Deliveries of Newest F-35 Jet Fighters Resume After Software Upgrade Delays

A F-35 jet lands on the runway of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises, about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, on July 19, 2024. (Marco Garcia/File Photo/Reuters)

The United States has resumed making deliveries of F-35 jet fighters with an interim upgrade after a months-long pause due to software delays, according to U.S. military officials.

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin, which is the prime contractor for the F-35 Lightning II, jointly announced in a July 19 press release that deliveries of the first Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) configured F-35 aircraft have begun.

Lockheed Martin and key suppliers have been upgrading the jets under the TR-3 program, which aims to improve displays and processing power.

The government stopped accepting new F-35s from Lockheed Martin last fall because, even though new aircraft were being made with the new TR-3 hardware and software installed, the upgrades still needed more testing. In a public filing in September 2023, Lockheed Martin predicted that the newest version of the F-35 wouldn’t be delivered until at least April 2024 due to software development issues.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told reporters at a briefing in March that the delay was having an operational impact on the Air Force.

“It’s hurting already,” he said, adding that the Air Force needs the hardware and software upgrade package “in quantity” in order to “stay competitive,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, the JPO’s program executive officer, said in a July 19 statement that the deliveries of the jet fighters have now started—and that they'll take part in stages.

“We have initiated a phased approach to the delivery of TR-3 F-35 aircraft,” he said, adding that the first stage will involve the delivery of jets with an initial training capability in July and August.

“By the end of August, we will be delivering jets with a robust combat training capability, as we continue towards the delivery of full TR-3 combat capabilities in 2025,” Lt. Gen. Schmidt said. “Our focus has been on providing our customers with aircraft that are stable, capable, and maintainable, and this phased approach does that.”

The newly delivered aircraft will follow standard government acceptance protocols, which entail final check-out flights and airworthiness certifications.

The very first F-35 with the newest TR-3 software arrived from Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, to Dannelly Field, Alabama, on July 19, according to a separate press release.

“We weren’t expecting to receive more jets until the end of the year, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” Col. Christopher Germann, 187th Fighter Wing Deputy Commander, said in a statement.

Col. Germann said that the delivery means increased flying hours for pilots and hands-on experience for maintenance personnel.

“With the additional aircraft, we can provide the maximum amount of training to continue to be proficient and effective with these jets,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Schmidt said that “much work” remains to finalize the TR-3 configured F-35s, calling the initial delivery an “important first step.”

Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 program at Lockheed Martin, called the TR-3 a “critical evolution” in terms of combat capability of the jet fighters.

“These and further software updates over the life of the program will ensure the F-35 continues to be an effective deterrent and the cornerstone of joint all-domain operations now and decades into the future,” she said in a statement.

Lockheed Martin told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the U.S. jets will be delivered first, with international users receiving deliveries later, as the delivery backlog unwinds.

Andrew Hunter, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, said that the decision to restart deliveries without the full software upgrade was taken in part to prevent knock-on delays to other features.

Mr. Hunter confirmed that the Pentagon would withhold some final payments for each jet, but did not specify the amount.

About $7 million of the final payment for each jet, worth roughly $100 million each, has been withheld to date.