Lockheed Martin announced it has finished work on the F-35 upgrade known as Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3), but is still waiting for formal government approval.
J.R. McDonald, vice president of F-35 business development, told reporters at the Paris Air Show on Monday: “What we have been working on throughout this process of getting TR-3 is to get the process stabilized to the point where it was consistently able to operate for the pilot. We believe we have reached that point.”
While one component of the upgrade remains pending government approval before the system can be declared officially “combat capable,” McDonald said Lockheed is “very close to that.” The company did not specify what the outstanding item entails.
TR-3 adds 75 improvements in hardware and software. It includes a new processor with 25 times the computing power of the older version.
The system supports better sensors, more weapons, and improved artificial intelligence. It also allows faster future upgrades and is designed to support the next set of upgrades known as Block 4.
Lockheed has been delivering jets equipped with TR-3 since July of last year, after a year-long pause caused by problems with the upgrade. However, ongoing software issues have limited those jets to training missions.
Completing the TR-3 software opens the possibility for jets previously limited to training roles to take on combat missions.
So far, Lockheed has delivered 200 jets with TR-3. The company expects to deliver 170 to 190 jets in total this year. More than 1,180 F-35s have been built so far, with over one million flight hours recorded.
The F-35 program now includes 20 customer nations. At least 13 European countries have either deployed F-35s or placed orders for the fighter jets. Alongside U.S. Air Force aircraft based in the U.K., U.S. European Command anticipates operating over 700 F-35s in the region by 2035.
