The entire F-35 fleet is slated to get the retrofit engine maker Pratt & Whitney has identified to mitigate the problem that led to suspended deliveries and flight restrictions for some aircraft for nearly two months—a move that will affect hundreds of fighters globally. The decision ...
A month after F-35 fighter deliveries were halted pending an investigation into a Dec. 14 crash, Pratt & Whitney said it has a fix in hand that will allow deliveries to resume by the end of February. The problem had to do with harmonic resonance, ...
Northrop Grumman has revealed that it is developing a new radar for the F-35 fighter, called the AN/APG-85. The new radar will be installed on some F-35s in Lot 17, options for which were set by Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office last week. ...
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 ...
After protracted political uncertainty, Canada, an original partner in the F-35 developmental program, has formally agreed to buy 88 of the fighters in a deal worth $15 billion U.S. The first aircraft will be delivered in 2026, with full operational capability between 2032 and 2034.
Fallout from the Dec. 15 crash of an F-35B is widening, as the Joint Program Office revealed deliveries of new F135 engines for all F-35 fighters were halted on Dec. 27—while deliveries of newly completed F-35 fighters were stopped the day of the crash. Deliveries ...
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 Pentagon will soon decide whether to move ahead with a new engine for the F-35, and officials won’t simply table the issue indefinitely, Defense Department acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante said at an acquisition conference. He also said calls to break up the ...
Pentagon acquisition boss William LaPlante is optimistic that the pause in new F-35 fighter deliveries will not drag on for long—but the problem does highlight a “constant” issue with the supply chain, he said. The halt in deliveries came after Honeywell, a subcontractor for the ...
Lockheed Martin said it’s “developing mitigation plans” to resume delivering new F-35s to customers. The F-35 Joint Program Office stopped delivery of new F-35s after learning that a material came from China. The material in question is an alloy in a magnet in the F-35’s ...
Lot 15 of the F-35 fighter will include up to 129 aircraft, including 49 F-35As for the Air Force, and cost up to $7.6 billion. The final contract award came less than a month after the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin announced a ...
Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt took command of the F-35 Joint Program Office on July 5, succeeding Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, who is retiring. The succession of an Air Force PEO by another—breaking more than 25 years of back-and-forth joint leadership—may ...