Le Bourget, France Lockheed Martin has worked on so-called “fourth-to-fifth generation” information sharing technology that could connect USAF’s fleet of F-35s with its legacy fourth generation fleet, but so far no requirements have been put into a program of record, the company’s F-35 executive vice president said. Speaking during the Paris Air Show this week, Boeing executives forecasted a need for near-term upgrades and modifications for both the USAF and Japan’s F-15 fleet, because of the need to operate the Eagle alongside the F-22 and F-35. Lockheed has done its own work using “low-detection” technology, or stealthy communications, in a demo, F-35 Executive Vice President Lorraine Martin told Air Force Magazine. Martin said Lockheed’s “Project Missouri” was a successful demonstration last year to show the F-22 could transmit data and keep its stealthy profile. Link 16 is available now for the F-35, she also noted, and other companies are doing work on this problem as well. “We also want to do data-rich communications,” she added. “Because, why give yourself away if you don’t have to?” The technology is in the market, and while Air Combat Command has established the need for a fourth-to-fifth gen concept, as of yet no program has emerged from limited demonstrations. “Somebody has to say it’s a requirement … but today that doesn’t exist,” Martin added.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III hosted his second Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in a virtual format May 23, drawing 47 nations that back Ukraine’s fight against Russia but leaving questions about when the war might end. New coastal defense systems and more artillery, armor, and tanks were highlighted…