The Pentagon received the first delivery of the latest version of the F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter jets last Friday (July 19), it reported. Two aircraft in the Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) configuration were delivered to Dannelly Field air bases in Alabama and Nellis air bases in Nevada. It modernizes the software and is part of the aircraft upgrade to the Block-4 version.
The latest version of the F-35A fighter jets has reached the US Army after a long delay.
The specialist portal recalls that the delivery of the last F-35A fighters took place after a long downtime. According to the plan, the modernized version of the machines was to be ready in April 2023. However, the implementation of the project was delayed and exceeded the established budget by more than a billion dollars. Ultimately, software problems meant that the planes were not accepted by the Pentagon. Since July last year, they have been lying at the Lockheed Martin corporation airport in Texas.
The US Department of Defense has finally concluded that it cannot wait for the modernization work to be completed while the fighters are exposed to weather damage and the pilots have nothing to train on. The planes will eventually be delivered to the US military, but they will still be used only for training. The work, which will provide the F-35A TR-3 with combat capability, is not expected to be completed until next year at the earliest. It will be undertaken once testing of the last available version is complete.
Engineers still have a lot of work ahead of them. F-35As still not ready for combat
“We have begun a phased approach to delivering the TR-3 F-35s. The first phase, in July and August, will deliver aircraft with initial training capabilities,” said Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, who heads the Joint Fight Striker program. “It’s a scaled-down version and doesn’t have all the features we want, but it’s advanced enough that we can accept delivery,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the U.S. Air Force. “At this stage, we can accept the aircraft with the understanding that additional software changes will be necessary to achieve the expected level,” he added.
This solution also suits Lockheed Martin. Due to the delay, the Pentagon withheld the payment of $7 million for each undelivered plane. By the end of this year, the corporation is to deliver 75 to 110 fighters to the American military, and some of the funds are to be unblocked. Lockheed Martin will still not receive the full amount. “Not everything that was included in the contract was delivered. We will not pay for what we did not receive,” said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the US Armed Forces.
Fighter jets are to be included in the equipment of the Polish army
The portal reminds that according to the agreement from 2020, Poland is to acquire 32 F-35A aircraft and be one of the first recipients of fighters in the TR-3 configuration. The first Polish aircraft is to leave the production plant in August of this year. However, it will not go to Poland immediately, but will be stationed at the Ebbing Air National Guard base in Arkansas, where Polish pilots will train. However, everything indicates that they will practice on incomplete aircraft. The first aircraft are to reach Poland in 2026. Deliveries are to last until 2030.
Source: Gazeta
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