Pentagon Seeks Air-Combat Brainstorm on Future After F-35

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-22/pentagon-seeks-air-combat-brainstorm-on-future-after-f-35.html



A Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jet.


Pentagon Seeks Air-Combat Brainstorm on Future After F-35
By Tony Capaccio - 2012-10-22T04:00:01Z

The Pentagon is inviting the aerospace industry to help brainstorm the next era in U.S. air- combat superiority after the F-35 and F-22 fighters are retired, decades from now.

Reflecting the rise of drone warfare, an 18-month evaluation will consider both piloted and unmanned aircraft working in tandem with a network of weapons, sensors, electronic warfare and command-and-control capabilities, according to a memo by Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, obtained by Bloomberg News.

The intent of the “concept definition” initiative is to start preparing the Pentagon for a time when today’s F-22 jets and the new F-35s still being developed reach the end of their service lives. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will sponsor the effort, providing $20 million to $30 million in funds, according to Kendall.

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 “will provide a decisive advantage” in the “next few decades but it is not too early to begin consideration of the next generation of capability that will someday complement and eventually replace the F-35,” Kendall said in the Oct. 10 memo.