Lockheed believes it has finished F-35 TR-3 upgrade, executive says

PARIS AIR SHOW — Lockheed Martin believes it has completed the software updates necessary for newly upgraded F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to be ready for combat, company executives said today, with the official sign-off in the hands of the US government. 

After intense effort, “we believe we have reached that point” where the software for the upgrade known as TR-3 is stable enough to support new combat capabilities, J.R. McDonald, Lockheed’s vice president of business development for the F-35 program, said in a briefing with reporters here. 

A single combat capability remains to be validated, McDonald said, leaving “final closure with the US government.” McDonald said he could not offer a date for when the process would be completed, but added “we think we’re very close to that.” The F-35 Joint Program Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked for a timeline on the decision. 

Lockheed has been delivering jets equipped with TR-3 since July of last year, following a year-long freeze due to woes with the upgrade. But continued software issues have relegated those jets to training roles.

Finishing the TR-3 software means those jets restricted to training could now be poised to assume combat responsibilities, bringing to bear features like improved computing power and displays that will support a set of new capabilities known as Block 4. As of last week, 200 F-35s have been delivered in the TR-3 configuration, said Greg Ulmer, the head of Lockheed’s aeronautics division. Lockheed expects to deliver a total of 170-190 aircraft this year, McDonald said. 

Despite progress on TR-3, the fighter is not yet out of the woods. A new radar for the stealth jet was meant to be delivered this year, but potential delays with the sensor have now led Lockheed to propose a redesign of the aircraft’s fuselage, Breaking Defense previously reported. Executives here declined to answer questions about the radar or potential modifications to the aircraft, directing questions to the US government. 

Following Lockheed’s loss to Boeing on the Air Force’s next-gen fighter competition, the world’s largest defense contractor is now pitching additional upgrades to the F-35 that would create a “fifth-generation plus” version of the aircraft that could feature new stealth coatings and even pilotless operation. The new “Ferrari” version of the F-35, according to Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet, would offer 80 percent of the capability of a sixth-generation fighter at “half the price.”

Here in Paris, where Europe is smarting from trade barriers imposed by the Trump administration and working to surge defense spending, Lockheed is also betting the F-35 can break through. With parts drawn from partners across the F-35 enterprise, “the F-35 is truly an international aircraft,” McDonald said. “In fact,” McDonald continued, “the European content right now, by value, exceeds 25 percent,” a number he said will “continue to build” as the program proceeds.