New F-35s can fly combat training as DOD holds millions from Lockheed
Summary
The newest F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are now able to carry out more elaborate training missions, but the government is withholding millions of dollars in payment to Lockheed Martin until the jets can fight in combat. The government refused to accept delivery of the new TR-3 fighters from Lockheed starting in July 2023 due to software integration problems and some hardware shortfalls. Lockheed developed a partial version of the TR-3 software it referred to as “truncated,” which would allow the jets to fly basic training missions — but not in combat. The JPO and Lockheed also said the company and its industry partners “are making significant investments in development labs and digital infrastructure that benefit the F-35 enterprise’s speed and agility in fielding capabilities to the most advanced and connected fighter jet.” The yearlong delays in delivering an unspecified number of F-35s have caused ripple effects throughout the Air Force and the Joint Strike Fighter program. Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said in July the TR-3 delays had led to a “slowdown” in the number of F-35s arriving at RAF Lakenheath in England, the home of the service’s two European-based F-35 squadrons.