The U.S. Navy has taken a new step forward in integrating the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter with unmanned combat systems, following a tactical demonstration conducted by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) within its Joint Simulation Environment (JSE). The exercise demonstrated how the aircraft can operate in a coordinated manner with the Navy’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) through advanced simulation environments.
According to NAWCAD, the activity enabled the development and evaluation of tactics and strategies for combined operations between manned aircraft and unmanned combat systems, using high-fidelity digital models that replicate real-world combat scenarios.
“Modern warfare demands more from our aviators,” said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. Todd Evans. “This milestone demonstrates the impact of the Joint Simulation Environment by equipping them with the advanced tactics they need to win future battles,” he added.
During the demonstration, F-35 pilots controlled multiple CCAs via touchscreen tablets, managing simulated missions within a highly realistic virtual environment. The exercise included the use of advanced operational communications systems and precision-guided missiles to counter complex threats inside the JSE.
The Joint Simulation Environment is a digital test and training range of the U.S. Department of Defense designed to replicate real-world combat scenarios in a virtual setting. Developed by NAWCAD engineers, it integrates cockpit simulators, advanced software, and immersive visual systems. According to the organization, the JSE allows pilots to conduct more training sorties in one week than they could complete in an entire year at live-fire ranges, significantly improving operational readiness.
The Navy’s “Collaborative Combat Aircraft” are unmanned, multi-mission combat vehicles designed to operate alongside manned fighters in highly contested environments. These systems are a central element of the Department of Defense’s future strategy, allowing pilots to focus on high-level decision-making while expanding operational capabilities. In this context, the JSE plays a key role in developing operational concepts and tactics for integration with fifth-generation platforms such as the F-35.
NAWCAD also reported that the JSE will continue to incorporate new platforms, including the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the EA-18G Growler, with the goal of enabling integrated testing and training starting in fiscal year 2026.
At the same time, the center hosts dozens of squadrons and hundreds of pilots each year, promoting joint and international cooperation in advanced air combat training. The JSE infrastructure is currently expanding, with additional facilities under development at Naval Air Station Fallon and at Nellis and Edwards Air Force Bases.
Industrial and Technological Background
The Navy’s progress is part of a broader effort to develop cooperative capabilities between manned and unmanned aircraft. In October 2024, Lockheed Martin announced that it was investing in technologies to enable the F-35 to control up to eight autonomous CCAs, with the aim of participating in the next phase of the U.S. Air Force’s collaborative drone program.
“We have developed a pod that will allow the F-35 to control CCAs even today,” said Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet during an investor presentation. “And we also have a flight control system and a communications system in development that will enable this,” he added.
In January 2025, the company stated that the F-35 had already demonstrated its ability to act as an “airborne quarterback” for advanced drones, using artificial intelligence-assisted systems and a cockpit interface based on touchscreen devices. According to Lockheed Martin, these tests included end-to-end connectivity and software and hardware architectures designed for future phases of F-35 testing.
“Lockheed Martin has demonstrated its manned-unmanned teaming interface, which can control multiple drones from the cockpit of an F-35 or an F-22,” the company said in a statement.
U.S. Air Force officials have indicated that the number of drones that could be controlled by a single manned aircraft is under review. In 2024, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall stated: “We are now talking about larger numbers. Therefore, we are moving toward greater reliance on unmanned aircraft working alongside manned platforms.”
However, Lockheed Martin is not the only company working in this area. Collins Aerospace, a division of Raytheon (now formally known as RTX), released a striking computer-generated video in September 2024 offering a vision of how pilots might control CCA-like drones in the future.
This integration is enabled in part by the F-35’s existing advanced large-area digital touchscreen display in the cockpit. The Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) configuration, which provides the software and hardware infrastructure for future Block 4 upgrades, also includes an improved panoramic cockpit display.
Projection and… Sixth Generation?
The demonstration conducted by NAWCAD reinforces the trend toward operational integration between fifth-generation fighters and collaborative drones, both in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. The use of advanced simulation environments such as the JSE is becoming a central tool for defining tactics, interfaces, and employment concepts that will allow these systems to be progressively incorporated into real-world operations.
However, one may ask whether this level of fighter-drone integration allows us to speak of sixth-generation fighters today. The answer is no. While one of the most relevant characteristics of upcoming sixth-generation air dominance stealth fighters is their nature as a “system of systems” (a weapons system such as the F-47 operating multiple drones simultaneously), there are other features that current fifth-generation fighters do not possess.
One of these is “broadband stealth,” a level of low observability against both high- and low-frequency radars. This makes such aircraft virtually invisible not only to fire-control radars but also to early-warning surveillance radars.
Another key feature is the new generation of engines (such as those under the XA100/XA101 programs), which can change airflow characteristics in flight. This allows for massive fuel efficiency during long-range missions and instant extreme thrust for combat, enabling more efficient supercruise capability.
Finally, future fighters are expected to be equipped with laser weapons technology, which is far more effective and precise than conventional munitions.
For all these reasons, while the integration of drone swarm control by the F-35 Lightning II does not mean that the United States already operates sixth-generation stealth fighters, it does represent a major advance for the platform, providing an overwhelmingly superior combat advantage over rival aircraft.
Images for illustrative purposes only.
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