RAF FAIRFORD, England — The U.S. military is once again accepting deliveries of the newest F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from Lockheed Martin after a yearlong halt caused by problems with the fighters’ upgrades. The first two F-35As loaded with a “truncated,” or partial, version of the Technology Refresh 3 upgrade software were delivered to the U.S. Air Force on Friday. The lengthy delay in delivering F-35s loaded with TR-3 has had ripple effects on the Air Force’s basing of the jets in Europe, a top general said.
The TR-3 upgrades to the F-35 include better displays, computer memory and processing power, and are necessary for future modernization. Lockheed Martin was expected to have TR-3 ready around April 2023, but by July 2023, when the first jets earmarked for TR-3 began rolling off the line, the upgrades were incomplete. F-35s with the truncated TR-3 software will not be able to conduct combat missions until 2025. Lockheed executive pledged to continue delivering subsequent upgrades to bring these F-35s up to their full potential.
Deliveries of Air Force’s F-35s are proceeding, with a phased approach for delivery of jets with varying capabilities. The TR-3 delay will impact future operations, procurements, and upgrades of the F-35. Air Force has slowed down production of new F-35 pilots to prioritize readiness. The U.S. military is still withholding some payments to Lockheed Martin until all updates are completed.
