In fact, this capability was baked in from early development through the MADL data link, sensor fusion capability and powerful processing power (at the time).
Here is an excerpt from the article "Lockheed Martin has not yet officially confirmed the development of a pilotless or optionally piloted version of the F-35, but it is my understanding that they have had plans for an unmanned variant for some time now, with F-35 programmers having long ago confirmed to me that the fly-by-wire functionality was designed-in as inherent feature for later exploitation in the design of an unmanned model. I would suggest that if the
Committee is not aware of such options, they be thoroughly investigated with Lockheed with a view toward exploring potential technical problems such as the lag time between commands and their execution, and the impact that removing the human from the F-35 design would have on flight characteristics. If, on the other hand, future unmanned operation has already been factored into the cost-benefit analysis by Defence decision makers and its investment partners, I would suggest that this logic be made clear to the public, especially given that it is not the only aircraft manufacturer converting its fighters for
unmanned operation:"
So, I suppose it was unoffical, but the same information seemed to be given to Norwegian decision makers when we joined the programme in 2008, and there was also rumors in 2006:
In fact, this capability was baked in from early development through the MADL data link, sensor fusion capability and powerful processing power (at the time).
Optionally manned versions of the F35 was being discussed as late as 2015: https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=a26cc000-3b69-4...
Here is an excerpt from the article "Lockheed Martin has not yet officially confirmed the development of a pilotless or optionally piloted version of the F-35, but it is my understanding that they have had plans for an unmanned variant for some time now, with F-35 programmers having long ago confirmed to me that the fly-by-wire functionality was designed-in as inherent feature for later exploitation in the design of an unmanned model. I would suggest that if the Committee is not aware of such options, they be thoroughly investigated with Lockheed with a view toward exploring potential technical problems such as the lag time between commands and their execution, and the impact that removing the human from the F-35 design would have on flight characteristics. If, on the other hand, future unmanned operation has already been factored into the cost-benefit analysis by Defence decision makers and its investment partners, I would suggest that this logic be made clear to the public, especially given that it is not the only aircraft manufacturer converting its fighters for unmanned operation:"
So, I suppose it was unoffical, but the same information seemed to be given to Norwegian decision makers when we joined the programme in 2008, and there was also rumors in 2006:
https://www.flightglobal.com/lockheed-martin-reveals-plans-f...
How much this affected the design choices for the manned versions is unknown, suppose.