U.S. to Equip F-35 Fighter Jets with Starshield Satellite Communications for Long-Range Kill Chains by 2031.

The United States plans to equip the F-35 Lightning II with a new satellite-based Beyond Line of Sight communications capability using Starshield and the Protected Tactical Waveform by September 2031, according to the FY2027 F-35 Modernized Selected Acquisition Report dated April 21, 2026. The upgrade could allow F-35s to exchange targeting and track data across extended distances, strengthening their role in long-range kill chains beyond conventional radio range.

The report identifies the capability as an aircraft-level modernization but does not assign it to a specific F-35A, F-35B, or F-35C variant. Satellite-enabled connectivity could improve distributed targeting and joint fires while providing more resilient communications for F-35 operations across dispersed and contested battlespaces.

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A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing flies over the North Sea during Exercise Point Blank on January 29, 2026. The Pentagon plans to add a Starshield-enabled Beyond Line of Sight satellite communications capability to the F-35 by 2031, allowing the fighter to exchange track data across extended distances for long-range kill-chain management. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

The new capability, designated BLOS (Beyond Line of Sight) Phase 0 (SATCOM), appears in the report's Block 4 modernization roadmap and is planned to operate in both Ku band (12 to 18 GHz) and Ka band (26.5 to 40 GHz). According to the Pentagon, the initial function will be to pass track data over satellite links, extending the F-35's ability to contribute sensor information beyond the range limits of conventional line-of-sight tactical communications.

Operationally, this could strengthen the F-35's role as a forward sensor inside a distributed kill chain rather than limiting its contribution to targets it can engage directly. An F-35 detecting or tracking a threat could transmit that information over much greater distances to command-and-control elements or other forces outside normal tactical radio range, helping separate sensing, decision, and engagement across a wider battlespace.

The report does not specify which external aircraft, ships, ground units, or weapons will receive Phase 0 data, so it does not confirm a direct F-35-to-weapon engagement architecture. It does establish the Pentagon's intention to extend the fighter's ability to move track information beyond local tactical networks, which could improve coordination between forward sensors and more distant command or strike elements.

The 2031 Starshield effort builds on an earlier BLOS communications capability scheduled for September 2026. That retrofit, identified as BLOS UHF receiver software, is intended for the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia and will use a government-furnished Embedded National Tactical Receiver to receive Integrated Broadcast Service track data over UHF.

The report explicitly notes that this 2026 capability is technically separate from the planned full BLOS solution, indicating that the F-35 communications roadmap is shifting from limited reception of beyond-line-of-sight data to a more integrated, satellite-enabled architecture. The Pentagon also plans to expand the capability beyond Phase 0, suggesting a staged approach to long-range connectivity rather than a single communications upgrade.

BLOS Phase 1b, also scheduled in the roadmap for September 2031 but still in the design stage, is intended to add two-way video communications. BLOS Phase 2 is planned for September 2035 and would introduce voice communications, creating a progressively richer architecture in which the F-35 could exchange not only track data but also broader mission information across long distances.

These satellite communications improvements are being developed alongside major changes to the fighter's existing tactical data links. By September 2030, the F-35 program plans to upgrade the Multifunction Advanced Data Link from its current manually configured string topology to a dynamic mesh topology, which the report says should improve network robustness and reduce connectivity losses.

Link 16 improvements are also planned, including the ability to coordinate electronic-warfare actions and, by September 2031, listen to as many as four Link 16 networks simultaneously while increasing message-handling capacity and throughput. This communications roadmap is closely linked to the wider Block 4 effort, which is intended to improve the F-35's contribution to air superiority, suppression of enemy air defenses, and long-range precision operations.

The FY2027 report states that the program plans to prioritize 55 critical Block 4 capabilities, including kill-chain enhancements and integration of high-priority weapons. Other planned upgrades include AIM-120D two-way datalink capability, Multi-Ship Infrared Search and Track, improved electronic attack and electronic countermeasures, and additional long-range weapons integration, all of which increase the operational value of reliable data exchange between geographically separated forces.

The modernization schedule, however, remains exposed to technical risk. The Pentagon identifies the technical complexity and number of advanced Block 4 capabilities as a significant current risk and is expanding laboratory, simulation, and flight-test capacity to shorten development timelines.

Nine new fully instrumented Flight Science Aircraft are planned to replace the aging test fleet and support Block 4 development, weapons integration, and faster certification, while Technology Refresh 3 provides the computing power and memory required for future capabilities. These investments are intended to reduce the time needed to test and certify increasingly complex software, sensor, communications, and weapons upgrades.

If BLOS Phase 0 reaches the fleet as planned, Starshield integration could extend how the F-35 participates in distributed combat operations by allowing the fighter to move track information across operational distances that exceed local tactical-network coverage. This could make the aircraft more valuable as a forward sensing element within a wider joint kill chain, particularly when command centers, shooters, and surveillance assets are dispersed across large operational areas.

That would reinforce the F-35's role not only as a stealth strike fighter, but also as a networked sensor and targeting node supporting wider long-range kill chains across air, maritime, and joint-force operations. The upgrade's strategic value therefore lies in connecting the fighter's low-observable access and onboard sensing with forces positioned far beyond line of sight, giving the Pentagon a potential means to extend sensor-to-shooter coordination across contested theaters.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.