The Pentagon announced on Friday (July 19) that it has resumed accepting deliveries of F-35 fighter jets with TR-3 upgrades from Lockheed Martin, ending a year-long freeze on deliveries.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin issued a joint statement saying that two F-35A “Lightning II” fighter jets have been delivered, with one going to the Montgomery Air National Guard Base in Alabama, also known as Dannelly Field, and the other to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
“We have begun phased deliveries of TR-3 F-35 aircraft,” said JPO program executive Mike Schmidt. “The first phase will see aircraft with initial training capability delivered in July and August. By the end of August, we will deliver aircraft with enhanced combat training capability, and we will continue to progress towards the goal of achieving full operational capability with TR-3 by 2025. Our focus has always been to provide our customers with stable, capable, and maintainable aircraft, and this phased approach achieves that.”
Previously, Breaking Defense reported that the Pentagon had stopped accepting F-35 fighter jets with TR-3 upgrades since July 2023, pending the completion of ongoing system testing. The computational power provided by TR-3 ensures that the F-35 will remain superior to potential adversaries in the coming decades.
According to the Congressional Mountain Report, TR-3 was supposed to provide the F-35 fighter jets with a new set of capabilities known as “Block 4,” but the upgrade work faced many difficulties in component procurement and software integration. These issues are still being resolved and will require at least another year to address, but the Pentagon has decided to accept the temporary versions of F-35 fighter jets with the TR-3 upgrades.
Bridget Lauderdale, Vice President of Lockheed Martin and General Manager of the F-35 program, said that Block 4 is “a critical evolution of capability, and its full development remains a top priority.”
Lauderdale stated in a release, “These software updates, along with further software enhancements throughout the program lifecycle, will ensure that the F-35 continues to provide effective deterrence and remains a cornerstone of global joint operations for now and for the next several decades.”
The F-35 program is expected to cost over $2 trillion over its lifecycle, making it the most expensive weapon program in history.