Lockheed Martin has successfully concluded the initial phase of the United States Navy F-35C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile Flight Sciences Test Program, validating the stealth fighter’s ability to carry the heavy external store.

In a press release issued on June 10, 2026, the manufacturers announced that the integration flight tests, conducted between September 2024 and April 2026 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, demonstrated the aircraft’s aerodynamic stability and handling qualities. The milestone expands the F-35C Lightning II’s multi-role mission set by introducing a stand-off strike capability against maritime targets.

Flight science and integration milestones

The flight science program focused on evaluating how the F-35C Lightning II performs while equipped with the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). Because the LRASM is a heavy external store, engineers needed to verify the aerodynamic behavior across the aircraft’s flight envelope.

A key event in the testing sequence occurred on November 6, 2025, when a United States Marine Corps pilot executed the CF-3 Flt 811 AGM-158 Rate Capture test flight. This flight, along with the broader series of tests, confirmed that the aircraft maintains acceptable handling characteristics when armed with the munition.

Expanding the maritime strike envelope

The addition of the LRASM to the F-35C arsenal allows air forces to engage enemy naval assets from outside heavily defended airspace. Lockheed Martin noted that the company leverages 20 years of operational experience in providing survivable cruise missiles to support this integration.

Jon Hill, Vice President and General Manager of Air Dominance and Strike Weapons at Lockheed Martin, stated that integrating the missile provides warfighters with a capability that enhances mission flexibility and expands operational options.

Sean Jackson, Vice President of F-35 Development, highlighted the collaborative nature of the program.

“Integrating LRASM onto the proven 5th Generation F-35 is another example of how Lockheed Martin is enhancing the operational capabilities of the F-35, alongside investments from the U.S. military and its allied partners,” Jackson said.

Legislative funding and procurement context

The completion of the flight science phase aligns with continued legislative support for both the aircraft and its munitions. On June 10, 2026, the United States House Appropriations Committee released its defense spending bill for fiscal year 2027.

The proposed legislation allocates $6.9 billion to fully fund F-35 Lightning II procurement. Concurrently, the bill designates $10.6 billion for critical munitions procurement. This funding explicitly includes the LRASM and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) programs, granting multiyear procurement authority to stabilize the supply chain for these stand-off weapons.

AirPro News analysis

We view the successful integration of the LRASM onto the F-35C as a critical step in addressing the evolving threat environment in maritime theaters. While the F-35 is renowned for its internal weapons carriage to maintain a low observable signature, the ability to carry heavy external stores like the AGM-158C provides operational commanders with a necessary trade-off between maximum stealth and maximum stand-off strike range. The explicit inclusion of multiyear procurement funds for the LRASM in the fiscal year 2027 defense spending bill indicates that the United States Department of Defense is prioritizing deep magazines of anti-ship munitions. As the F-35C continues to mature in its carrier-based role, this expanded mission set will likely become a cornerstone of naval strike group tactics.

Sources: Lockheed Martin Corporation

Boeing unveiled significant payload and range upgrades for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft at the ILA Berlin Air Show on June 10, 2026, while simultaneously expanding its German industry team to target the Luftwaffe’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) requirement.

In a pair of press releases issued during the event, the manufacturer detailed enhancements that increase the aircraft’s carrying capacity by 2,000 pounds and announced that Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz have joined Rheinmetall in the Ghost Bat Germany industry team. The combined announcements position the Australian-developed platform as a mature contender for Germany’s goal of fielding a CCA by 2029.

Upgraded payload and combat capabilities

The newly revealed MQ-28 configuration features an increased wingspan that allows the aircraft to carry an additional 2,000 pounds of fuel, stores, and mission payloads. The upgraded design includes two internal weapons stations, each capable of holding one AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) or two Small Diameter Bombs (SDB). The aircraft is also provisioned with three external weapons stations.

Boeing also announced the integration of Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication links. This upgrade enables the MQ-28 to operate at unlimited standoff distances while controlled from a crewed aircraft, ground station, or naval vessel.

Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 Global Program Director at Boeing, stated in the press release that the additional capacity allows operators to balance payload and endurance for specific missions.

