F-35 jet deliveries to resume soon with truncated software upgrade

(Reuters) – Deliveries of F-35 jet are set to resume shortly without the complete TR-3 software upgrade, the head of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said on Thursday.

The delays in delivery to the Pentagon were linked to the lingering issue on the TR-3 tech refresh, which refers to a series of software improvements to the F-35 for better displays, computer memory and processing power.

The decision to move forward without complete implementation of the TR-3 software was made in coordination with the various stakeholders, according to the JPO.

“We made the decision to move forward with the truncation plan for TR-3 software,” said Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, program executive officer at the F-35 Joint Program Office.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:), manufacturer of these aircraft, was left with F-35 jets in its inventory as a result of the delays. Advanced fighter jet contributes 27% of total consolidated net sales of the company.

During an investor call, Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet had said that delivery of the first TR-3 combat training-capable aircraft was expected in the third quarter, with a full transition to combat-capable aircraft expected by 2025.