Lockheed Martin has announced that the first production F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with an early version of the software powering a key upgrade was flown last week at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas. This comes as the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office considers whether loading interim versions of the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) software into the latest F-35s could help end the months-long delivery halt and enable the acceptance of the latest versions of the fighter.
TR-3 refers to a set of hardware and software upgrades for the newest F-35s, including improved displays, computer memory, and processing power. These upgrades are crucial for the forthcoming Block 4 modernization, which will enhance the F-35’s long-range precision weapon capacity, electronic warfare capabilities, and target recognition.
However, the TR-3 upgrades have faced challenges due to software problems and difficulties in integration with the new hardware. The original expected arrival date of April has now been postponed until potentially June 2024. Although Lockheed has continued building F-35s with TR-3 hardware, the software’s incomplete state has prevented the Defense Department from accepting them.
Despite the delivery halt, Lockheed has been storing the completed F-35s with TR-3 hardware at its Fort Worth facility. The exact number of parked planes remains undisclosed due to security concerns, but Lockheed has the capacity to produce around 12 F-35s per month.
The delay in TR-3 upgrades has raised concerns for Rep. Rob Wittman, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical air and land forces. Wittman plans to address the progress of the F-35 program in a hearing by the end of the year. In response to the delivery halt, the Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed that it is exploring options to resume acceptance flights for the latest F-35s before TR-3 is fully completed.
When asked about the possibility of using an interim or early release version of the software, the JPO stated that it is a potential option, with the software being updated later to incorporate the complete TR-3 capabilities. However, the JPO emphasized that no decision on delivering F-35s with an early form of the TR-3 software has been made by the services, partners, and international customers.
A Lockheed spokesperson supported the JPO’s statements and confirmed that the first production F-35 with TR-3 software and hardware completed its initial vehicle system checkout flight last week. This flight marks the beginning of a series of acceptance flights for the fighter. Additional TR-3-enabled production F-35s have also flown since the first flight, although the exact number remains undisclosed.
The JPO further confirmed that these initial flights are the first for the production TR-3 models, and they will facilitate a quicker final acceptance flight process once the software receives operational approval. Meanwhile, test F-35s with TR-3 continue their flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California and Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.