“These features, developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force, will be progressively released to the fleet through a spiral upgrade program, and are available to interested allied countries,” Ferguson said.

Expanding the German industrial base

To support its bid for the Luftwaffe CCA contract, Boeing is building a localized supply and integration chain. Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz will join Rheinmetall, which announced its strategic partnership with Boeing in March 2026.

Amy List, Vice President and Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia, noted in a company statement that the expanded team will collaborate on development, testing, delivery, and support to ensure the platform meets German customization requirements.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger stated that his company is taking responsibility for the seamless integration of the autonomous combat drone into the Bundeswehr’s systems. According to reporting by Breaking Defense, Papperger also addressed the procurement timeline during the air show.

Papperger told Breaking Defense that while negotiations with the German government are ongoing, meeting the 2029 delivery target will require entering the final stage of contract negotiations by 2027.

AirPro News analysis

We view Boeing’s dual announcements at ILA Berlin as a highly targeted strategy to overcome European preference for domestic defense products. By offering a platform that has already flown extensively with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Boeing is presenting a lower-risk path to meeting the Luftwaffe’s aggressive 2029 CCA fielding deadline compared to clean-sheet European designs.

The addition of Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz is a necessary industrial offset play. Integrating established German defense contractors ensures that a significant portion of the program’s economic and technological benefits remain within the country. This localized approach, combined with the newly announced payload and BLOS capabilities, directly addresses the operational and political requirements of the German Ministry of Defense.

Sources: Boeing Newsroom

On June 9, 2026, California-based startup Swarm Aero announced the selection of Honeywell Aerospace’s legacy TPE331 turboprop engine to power its forthcoming Group 5 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). The integration of a commercially proven powerplant aims to bypass the payload and range limitations of current battery technology for large-scale autonomous defense platforms.

In a press release issued Tuesday, Swarm Aero confirmed that Honeywell has already supplied the initial propulsion systems under the contract. The partnership pairs a next-generation autonomous swarm platform with an engine originally certified in 1965, a strategy designed to reduce technical risk and accelerate production timelines for military applications.

Bridging legacy propulsion and autonomous systems

The Honeywell TPE331 brings extensive operational history to the new UAS program. Since its initial certification, Honeywell has delivered 13,000 TPE331 engines, accumulating 122 million flight hours across the commercial, agricultural, and military aviation sectors.

Swarm Aero Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Peter Kalogiannis noted the deep relationship required between aircraft and engine manufacturers, stating the company sought a partner that viewed them as more than just a customer.

“The TPE331 is a proven, cost-effective, high-performance engine with an extraordinary legacy, and we’re proud to build our aircraft around it,” Kalogiannis said.

Matt Milas, President of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace, emphasized that the defense landscape is shifting toward distributed and autonomous operations where production scale is critical. He noted that pairing proven systems with new platforms allows the industry to field capabilities faster and more affordably.

Scaling production for Group 5 UAS operations

According to defense publication BriefGlance, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) defines Group 5 UAS as the largest category of military unmanned systems, encompassing aircraft weighing more than 1,320 pounds (600 kilograms) and typically operating above 18,000 feet. Platforms in this category require significant payload capacity and endurance, operational requirements that current battery technologies cannot support at scale.

To support the anticipated production volume, Swarm Aero recently opened an 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The company, headquartered in Oxnard, California, also recently closed a $35 million Series A funding round led by Two Sigma Ventures and Silent Ventures. This brings Swarm Aero’s total raised capital to $59 million since its founding in 2022.

Oliver Palmer, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Swarm Aero, stated the company is focused on building an ecosystem capable of producing and operating aircraft at scale, shifting the focus from individual aircraft to the capabilities of the swarm.

AirPro News analysis

We view Swarm Aero’s selection of the TPE331 as a pragmatic approach to defense procurement. By utilizing a commercial off-the-shelf powerplant with a mature global supply chain, the company avoids the lengthy and expensive development cycles associated with clean-sheet engine designs. This strategy aligns with current DoD initiatives aimed at fielding autonomous mass rapidly. The reliance on a turboprop rather than electric propulsion acknowledges the current physical limits of battery energy density for heavy, long-endurance Group 5 platforms.

Sources: Swarm Aero