Lockheed Martin has tested a Combat Identification (Combat ID) capability enhanced with artificial intelligence with an F-35 fighter: the first time a tactical AI model has been used to create a Combat ID on the pilot’s display.
The Project Overwatch demonstration was conducted at Nellis AFB, Nevada and saw an AI model “resolve ambiguities among emitters,” which improved the pilot’s situational awareness and speeded up decision-making, says Lockheed.
Using an “automated tool,” engineers were able to label the newly discovered emitter class, retrain the AI model with the new emitters, and reload the model for the next flight.
“This is a demonstration of 6th Gen technology brought to a 5th Gen platform,” said Jake Wertz, vice president of F‑35 Combat Systems at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
“Equally important is our ability to re‑program the AI model on the ground and have those updates available for the next sortie—an essential step toward maintaining a tactical edge in a rapidly evolving threat environment.”
Lockheed says that the system helps pilots understand threats faster, noting that they don’t have the time to synthesize data in combat.
It adds that the F-35 Combat ID effort build on work it conducted with the US Navy ship in the Red Sea in 2025, where real-time software updates help the AEGIS combat system aboard warships deal with evolving drone and missile threats.
