Pentagon to halt new F-35 acceptances due to software problems

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) will stop taking delivery of the newly built F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from July 2023 due to delays in upgrading some of the fighter jet's systems.

The halt in scheduled deliveries of new "Technology Refresh 3" equipped F-35s means that manufacturer Lockheed Martin may have to store dozens of new F-35s at its main plant in Fort Worth, Texas, for the rest of the year and perhaps until the spring of 2024.

The F-35's Technology Refresh 3 project was a series of improvements aimed at giving the fighter jet better displays, computer memory and processing power, and was originally due to be completed in April 2023. TR-3 is necessary so that the F-35 can undergo a more extensive modernization, known as the Block 4 variant, which will allow the aircraft to carry longer-range precision weapons, improve its electronic warfare capability and provide better target recognition.

The TR-3 program has been significantly delayed and the F-35 JPO (Joint Program Office) now expects the program to be completed before December 2023 and perhaps as early as April 2024, a full year behind schedule.

The F-35 Joint Program Office told the press that TR-3 delays will disrupt deliveries and cause new fighters to have to be stored in the meantime.

The problem is the lack of performance in the TR-3 software and the inability to make the new hardware work with the new software. In other words, an improvement is being made in the software of the aircraft before the main modernization, and this improvement is a necessary criterion for the main modernization to be implemented.  However, the new software and the new hardware are not compatible at the moment, and in this case, the main modernization program will be postponed.

Reference:

Pentagon to halt upgraded F-35 deliveries in July amid software woes

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023/06/12/pentagon-to-halt-upgraded-f-35-deliveries-in-july-amid-software-woes/