In an effort to catch up in the growing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) market, Lockheed Martin is playing up what it's got, and that means just about anything. Lockheed Martin recently talked up its idea for a pilotless version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to today's Washington Post:
The idea has been in the works for two years, Lockheed Vice President Frank Mauro said at a briefing yesterday. He provided few details but said the plane could be built as an interchangeable hybrid -- manned by a pilot for some missions and operated remotely for others.
This follows last month's unveiling of the company's Polecat at the Farnborough Air Show, a UAV built with Lockheed's own funds.
The unmanned JSF isn't really a brand new concept---Lockheed apparently has bandied the idea around for some time, and there's no evidence the Air Force is interested. But then again a little free publicity never hurt anyone.
-- Sharon Weinberger
