The U.S. has announced plans to integrate new weapon systems into F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft from 2027 onwards…
The new weapons will enable the aircraft to conduct long-range strikes against fixed or moving targets on land and at sea.
Initially, the AGM-88G AARGM-ER (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range) anti-radiation missiles, AGM-158C LRASM (Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile) anti-ship missiles, JSM (Joint Strike Missile) missiles and GBU-53 StormBreaker (SDB II – Small Diameter Bomb II) guided bombs will be integrated.
In 2032, the integration of Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles and SPEAR-3 (Selective Precision Effects at Range-3) missiles is planned.
In addition to the weapon package, F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft are planned to be upgraded with a new integrated fire-control system, new electronic warfare and countermeasure techniques, and various system upgrades.
The upgrades will enable AIM-9X Block 2/2+ Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles to receive data and information during flight.
Other upgrades planned for 2027 include the MSIST (Multi-Ship Infrared Search and Track) and NGDAS (Next Generation Distributed Aperture System) systems…