Commanders of operational F-22 Raptor wings and leaders of the emerging F-35A Lightning II units met at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., to discuss joint training, maintenance, manpower, and strategies to help integrate the F-35s into the joint team. Col. Pete Fesler, 1st Fighter Wing commander, said the two aircraft have “incredible capability” and were designed to work together. Although the F-35As were designed primarily for the air-to-ground mission and the F-22 for the air-to-air fight, they will bring “complementary capabilities to assist each other in either role,” Fesler said in an Air Combat Command release. “Together they are a team that is optimized to go after an air threat and a surface threat simultaneously.” The F-22 community plans to share its decade of fifth-gen experience with the F-35As, which are expected to achieve initial operational capability in August. Maintenance was considered a key area for shared experience. The integration planning started 20 months ago when four F-22s deployed to Eglin AFB, Fla., to conduct introductory training missions with F-35s from the 33rd FW.
Concerned about how artificial intelligence might be used to generate target lists or operational plans, lawmakers want to expand limits on autonomous weapons to address mission planning and target selection. The House Armed Services Committee's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization bill would direct the Pentagon to revise Defense…