Defense Acquisition Undersecretary Frank Kendall sent a memo to industry seeking ideas on how to prepare for the next era of military aviation after the retirement of both the F-35 and F-22 fighters, Bloomberg reports.
According to Tony Capaccio’s report, Kendall said the concept definition initiative, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-sponsored project, will get $20 million to $30 million in funding.
Kendall also wants feedback from the Navy and Air Force as part of the 18-month program, the report said.
Capaccio reports the program will evaluate ideas for piloted and unmanned aircraft working with a network of weapons, sensors, electronic warfare and command-and-control systems.
Citing Pentagon estimates, Bloomberg reports each of the planned 2,443 F-35 jets, built by Lockheed Martin, will have around 8,000 of flying time over 30 years and the last jet is scheduled for production in 2035.