The latest F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are now capable of performing more advanced training missions, but the government is withholding millions of dollars in payments to Lockheed Martin until the jets can participate in combat.
Lockheed Martin updated the software in the latest batch of F-35s to enable “more robust combat training,” according to a joint statement from the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed on September 5. Previously, these F-35s could only perform “initial training” using a partial version of updates known as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3).
The government refused to accept deliveries of the new TR-3 jets from Lockheed starting in July 2023 due to software integration issues and some hardware shortcomings. Lockheed continued building the F-35s while seeking solutions to the TR-3 issue, storing them at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lockheed developed a partial version of the TR-3 software, calling it “truncated,” which allowed the jets to perform basic training missions but not combat. The government concluded that the truncated software worked well enough to begin accepting the jets, and deliveries resumed in July 2024.
The TR-3 upgrade includes enhanced displays, computer memory, and processing power, which are necessary for a larger modernization known as Block 4. Block 4 will allow the F-35 to carry more weapons and improve the aircraft’s ability to identify targets and conduct electronic warfare.
The TR-3 Upgrade’s Key Features
- The TR-3 update provides 16 times more processing power and 4.5 times more memory than the preceding system. This enables the F-35 to manage more complicated data and operate advanced software applications efficiently.
- The new memory system can store 20 times more data than previous models, improving the aircraft’s capacity to handle sensor data and maintain situational awareness during combat.
- The Panoramic Cockpit Display includes an 8-by-20-inch LCD touchscreen. This display gives pilots crucial flight data and controls, enhancing their situational awareness and decision-making ability during missions.
Implications of Block 4 Modernization
- The TR-3 update is critical for the planned Block 4 modernization, which will add a number of additional capabilities. Block 4 is essentially a software upgrade that will take advantage of TR-3’s increased hardware to give 53 upgrades to the F-35. The upgrades will allow for a wider choice of weaponry, including long-range precision munitions.
- The Distributed Aperture System has improved its performance, allowing for better target identification and tracking.
- Upgraded electronic warfare capability to better counter threats.
In July 2024, top U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin officials promised to keep improving the F-35.
However, the new aircraft are unlikely to be combat-ready until 2025, which will incur certain costs for Lockheed in the meantime.
On August 26, 2024, the JPO and Lockheed announced that the government is withholding about $5 million per jet in payments to Lockheed Martin until the assessment and provision of the TR-3’s combat capabilities. The government agreed to these withholdings as part of its agreement with Lockheed to accept and deliver F-35s with training capabilities.
The latest F-35A fighter jets flown by the U.S. Air Force cost around $82.5 million. The U.S. Marine Corps uses new F-35B jets with short takeoff and vertical landing variants, which cost around $109 million, while the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps use the F-35C on aircraft carriers, which cost about $102.1 million.
The JPO and Lockheed also noted that the company and its industry partners are investing significantly in development labs and digital infrastructure to enhance the speed and flexibility of the F-35 development enterprise as it implements the capabilities of the most advanced and connected fighter jet.
The delays in delivering an unspecified number of F-35 jets have impacted all Air Force units and the Joint Strike Fighter program.
General James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, stated in July 2024 that TR-3 delays caused a “slowing” of the number of F-35s arriving at RAF Lakenheath in England, where two European F-35 squadrons are based. He reported a delay of less than a dozen jets.
“Don’t think the TR-3 issues are over,” Hecker said at the Royal International Air Tattoo in RAF Fairford, England. “We have working software in TR-3 that is definitely good enough for training. … But it’s not everything.”
Hecker stated that training bases would likely receive newly delivered TR-3 jets. They would then likely transfer combat-capable jets performing training tasks at those bases to Lakenheath.
Delays have slowed the next series of F-35 upgrades because Block 4 improvements require the installation of TR-3.
Andrew Hunter, the U.S. Air Force’s head of acquisitions, also told reporters at RIAT that the service is not paying full price for incomplete jets.
“We won’t pay for what we haven’t received yet,” Hunter said.