The Defense Department has resumed purchasing F-35s from defense contractor Lockheed Martin after more than a year of halting acquisition of newer versions of the fighters.
Two of the newest F-35 Lightning IIs were recently delivered to Dannelly Field, Alabama, and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the F-35 Joint Program Office announced Friday.
Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, program executive director of the F-35 office, said they were beginning a “phased approach” to the newest batch of F-35s, known as Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) to software and hardware upgrade for the aircraft.
In the first phase, F-35s with initial capabilities will arrive in July and August. By the end of August, fighters with “robust training capabilities” will begin to arrive. The office intends to have complete delivery of the TR-3 aircraft in 2025.
“Our focus has been on providing our customers with aircraft that are stable, capable and easily maintained, and this phased approach does that,” Schmidt said in a statement. “This is an important first step.”
The TR-3 fighters have encountered a number of problems with the new upgrade, leading to an undisclosed number of aircraft grounded on the tarmac as Lockheed works to resolve the issues. The Pentagon halted deliveries of the new aircraft in July 2023 due to concerns over work on the TR-3.
The TR-3 was supposed to bring the F-35s into a set of new capabilities called Block 4, but the upgrade faced numerous difficulties with parts procurement and computing software integration. These issues are still being worked out and are at least a year away from being resolved, but the Pentagon for now is accepting F-35s with an interim version of the TR-3 upgrade.
Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program, said Block 4 is a “critical evolution in capability and its full development remains a priority.”
“These and other software updates throughout the life of the program will ensure the F-35 continues to be an effective deterrent and cornerstone of joint operations across all domains now and for decades to come,” Lauderdale said in a statement.
The F-35 program, which is expected to cost more than $2 billion over its lifetime, is the most expensive weapons program in history. The F-35s have experienced a series of difficulties over the years, and the TR-3 delays have brought Congress closer to reining in the program.
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