F-47 Fighter Aviation Breakthrough Leaves F-35 Fighter Exposed

Key Points: Reeling from losing the F-47 NGAD contract to Boeing, Lockheed Martin is proposing a “supercharged” F-35 variant.

-CEO Jim Taiclet announced plans to integrate technologies developed for their NGAD bid into the existing F-35 airframe, aiming for 80% of the F-47’s capability at potentially half the cost per unit.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies during the 2021 Reno Air Races, Reno, Nev., Sept. 18, 2021. The 2021 Reno Air Races featured performances from the U.S. Air Force F-35A Demo Team and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)

-This “fifth-generation-plus” strategy leverages the F-35’s massive global fleet (~3,500 planned) and established infrastructure.

-While facing technical hurdles and significant estimated costs (~$150M+ per jet), this initiative is crucial for Lockheed to remain competitive in the high-end fighter market against Boeing’s new platform.

Super F-35 Coming Soon? 

The announcement of the F-47 contract marked a signature victory for Boeing, but a major defeat for Lockheed Martin. Not wanting to fall behind, Lockheed now plans to take the technology developed to make its bid and funnel it into its F-35 program to pitch a lower-cost alternative to the future F-47. The plan is to create a supercharged version of the F-35, keeping Lockheed Martin relevant as a competitor against Boeing.

Lockheed’s Plan for a “Super F-35”

The announcement came from Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet during a Tuesday earnings call. “There are techniques and capabilities… that were developed for [our NGAD bid] that we can now apply here,” Taiclet said. “We’re basically going to take the [F-35’s] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari.” Taiclet referred to the potential upgraded F-35s as “fifth-generation-plus,” a description reminiscent of the way F-15EXs are sometimes called 4.5-generation aircraft.

According to reports, the company received a classified briefing from the U.S. Air Force on why Boeing was selected for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) contract instead of Lockheed Martin. The company has reportedly taken that feedback and used it to advance its upgraded F-35. 

“We are moving forward and moving out on applying all the technologies that we developed for our NGAD bid onto our embedded base of F-35 and F-22,” explained Taiclet. “I feel that we can have, again, 80 percent of the capability potentially at 50 percent of the cost per unit of aircraft by taking the F-35 chassis and applying numerous advanced technologies, some of which are already in process in Block 4.”

Is the F-35 Better than the F-47?

Taiclet said the global F-35 fleet numbers about 1,100 aircraft and is expected to reach 3,500 down the line. CFO Evan Scott said Lockheed will deliver between 170 and 190 F-35s in 2025, and that there is a backlog of 350. 

“There will be 3,500 of those chassis out there, at various stages of technology and capability. We think we can get most of the way to sixth-gen at half the cost,” Scott said. Because of the large number of F-35 frames expected to be produced, Lockheed can upgrade many aircraft to the new standard at relatively low cost.

The F-35 certainly has many advantages over the future F-47. It is already a huge success. With hundreds of frames built, both for the U.S. and its allies, the plane has already shown many of its qualities. The infrastructure is already there to ensure continued mass production, making it logistically easier for the U.S. to keep creating. The F-47, on the other hand, is a completely new aircraft. It will require a lot of time and money before the industrial base is ready to produce it in substantial numbers.

Lockheed Martin Needs the New F-35 to be a Success

Lockheed Martin sorely needs the “super F-35” to be a success. The Navy hasn’t given up on the F/A-XX, a race Lockheed is out of for now. To make matters worse, due to recent geopolitical events, America’s partners in Europe are expressing doubts over the F-35 and are looking for alternatives to the stealth fighter.

All these factors taken together mean Lockheed faces a turbulent future. It needs a new product in order to stay profitable.

Despite all the uncertainty, Lockheed is certain that the “super F-35” is just what the company needs to stay competitive. The upgraded F-35s could be the company’s best shot at recovering from the lost contract bid for the F-47.

A lot is riding on the future 5.5-generation fighter, but with a dedicated customer base and the good reputation that the F-35 has already garnered, Lockheed may be able to pull it off.

How Much will this Cost?

Currently, no one knows what the F-47 is going to cost. Some estimates put the price at around $300 million per aircraft. An F-35A currently costs around $88 million per unit, with other variants costing as much as $100 million.

Lockheed has yet to name a price for the new “super F-35,” but some experts say to expect a price around $150 million, if not a bit higher. While more cost-effective than the F-47, $150 million is still a hefty price tag to place on a single aircraft. (The F-22 Raptor was considered too expensive at around $120 million per aircraft.)

F-35s from the 62nd Fighter Squadron visit Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, October 21, 2021. F-35 Lightning II aircraft traveled to JBSA-Lackland for a two week stay to train and fly with multiple different aircraft from the surrounding area to include the 149th Fighter Wing’s F-16 Vipers. (Air National Guard Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Mancuso)

Lockheed Martin has an uphill battle to fight. Incorporating sixth-generation tech into a fifth-generation airframe will require significant time and resources.

However, if the “super F-35” turns out to be a game-changer, it could even be a worthy alternative to the F-47. For the time being, the Joint Strike Fighter still enjoys its place as one of the most successful fighter jets in American history.

About the Author: 

Isaac Seitz, a 19FortyFive Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.