PUBLISHED on August 7, 2025, 1:48 PM EDT – Key Points and Summary – After losing the sixth-generation F-47 contract to Boeing, Lockheed Martin is planning to “supercharge” the F-35 to keep it dominant for decades.
-The proposal, likened by the CEO to a “NASCAR upgrade,” aims to deliver 80% of sixth-generation capabilities at half the cost.
YF-23 National Security Journal Photo. Taken by Harry J. Kazianis at U.S. Air Force Museum on 7/19/2025.
-Planned enhancements for this potential “F-35D” include improved stealth, advanced electronic warfare, and integrated control of “loyal wingman” drones.
-Leveraging the F-35’s massive global fleet, this strategy offers a more affordable path to next-generation air power for the U.S. and its allies.
Here Comes the ‘New’ F-35 Fighter?
Ever since Boeing was awarded the contract for the F-47, Lockheed Martin has been looking for a way to recover from the loss. The most logical route for the company is to find a way to upgrade the F-35 and market it as a crucial stopgap while the F-47 undergoes development and testing. Several variants of the F-35 have been proposed, ranging from a “supercharged” F-35 equipped with sixth-generation technology to a dual-engine F-35.
Supercharging the F-35
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet has likened the upgraded F-35 to transforming a chassis into a Ferrari, calling it a “NASCAR upgrade.”
The goal is to deliver approximately 80 percent of sixth-generation capabilities at roughly half the cost. This is particularly significant given that the F-47, Boeing’s NGAD winner, is projected to cost up to $300 million per unit, although the Pentagon has been focusing on a lower price point in various media reports.
In contrast, the upgraded F-35, or F-35D as some are calling it, will offer a more affordable yet highly capable alternative.
The F-35D will feature enhanced stealth through reshaped body contours and modified engine nozzles, advanced electronic warfare and networking capabilities, and even pilot-optional operation for unmanned missions. Lockheed is also exploring the integration of directed energy weapons, hypersonic missiles, and next-generation air-to-air missiles. These capabilities will position the F-35 not just as a fighter jet but as a multi-domain combat platform capable of leading complex operations.
One of the most transformative aspects of the “supercharged” F-35 is its potential for manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T). Lockheed is working to integrate this capability directly into the airframe, eliminating the need for external pods that compromise stealth and performance. This will allow the F-35 to control drone wingmen, share data across platforms, and serve as a digital quarterback in multi-domain operations. A recent milestone demonstrated this potential when a Dutch F-35 shared classified data mid-flight with a NATO command-and-control system, showcasing its role as a networked combat node.
The Designer of the YF-23 Weighs in
Outside of Lockheed, Darold Cummings, who was the chief designer of Northrop’s YF-23 fighter, had some ideas of his own on how the F-35 could be redesigned.
In an interview with Aviation Week, Cummings gave his thoughts on how Lockheed could best move forward with the F-35.
“I believe one way Lockheed Martin can meet its goals is by employing two strategies,” he says. One approach is to stretch the airframe to add fuel and improve the fineness ratio, as well as to increase lifting area by adding a canard or more wing area. The second is to use thrust vectoring to eliminate the tail.
In one design, which Cummings dubbed the F-35EX, the fuselage is stretched 60 inches, similar to the F-16XL, and vertical and horizontal tails are replaced by a canard foreplane and multi-axis thrust vectoring. This change, Cummings says, would help improve the aircraft’s performance and enable it to supercruise.
This design has the advantage of enhancing the aircraft’s performance without requiring a complete redesign. It would also serve as a short-term alternative for the F/A-XX while the Navy sorts out that program.
Other redesigns, which Cummings dubs the F-35FX and F-35GX, both incorporate tailless delta wing designs with diamond tails. These designs emphasize low observability and increase the fuel capacity of the base F-35A by around 50%.
Like the F-35EX, this upgrade significantly enhances the F-35’s performance. The downside is that these proposed redesigns are more of a departure from the F-35’s original design and would require more time and money to realize.
Lockheed Martin’s Vision for the F-35
Lockheed plans to improve the F-35’s infrared systems to enable long-range target detection without revealing the aircraft’s position.
This includes upgrades to the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and potential integration of passive infrared sensors, which are increasingly common in Russian, Chinese, and European fighters. These improvements will enhance the F-35’s ability to operate effectively in environments where radar may be degraded or denied.
To support the increased power and thermal demands of these upgrades, Lockheed is implementing the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU). This will improve thrust and cooling efficiency by 50 percent, ensuring the aircraft can handle the advanced systems being added. While the XA100 adaptive cycle engine was considered under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP), it was ultimately rejected due to cost and integration challenges.
What Does the Future Look Like for the F-35?
With over 1,185 F-35s delivered globally and more than 3,500 projected, Lockheed Martin is well-positioned to offer the upgraded F-35 to international partners.
Countries such as Poland, Belgium, Greece, and Romania are already receiving TR-3-equipped jets, and Lockheed expects over 700 F-35s to be operational across Europe by 2035. The upgraded F-35 is scheduled to be exportable, with configurable options to restrict sensitive capabilities.
This makes it a compelling alternative to sixth-generation fighters like the F-47, GCAP, and FCAS, especially for nations with limited defense budgets.
Lockheed Martin has several avenues through which it could develop the F-35. The company has been highly successful with the Lightning II, having delivered over 1,000 units and estimating a total of around 3,000 units to be produced by the end of the aircraft’s lifetime. The advantage of the F-35 is that it already provides a solid foundation that only requires a couple of improvements to elevate its already world-class status.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a 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.
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