeep]

They can make as many upgrades as they like but the reality is that they want us to first buy the F16/21 in large numbers before we can even try to buy the F35. Also we won’t get any access to or get to use any of the latest technology on the F35. They will certainly give us one with some of their older technology even if they do actually sell the jet to us which is no guarantee.

 

[Hardik]

People are saying, "Don't buy F-35s; they will delay it or give us older tech," etc., etc. But do you know how stealthy the F-35 is? It can literally give us dominance over the airspace for many decades. Pakistan literally issued a statement regarding this when they heard Trump offered us F-35s. You know, Pakistan and China will be cooked. Even a small number of them will be enough. I don't know how stealthy the AMCA will be, but if I were to choose one for defending my country, I would definitely choose F-35s. It's common sense that I will buy from a country that has over 40 years of stealth experience rather than from a country that has no experience in this tech.