The capabilities of both the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightening II are both being taken into account as the services develop the airborne electronic attack “system of systems,” said Maj. Jeff Salem, head of Air Combat Command’s electronic attack requirements shop. (See above) However, although he couldn’t “talk to specifics,” Salem said that the two fighters would be a part of the new AEA landscape. “They will complement each other, but they’re not necessarily tied together,” he added.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.