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.
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.
New F-35s are coming off the production line with the TR-3 upgrade and going right into storage because testing is incomplete. Next lot negotiations are continuing, but talks over a performance-based logistics contract have stalled.
Little operational impact is expected from contaminated powdered metal used to make high-pressure discs that may have been installed in F-35 fighters, the Joint Program Office said. Any suspect parts will be changed out at depot.
Italy, one of the F-35's biggest international partners, is expanding plans for how to use the fifth-generation fighter—and drawing lessons as it starts development of a sixth-gen aircraft, the Italian Air Force’s top officer said Oct. 12. Gen. Luca Goretti highlighted the interoperability and versatility of ...
The Department of the Defense and the military services want to take more control over the massive F-35 sustainment enterprise—and are required by law to do so in 2027—but they lack a detailed plan to do so and should reassess their approach to key parts ...
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 Navy, which awards all F-35 contracts, has awarded deals to Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney for just over $1 billion, covering long-lead parts, F-35 helmets, and F135 engines.
The F-35’s engine may have parts made from contaminated nickel powder, but the risk to the fleet is considered small, the Joint Program Office and Pratt & Whitney said. Inspections of suspect parts have been made for two years.
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.