Lockheed Martin tests AI-powered F-35 system that identifies combat threats in real-time

F-35 fighter tested with powerful AI to spot threats within seconds

Project Overwatch enables the F-35 Lightning II to autonomously resolve emitter ambiguities and deliver real-time combat ID to pilots. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has announced it has flight-tested a new artificial intelligence feature on its F-35 Lightning fighter. The AI system identifies unknown contacts, providing the fighter pilot with rapid identification, Lockheed revealed in a statement. According to the company, the new system, called Project Overwatch, will improve situational awareness and enhance pilot decision-making. It will also enhance the F-35's software capabilities, bringing them in line with those of next-generation warfighters.

Lockheed debuts AI-enabled targeting on F-35s

Lockheed Martin has successfully tested artificial intelligence on its F-35 fighter jet to independently identify potential targets in flight, the company has announced. The trial, known as Project Overwatch, took place at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, integrating a machine-learning model into the jet's information control system. The AI model analyzed surroundings and presented potential targets to the pilot, marking the first time a tactical AI system has made such suggestions in real-time. While announcing this achievement, Jake Wertz, Lockheed's F-35 Combat Systems VP, also emphasized the ability to update AI models on the ground: "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" (via Defense News). Next gen intelligence, where it matters most. We integrated AI-enhanced Combat Identification capability (Combat ID) directly into the F-35's cockpit, helping pilots see and engage threats sooner.

Lockheed Martin successfully tests AI-powered combat target identification system on F-35

Unveiling of the new F-35 during a rollout ceremony of F-35 fighter jets ordered by Finland at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facility in Fort Worth, Texas, US December 16, 2025. Lockheed Martin announced on Tuesday that it recently successfully flight tested an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced Combat Identification (Combat ID) capability integrated into the F-35's information fusion system. The 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, and could represent a revolution in targeting, though at this stage, the pilot will still review the summary and be entirely responsible for the final decision. Sources were unsure how long it would take to adapt the new AI technology from one test flight to operational and install it on America's F-35 fleet, but such major technology and operational jumps can take 3 years or more. According to Lockheed Martin, the latest test flight "builds on work across the company to innovate with intent to meet the warfighter's real-time needs in an evolving threat environment. In practice, that means accelerating capability at scale with speed." "Using innovative methods, Lockheed Martin has deployed real-time, over-the-air software updates to the Aegis multi-mission combat system" to be deployed by US Navy ships in the Red Sea to enable rapid counter-measures against advanced drone and missile threats, in terms of using AI for defensive measures. Lockheed Martin builds AI machine model During the Project Overwatch test flight, conducted at Nellis Air Force, Nevada, Lockheed Martin's built and trained AI/machine learning model "resolved ID ambiguities among emitters, improving situational awareness and reducing pilot decision making latency." In other words, the AI helped pilots prioritize combat threat IDs and targets much faster than they would on their own, enabling them to make better, faster decisions about how to confront or target enemy forces. Next, engineers 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." Normally, it would take days or longer for a pilot to debrief his superiors and for those superiors to incorporate new data from the pilot's flight into future mission planning parameters. According to Lockheed Martin, "embedding this advanced AI into the F-35's mission system helps pilots understand threats faster so they can make decisions more quickly, because operators don't have time to synthesize data in combat. Lockheed Martin will continue to improve upon this capability, expanding the AI model's training to further enhance reliability and accuracy. " "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. He added, "Equally important is our ability to reprogram 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. These capabilities embody Lockheed Martin's 21st-century strategy, which advances every product line by integrating next‑generation performance, continual software modernization, and AI‑driven decision making to keep our customers ahead of emerging challenges." There has been an ongoing debate for the last decade-plus about integrating AI into combat decision-making and what the right balance is between human decision-makers and AI programs in war. Israel has been integrating AI into its target-bank decisions since at least 2019, with major enhancements and adjustments since then, including during the 2023-2025 war, but sources have told the Post that final decision-making authority still resides with human Israeli defense officials. All of that said, little has been publicized to date about how and when human decision-makers veto recommendations from AI programs.