The Air Force awarded Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace of Norway a $141 million contract on May 31 for the first lot of 48 Joint Strike Missiles, which will equip the service’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighters. It’s the first time the service has bought a tactical ...
Newly-built F-35s that have been stacking up in storage could start to be delivered as soon as July, assuming a “truncated” Tech Refresh 3 software package is stable and safe enough for operational crews, the Joint Program Office said.
Even after the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 hardware and software package is cleared for operational use, the Joint Program Office warns that software patches and updates may be needed every two to six weeks, rather than every six months.
An Air Force pilot was at the controls when an F-35B in short takeoff mode crashed at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on May 29. The pilot ejected and suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition.
The House Armed Services Committee will add three more test-dedicated F-35s to the fleet, reaching the nine the Joint Program Office said it needs to meet test requirements. The move is part of a cluster of efforts the HASC is taking to put the spurs ...
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III rebuffed criticism that the F-35 program has proved too costly and unreliable to serve as the viable backbone of America’s and allies' future fighter fleet on April 30. “I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight,” Austin ...
The F-35 Joint Program Office challenged the Government Accountability Office's most recent report on the fighter, saying it suggests sustainment costs are rising when in fact they are decreasing.
The final version of the fiscal 2024 appropriations bill includes three additional F-35As for the Air Force, along with a hefty amount for additional engine spares, even though the extra jets didn't appear on USAF’s Unfunded Priorities List.
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.
Rumored cuts to the F-35 from the fiscal 2025 defense budget—six from Air Force plans—would not be offset by recent Foreign Military Sales, and will disrupt ongoing Lot 19 negotiations, Pentagon and industry sources said.
“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 ...
Lockheed Martin may not resume deliveries of the F-35 until this summer, but international partners and the Joint Program Office are looking at accepting aircraft earlier, without full validation of the Tech Refresh 3 upgrade.