Lockheed Martin applies AI to enhance F- 35 Combat Identification System

Lockheed Martin has flight tested an AI-enhanced Combat Identification (Combat ID) capability integrated into the F-35 Lightning II’s information fusion system. The successful demonstration, known as Project Overwatch, marks the first time a tactical AI model has been used in flight to generate an independent Combat ID on the pilot’s display, the company says.

During the Project Overwatch test flight at Nellis Air Force Base a Lockheed Martin-built and trained AI/machine learning model resolved ID ambiguities among a range of emitters, improving situational awareness and reducing pilot decision-making time.

Engineers then used an automated tool to label new emitters, retrain the AI model to learn the new emitter class within minutes, and reload the updated model for the next flight, all in the same mission-planning cycle, the company said. 

Embedding this advanced AI into the F-35’s mission system helps pilots understand threats faster so they can make decisions more quickly, according to Lockheed Martin, because operators don’t have time to synthesize data in combat. The company will continue to improve upon this capability, expanding the AI model’s training to further enhance reliability and accuracy, it adds.

“This is a demonstration of 6th Gen technology brought to a 5th Gen platform,” said Jake Wertz, vice president of F-35 Combat Systems at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “Equally important is our ability to re program the AI model on the ground and have those updates available for the next sortie—an essential step toward maintaining a tactical edge in a rapidly evolving threat environment.”

This builds on recent work across the company to meet the warfighter’s real-time needs more quickly in an evolving threat environment. In practice, that means accelerating capability at scale with speed, the company says. Lockheed Martin has deployed real-time, over-the-air software updates to the Aegis multi-mission combat system to deployed US Navy ships in the Red Sea, for example, to enable rapid counter-measures against advanced drone and missile threats.

Lockheed Martin says initiatives like Project Overwatch demonstrate how it is innovating with intent, building solutions that integrate seamlessly and deliver immediate value. These flight test results will inform future development and potential integration pathways, the company says.