The F-35 fighter program continues to struggle with meeting test milestones and mission readiness goals, but progress is being made on both fronts, according to the latest report from the Pentagon’s test director and comments from the Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been cleared for full rate production in a Milestone C decision directed by Pentagon acquisition executive William LaPlante.
“The year 2024 will stand as a transformative year for modernizing the U.S. Air Force’s fighter force. Bottom line: the service needs to reset fast. That is why it was welcome news when Lockheed Martin recently announced the Tech Refresh 3/Block 4 variant of its ...
Declaring “full rate production” for the F-35 may come in early 2024, but the declaration may be moot, as the jet is already being built at nearly its maximum planned rate, Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt said.
The first F-35s with the Tech Refresh-3 upgrade—largely a processor upgrade upon which the Block 4 configuration of the fighter will ride—will be delivered before the middle of next year, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said Sept. 6. But that will have an impact on Air ...
It’s hard to know why the F-35 Block 4 upgrade's cost—now $16.5 billion and rising—is going up because it is mixed with the rest of the program, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
BAE Systems has received a $491 million F-35 electronic warfare suite production contract from Lockheed Martin to outfit Block 4 jets in 2024. Program director Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt says the Tech Refresh 3 that will underwrite the upgraded EW will be ready by then.
The first F-35A fitted with the Tech Refresh 3 update flew Jan. 6 from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the Joint Program Office announced. The TR-3 suite of more powerful processors and memory is the enabling upgrade on which most of the planned F-35 Block ...
The latest F-35 deal between the government and Lockheed Martin calls for 398 of the fighters to be delivered across production Lots 15-17; nearly 100 fewer fighters than in the last three-lot deal. Meanwhile, unit costs will increase because the newer jets are more sophisticated, ...
The services may want to pause buying the F-35 fighter until the Block 4 version is available and possibly curtail the program from reaching planned buys, House Armed Services chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told defense reporters. Meanwhile, lawmakers should take a hard look at ...
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May ...
Finland finalized its $9.4 billion purchase of 64 Lockheed Martin F-35s and support services, signing a letter of offer and acceptance, announced Feb. 11, that calls for the jets to be delivered before the end of 2030. The agreement provides Finland with industrial participation on ...