Lockheed Martin is reportedly in discussions with the U.S. Air Force about extending upgrade work on the F-22 Raptor fleet to include older Block 20 aircraft currently used for training. The jets, numbering around 30 and originally delivered between 1999 and the early 2000s, had once been slated for retirement, but questions over the eventual replacement of the Raptor have left the door open for further modernization.

Speaking at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, said there are “conversations around whether there is an opportunity to take the Block 20 fleet and continue to expand [its capabilities],” according to The War Zone.

Upgrades are already underway for the more advanced Block 30/35 jets, which Sanch

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