The F-35 strike fighter’s Block 1 avionics software has flown for the first time on an F-35 test aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin. BF-4, an F-35B test aircraft, earlier this month made a functional check flight from NAS Patuxent River, Md., with the software build, which is one of three principal software development blocks for the F-35’s mission systems. “Getting this software up and flying in an F-35 is a big step in the process of validating our avionics system and ensuring that it operates in a way that gives our warfighters a clear advantage over any adversary,” said Larry Lawson, Lockheed’s F-35 program general manager. The Block 1 software enables information fusion from the F-35’s radar, electronic warfare system, distributed aperture system, electro-optical targeting system, and other sensors. It also provides initial weapons-release capability. (Lockheed Martin release)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.