The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation stealth multi-role fighter jet, intended to replace older U.S. military aircraft such as the A-10 and F-16.

It includes advanced stealth, sensor technologies, and a versatile 3-variant design tailored to various military branches. However, the program has faced turbulence with critical upgrades and operational challenges.

The F-35’s journey into the future of combat is marked by a significant upgrade known as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3), which includes enhancements such as improved displays, increased computer memory, and greater processing power.

These improvements are foundational for the subsequent Block 4 update, which will expand the jet’s weapons capacity and advance its electronic warfare and target recognition capabilities.

However, the software integration difficulties have delayed the TR-3 completion, originally scheduled for April 2023, now postponed to a timeline between April and June 2024.

Despite these delays, new F-35s equipped with TR-3 hardware have been rolling off the production line since late July. The Pentagon, refusing delivery of these latest models due to their inability to undertake the necessary acceptance flights, is exploring options to resume acceptance flights with interim versions of the TR-3 software.

This temporary solution would require further upgrades in the future to achieve full capabilities. In a significant step, a handful of production F-35s with interim TR-3 software successfully conducted their initial flights in mid-November at Fort Worth.

Beyond software upgrades, the F-35 program anticipates a decision to move to full-rate production in early 2024.

Despite being behind schedule, this milestone C decision is expected to minimally affect production since Lockheed Martin has already been manufacturing the jet at nearly full capacity.

In terms of performance, the F-35 fleet has faced reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA) challenges. The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation’s annual report highlights a fleet availability of 51% for fiscal year 2023, shy of the target of 65%.

It was noted that newer aircraft tend to perform better than older models, attributing the complexity of the jet as a factor for its lower availability rates compared to less sophisticated aircraft. Combat-coded F-35s, which receive maintenance priority, showed a slightly better availability rate, but still below objectives.

To tackle these RMA issues, the Pentagon has initiated numerous initiatives and emphasized the need for maintenance system improvements and increased investment in critical spare parts, particularly for the F135 engines.

The fix times for critical failures have exceeded the operational requirements, identifying the need for more reliable components and an efficient supply chain to enhance fleet readiness.

As the F-35 looks ahead to its operational future, Pratt & Whitney is set to receive a series of contracts to upgrade the F135 engines under the Engine Core Upgrade program.

This will empower the F-35 with more power and better cooling capabilities to support Block 4 modernizations, with deliveries expected to commence as early as late 2028.

Relevant articles:
– New in 2024: F-35 program eyes key upgrade, delivery restart, Defense News
– Report: F-35 Struggled With Reliability, Maintainability, Availability in 2023, airandspaceforces.com
– F-35 Lightning II: Everything to Know about Lockheed’s Stealth Fighter Jet, ExecutiveGov
– F-35A Lightning II, AF.mil